Drive (folder) widget

The Drive (folder) widget puts one of your folders from Files on a desk. It lists what is in the folder, lets you step into its subfolders, and saves any file you add through it into that folder. The desk becomes a window onto the place where the work's files live, instead of a pile of separate attachments.

Use it when a piece of work has a folder of its own: a client's documents, a project's deliverables, the photos from a job.

More about this widget Coming soon

Before you start

• Drive (folder) is on every plan.
• You need a desk open.
• The widget shows folders from Files, PlexiDesk's own file manager. If the folder you want does not exist yet, you can create it while you set the widget up. See Files: your folders and files Coming soon.

Add a Drive widget

1. Open the desk.
2. Click Add widget in the centre of the header.
3. Click Drive (folder).

The Add widget menu groups widgets into columns by what they are for. Drive (folder) is in the Files & documents column. You can also type folder or drive in the search box at the top of the menu and press Enter to add it.

You can also right-click an empty part of the desk and choose Add object > Files > Drive (folder), or press ⌘ K on a Mac or Ctrl K on Windows and choose Add Drive (folder).

A new Drive widget says Point this drive at a folder. Files you add save there.

Choose the folder

1. Click Choose folder… in the widget. The Point this drive at a folder window opens, showing the folders at the top level of Files.
2. Find the folder:
   • Click a folder's name to open it and see the folders inside. The path at the top, starting with Top level, shows where you are; click any part of it to go back up.
   • Or type part of the folder's name in Search folders.
3. Choose it:
   • Click File here beside the folder you want, or
   • Open the folder and click the button at the bottom right, which says File in and the folder's name.

To show everything in Files rather than one folder, click File at top level. The widget then shows All files.

The widget takes the folder's name, and lists what is in it.

Make a new folder for the desk

1. In the Point this drive at a folder window, open the folder you want the new one to sit in, or stay at Top level.
2. Type a name in the New folder name box at the bottom and click Create, or press Enter.
3. The window opens your new folder. Click File in followed by its name to choose it.

What the widget shows

The bar across the top of the widget shows the folder's name and three buttons:

• Add files to this folder (the upload arrow) opens a file chooser. Pick one or more files on your computer and they are saved into the folder.
• Open in Files (the arrow out of a box) opens Files at this folder, where you can rename, move and organise everything in it.
• Point at a different folder (the pencil) opens the folder window again so you can choose another folder.

Below the bar is the folder's contents, one row each, with an icon for folders, documents and other files. A subfolder shows how many items it holds on the right.

• Click a subfolder to show its contents in the widget. The widget now points at that subfolder and takes its name.
• Click a file to open Files at this folder, where you can open the file and work with it.

If the folder is empty, the widget says Empty. Drop files here to save them into this folder.

To open Files yourself, look in Office: Files is under Apps, beside Browser.

Add files to the folder

Everything you add through the widget is saved into the folder it points at, so you will also find it there in Files.

• Use the button. Click Add files to this folder, choose one or more files on your computer and confirm.
• Drop them in. Drag files from Finder or File Explorer onto the widget's list. A coloured outline shows when you are over it.

The new files appear in the list straight away. They are copies, so the originals on your computer are left where they were.

A file over 50 MB is kept on the computer where you added it: your other devices see its name and type, but not its contents. See Sync your work across devices.

Go back up a level

When you click a subfolder, the widget moves into it. To go back to the folder above, or to any other folder:

1. Click Point at a different folder (the pencil).
2. Choose the folder you want, as described under Choose the folder above.

The title bar

The title bar's buttons appear when you rest the pointer on the widget.

• The name is the folder's name, and follows the widget into a subfolder. To use a different name on this desk, double-click it or click Rename (the pencil in the title bar), type the name and press Enter. This renames the widget only; the folder keeps its name in Files.
• Pin keeps the widget in a corner of the screen while you move around the desk.
• Expand offers Larger on desk and Focus mode. See Open widgets full screen and side by side.
• × removes the widget from the desk. PlexiDesk asks Remove from the desk? first. The folder and its files stay in Files. If you remove one by mistake, undo it straight away. See Undo and redo.

See The controls on every widget for the rest.

The title bar starts with an AI button (the sparkle). Drive (folder) has no AI of its own, so this button opens the Plexii panel, where you can ask Plexii your question. See Use a widget's AI button.

Sharing

If you publish a live view of the desk, visitors see the Drive widget read-only. They cannot open your folder or add files to it. See Publish a live view of a desk.

To share files from the folder with someone, see Share a widget, document or file Coming soon.

Good uses

• One folder per client or project. Point the client's desk at their folder, so every file for them is one click away and new ones land in the right place.
• A drop box for the work. Add files from the desk as they arrive, and they are filed without a trip to Files.
• Several views of one folder. Put Drive widgets for the "Drafts" and "Final" subfolders side by side.
• Everything at a glance. Choose File at top level for a desk that shows all of Files.

Common questions

What is the difference between Drive (folder) and File or link? A File or link widget holds one file and shows a preview of it. A Drive widget lists a whole folder, and files you add through it are saved into that folder.

Does removing the widget delete my files? No. Removing the widget takes it off the desk. The folder and everything in it stay in Files.

I added files in Files, and the widget does not list them yet. The widget reads the folder when the desk opens and whenever you add files through it. Switch to another desk and back to see files you added elsewhere.

Can two desks show the same folder? Yes. Add a Drive widget to each desk and point both at the folder. Files added through either one go into the same folder.

Where are the files kept? In Files, in the folder the widget points at. See Add files and folders Coming soon and Organise files and file documents Coming soon.

Related tasks

• Files and documents widgets
• Files: your folders and files Coming soon
• Add files and folders Coming soon
• File or link widget
• The controls on every widget