Sync your work across devices

When you sign in to your PlexiDesk account, your work stays in step on every computer where you are signed in. Make a desk on your laptop and it is waiting on your desktop computer. Everything is also saved on the computer you are using, so you can keep working without a connection and PlexiDesk catches up when you are back online.

This article explains what syncs, how to add another computer, how to read the sync status, and the one sync setting you can change.

Before you start

• Plan: sync works on every plan.
• You need a PlexiDesk account. If you do not have one yet, see Create an account and sign in Coming soon.
• Sync is on while you are signed in. There is nothing to switch on. Documents have a setting of their own, which is also on to start with. See Choose whether documents sync.
• Install PlexiDesk on each computer you want to use. See Install PlexiDesk on a Mac or Install PlexiDesk on Windows.

What syncs

While you are signed in, all of this syncs to your account and appears on your other signed-in computers:

• your rooms and desks
• the widgets on your desks, and what is in them
• your tables and their rows
• the time you block out on your PlexiDesk calendar
• your Attention items
• the files and folders in Files
• your documents, through Documents sync (see below)

Sync covers your personal workspace and every organisation workspace you belong to. Work in an organisation's workspace syncs to that organisation, where the people it is shared with can see it. Desks that other people have shared with you by name stay up to date too. See Rooms and desks shared with you and Organisation settings and switching workspaces Coming soon.

If you made desks or other work on a computer before signing in on it, that work is added to your account when you sign in, and then appears on your other computers.

What stays on each computer

A few things belong to the computer you set them up on. Set them up again on each computer you use:

• your appearance settings, such as theme, accent colour and font
• your AI settings and your API keys. See AI settings and Add your own API keys.
• your Vault. See Store passwords in the Vault Coming soon.
• your mail account connection. See Connect your email account Coming soon.
• the history of pages you have visited in browser widgets
• snoozes on Attention items, which apply only on the computer where you snooze them

How sync works

• Your changes go out shortly after you make them. PlexiDesk sends a change soon after you pause, rather than on every keystroke.
• Changes from your other computers arrive on their own. PlexiDesk also checks for changes about every 20 seconds. When someone else changes a desk you share with them, or something in your organisation's workspace, the update usually arrives within a few seconds.
• Everything is saved on this computer first. If you lose your connection, keep working. Your changes are kept on this computer and sync by themselves when the connection returns.
• Files can take a little longer. On a newly signed-in computer, the contents of your files download a few at a time, so a large collection may take a while to fill in.

Set up sync on another computer

1. Install PlexiDesk on the other computer.
2. Open PlexiDesk. If a sign-in window appears, go to step 4.
3. If it does not, click the gear at the right-hand end of the header. Its tooltip says Appearance settings, and it opens Settings. Click the Account tab, then click Sign in or create account.
4. At the top of the sign-in window, click Log in. On a computer that has never been signed in, the window starts on Sign up, so check that Log in is selected.
5. Enter the Email and Password of the account you already use on your other computer, then click Log in.
6. If your account uses two-factor authentication, enter the code from your authenticator app in Authentication code, then click Verify. See Turn on two-factor authentication Coming soon.
7. Watch the sync status at the foot of the side menu. When it says Synced, your rooms and desks are in the side menu.

Check the sync status

The sync status appears in two places:

• At the foot of the side menu in the Desk area. It has a coloured dot, a label and, underneath, how long ago the last sync or the last change was. When there has been activity, a small chart shows how many changes were saved in each of the last ten minutes. See The side menu.
• In the footer, the thin bar along the bottom of the window, on every screen. It shows a shorter label. See The footer bar.

Rest the pointer on either status for a sentence that explains it. In the side menu, the Synced and Saved locally explanations also count your changes in the last ten minutes.

Choose whether documents sync

Documents sync covers the documents you create in PlexiiOffice, such as PlexiiDocs, PlexiiSheets and PlexiiSlides files. It is on to start with.

1. Click the gear at the right-hand end of the header to open Settings.
2. Click the Data tab.
3. Scroll to Documents sync.
4. Tick Sync documents to your account to sync your documents, or untick it to keep them only on this computer.

The line under the box tells you where your documents are:

• On, and signed in: your documents sync to your account, so they are available on your other computers. A copy also stays on this computer.
• On, but signed out: your documents stay on this computer until you sign in.
• Off: your documents are stored only on this computer.

This setting is for the computer you change it on, and it covers your personal workspace. Documents in an organisation's workspace sync with that organisation.

Sign out

Signing out stops sync on this computer. Your work stays on this computer.

1. In the footer, click your name. Its tooltip says Signed in as and your email address.
2. PlexiDesk asks you to confirm. Click OK.

You can also open Settings, click the Account tab and click Sign out.

After you sign out:

• The sync status says Saved locally.
• Everything on this computer stays where it is. Items in your Shared with me inbox stay until you remove them.
• Your plan's features wait until you sign back in.
• Anything you change while signed out syncs when you sign in again.

Tips

• Before you move to another computer, glance at the sync status and wait for Synced. Then your latest changes are already on their way.
• Working offline is fine. Keep going, and let PlexiDesk catch up when you reconnect.
• Keep a backup of work that matters. Sync keeps your computers in step; a backup gives you a copy you can restore. See Back up and restore your workspace Coming soon.

Common questions

Do I need to turn sync on? No. Sync runs whenever you are signed in. Only documents have their own setting, and it is on to start with.

My other computer does not show my latest changes. What should I check? Check that both computers are signed in to the same account: open Settings, click Account, and compare the email address. Then check that both show Synced. If one says Offline, check its internet connection. Files can take a little longer to arrive than desks and widgets.

The footer says Saved locally. Is my work safe? Yes. Your work is saved on this computer. It is not syncing because you are not signed in. Sign in to sync it to your other computers.

The status says Sync error. What should I do? Rest the pointer on the status to see the reason, and check your internet connection. Your work is saved on this computer, and PlexiDesk keeps trying. If the error stays, contact support Coming soon.

I reset my password. Do I need to sign in again on my other computers? Yes. Resetting your password signs you out on every computer. Sign in again on each one with your new password, and sync carries on.

Is my synced work encrypted? Your work is encrypted in transit between your computer and PlexiDesk. Sync is not end-to-end encrypted. See Privacy settings and what leaves your computer and the Privacy Policy.

Something I snoozed in Attention is showing on my other computer. Why? Snoozes apply only on the computer where you snooze them. The Attention item itself syncs, so snooze it on the other computer too if you want it out of the way there.

Related

• Create an account and sign in Coming soon
• Account settings Coming soon
• Privacy settings and what leaves your computer
• Back up and restore your workspace Coming soon
• Export your work and import it elsewhere Coming soon
• Rooms and desks shared with you