Desktop Sync Client

Cloudreve provides an official desktop sync client for Windows, enabling seamless bidirectional file synchronization between your local machine and Cloudreve server.

Features

• Real-time bidirectional synchronization: Changes on either side are automatically synced
• On-demand file access: Files are downloaded only when accessed, saving local storage
• Windows Explorer integration: Native context menus, thumbnails, and status indicators
• Multiple storage provider support: Works with all storage policies configured on your Cloudreve server

System Requirements

• Windows 10 version 1903 (build 18362) or later
• A Cloudreve Pro server instance

Download

Source code: GitHub

Placeholder Files

The desktop client uses the Windows Cloud Files API to create "placeholder" files. These are special files that appear in Windows Explorer like regular files but may not have their content stored locally. This allows you to browse your entire cloud storage without consuming local disk space.

File States

Placeholder files have three main states, indicated by status icons in Windows Explorer:

State	Icon	Description
Online-only	Cloud icon	File metadata is available locally, but file content remains on the server. The file will be downloaded when you open it.
Locally available	Green checkmark	File content has been downloaded and is available locally. The system may automatically free up space by removing local content when storage is low.
Always available	Solid green circle with checkmark	File is pinned to always keep local content. The system will not automatically remove local content.

Managing File States

You can change a file's state by right-clicking it in Windows Explorer:

• Free up space: Removes local content, keeping only the placeholder (Online-only)
• Always keep on this device: Pins the file to ensure content is always available locally

File Synchronization

Real-time Change Detection

Under normal operation, the desktop client receives file change notifications in real-time through Server-Sent Events (SSE). When files are created, modified, renamed, or deleted on the server (by web interface, mobile app, or other clients), your local view updates immediately.

Troubleshooting

If real-time updates are not working:

• Check if your web server (Nginx, Apache, etc.) has buffering disabled for SSE endpoints
• Ensure reverse proxy timeout settings are long enough for persistent connections
• Verify that the Cloudreve server is accessible and responding normally

Force Sync

In rare cases where synchronization state becomes inconsistent (e.g., after network interruptions or system crashes), you can trigger a manual full synchronization:

1. Right-click on a file or folder in Windows Explorer
2. Select Cloudreve > Sync now

This will reconcile the local state with the server, resolving any discrepancies.

Conflict Resolution

When a local file version conflicts with the cloud, the client will pop up a notification asking how to resolve the conflict:

You can right-click on the conflicting file and select Cloudreve > Resolve conflict to re-open the conflict resolution dialog.

Comparison with WebDAV

While Cloudreve also supports WebDAV for file access, the desktop sync client offers significant advantages:

Feature	Desktop Client	WebDAV
System requirements	Windows 10 1903+	Any OS with WebDAV client
On-demand files	Yes (placeholder files)	No (must download entire file)
Real-time sync	Yes (SSE push)	No (manual refresh required)
Upload method	Direct to storage provider	Must relay through Cloudreve server
Chunked upload	Yes (parallel chunks)	No (single stream)
Large file support	Excellent	Limited by WebDAV client
Offline access	Pinned files available offline	Cached files only
Explorer integration	Full (status icons, context menus)	Basic (mounted drive)

When to use WebDAV

WebDAV remains useful for:

• Non-Windows platforms (macOS, Linux, mobile)
• Applications that require direct file path access
• Simple file access without sync requirements