Desktop and the cloud: sign in and bring your libraries

Polimake Desktop works without an account: it indexes your folders and lets you search everything on your own computer. Signing in adds the cloud: your Polimake Media libraries show up next to the ones on your computer, you can upload and share files, and you have them on any computer. The free account includes 2 GB in the cloud.

Before you start

To connect your account, Desktop needs at least one library on this computer. If you haven't added any yet, Settings › General shows the notice "Create a library before connecting your account."

1. Right-click the sidebar and choose Add folder….
2. Click Choose a folder… or drop a folder onto the box.

Sign in

While you're not signed in, the Work in the cloud too card appears at the bottom of the sidebar.

1. Click the card (or go to Settings › General and click Sign in).
2. Click Open the browser. The Polimake sign-in page opens.
3. Sign in with your account and come back to Desktop. Meanwhile, the button says "Waiting for the browser…".
4. Desktop asks Which libraries do you want to bring to this computer?. Click the ones you want (each gets a check mark) or click Sync all to bring all of them, including the ones you create later.
5. Confirm with Bring 1 library or Bring N libraries. If you'd rather decide later, click Not now.

If someone has invited you to a library, you'll see it in that same dialog with Accept.

Your cloud libraries in Desktop

The libraries you bring show up on the Libraries page next to the folders on this computer, and they update on their own when they change in Media. If you also want them in the sidebar, right-click it and choose Add Shared.

To change which libraries you bring, go to Settings › General, find Libraries in your account card and click Choose.

To copy cloud files to your computer, open the folder and drag its files. Folders in Shared can't be dragged as a whole.

Upload files to the cloud

There are several ways, depending on what you have:

• Individual files. Open a folder in a cloud library and click Upload, or drop the files onto it.
• A folder from your computer into the cloud. Right-click an empty spot in the destination folder and choose Upload folder.
• A whole library from your computer. Right-click it (in the sidebar or on Libraries) and choose Copy to a library…. A copy is uploaded: your folder doesn't change.
• A new version of a file. Right-click the file and choose Upload a version…. The new one becomes the current one and the previous one stays in its stack.

If you go offline, the upload waits: you'll see "Offline · N not uploaded yet" and it carries on as soon as the network is back.

Your account and your plan

In Settings › General, your account card brings together:

• Your name and photo, with Change name and Change photo.
• Your plan: Space used and AI this month, with Manage subscription or See plans. If your account is eligible, you'll also see Try Pro for free.
• The AI assistants you've connected to your Media (for example, ChatGPT or Claude), with Disconnect. To connect them, follow Connect Polimake to ChatGPT and Claude.
• Sign out.

If something drops

• No internet: what's on your computer keeps working. The cloud comes back when the connection does.
• Session expired: you'll see Your session has expired in the sidebar and Session expired in Settings. Nothing syncs until you click Sign in again.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account to use Polimake Desktop?

No. Without an account you can add folders, index them and search them. You only need the account for the cloud: Media libraries, uploading and sharing.

How much free cloud storage do I get?

The free account includes 2 GB. You can see how much you've used in Settings › General, under Space used.

What happens to my files if I sign out?

The folders on your computer aren't touched. What you already uploaded stays in your Media account and shows up again when you sign back in.

Can I drag a folder from Shared to my computer?

Not as a whole. Open the folder and drag its files to wherever you want to copy them.