How to use the Proton Drive Windows app

The Proton Drive Windows app allows you to easily upload and download files and folders, as well as sync them across your devices. In this article we explain how to use it. Note that to follow any of these steps you’ll need to create a free Proton account.

We also have a full guide on how to use the web app if you prefer to interact with Proton Drive through your browser.

• How to install and set up the app
• Making sense of the Proton Drive Windows app
• How to sync folders
  • Unsyncing folders
• How to manage files in your sync folder
  • Locally adding or removing files
• How to change the location of your Proton Drive folder
• How to uninstall the Proton Drive Windows app

How to install and set up the app

To install the app, visit the Proton Drive download page, scroll down to the Download desktop apps section, and click the Download for Windows button.

Open the .EXE file using your browser or in your default downloads folder, and follow the on-screen instructions.

The app will install in a few minutes. Once completed, double-click the icon on your desktop and sign in to the app.

Once the app is installed, sign in using your Proton Account username and password. 

Making sense of the Proton Drive Windows app

Once you open the app, you’ll see the main interface. It’s divided into two parts. The larger section in the center is where you interact with the app or your uploaded files, while the navigation pane to the left lets you access different sections of the app. 

• Activity: See an overview of all uploaded files and when they were last synced.
• My computer: See which folders on your computer are synced to Proton Drive.
• Settings: Manage your app preferences.
• Account: Manage your account settings.
• About: Find information about your app version and links to our terms of service and privacy policy.
• Help: Send assistance requests directly to our Support team.

At the bottom of the app, you can see how much of your storage you’re using.

How to sync folders

Proton Drive lets you sync folders from your Windows device to the cloud storage, meaning any change you make to the files and folders within that folder (such as adding, deleting, or renaming files or adding, deleting, or renaming folders or reorganizing their hierarchy, etc.) is also automatically carried out in the copy of the folder on the cloud. 

You can easily sync any folder using Proton Drive. To do so, go to the My computer tab and click Add folders.

A new window will pop up. Select the folder you’d like to sync and click Save. If the folder you want to sync isn’t on the list, click Add more folders to browse your entire system.

If you have multiple Windows computers with sync folders, all of them will show up in the My computers section. You can easily move between them by clicking on the relevant entry.

Any changes you make to files in your synced folders will reflect across all devices.

Unsyncing folders

To unsync a folder: 

1. Go to the My computer tab.
2. Under the folders syncing from this device heading, find the folder you want to unsync. 
3. Click on the three horizontal dots to the right and select Remove folder.

A pop-up will ask you to confirm your decision. Click the Remove folder button to continue.

How to manage files in your sync folder

Once you have set a sync folder, you can use it to easily upload and download files. By default, your sync folder is called My files and can be found in your Proton Drive folder in Windows File Explorer.

Any file you place in this folder will automatically be uploaded into the cloud during sync; to download a file from your Proton Drive account, simply move it from this folder to anywhere else on your hard drive. To delete a file from Proton Drive, simply delete it from the My files folder by right-clicking it and selecting delete, just like you would with any other file.

Note that this will remove this file from your regular cloud storage on all your synced devices if you do this. However, it will still be accessible in your local Windows Recycle Bin and the Drive web app’s Trash folder.

Locally adding or removing files

Once a file is in your sync folder, you have some more management options. 

Always keep on this device downloads the file, and leaves it on your hard drive even if it’s deleted online or on another device. This gives you a backup copy if the file is ever deleted.

Free up space, meanwhile, deletes the file from your hard drive, but keeps a copy in the cloud. As the name implies, it lets you save hard drive space while keeping an active copy online.

Read more about on-demand sync works.

How to change the location of your Proton Drive folder

To change the location of your Proton Drive folder, go to the Settings tab in the left-hand pane. There, under Location, click the Change button.

In the new window, navigate to the folder you’d like to designate, then click Select folder.

How to uninstall the Proton Drive Windows app

To uninstall Proton Drive, go to the Control Panel in Windows. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Next, select Proton Drive from the list and click Uninstall/Change. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the program.