Connect a folder (do this first)

Why connect a folder?

• Your work becomes real files. Folders on the canvas become actual folders; documents become Markdown; images stay images. Nothing is locked inside an app.
• Automatic version history. visualOS quietly keeps rolling snapshots in the folder, so you can restore an earlier state anytime.
• Sync across devices. Put the folder in iCloud Drive or Dropbox and your other devices pick it up. See Sync across devices.
• Safety. Browser storage can be cleared by the system; a folder on your disk can’t be silently emptied.

How to connect

1. Open Settings

   Click the gear icon in the top bar (on iPhone/iPad: the ⋮ menu), then switch to the Folder & Workspace tab.

2. Click “Connect”

   Pick a folder — a new, empty one is perfect. For sync later, create it inside iCloud Drive or Dropbox, e.g. iCloud Drive/visualOS.

   Your browser will ask once for permission to save into that folder — allow it.

3. Done

   From now on every change lands in the folder about a second after you make it. The Folder & Workspace tab shows the connected folder’s name.

What if the folder already has visualOS data?

Then visualOS offers to load the folder’s data (recommended — that’s how you continue on a second device) or, if you insist, to replace the folder contents with your local data. A backup copy is created automatically before anything is overwritten, so no choice is destructive.

Which browsers can do this?

Connecting a folder works in Chrome, Edge and Brave (and other Chromium-based browsers). Safari and Firefox don’t support folder access yet — there visualOS stores data in the browser, and we recommend regular backup exports. The native iPhone/iPad/Mac app always supports folders — including iCloud Drive.