Mounted Drive Mode

Mounted Drive Mode allows users to access Files.com connections as mounted volumes directly from Windows and macOS. When the Desktop App is launched, any configured connections set for mounting are automatically mounted. Multiple connections can be mounted at once, and new connections are set to auto-mount by default when created.

This mode provides a convenient, native experience for browsing and editing Files.com content from the file system, similar to using a network drive. It enables users to open and save files directly from applications including Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite.

You can enable or disable this behavior using the Mount as Volume option available under Manage Files.com Connections. If any mounting-related settings are changed in a connection’s configuration, the volume will be remounted automatically to apply the updates.

How Mounted Drive Mode Works Across Windows and macOS

On Windows, mounted connections appear as mapped drives in Windows Explorer under This PC. The highest available drive letter is used when mounting a volume, and if no drive letters are available, the mount will fail. You can configure a specific drive letter for each connection, but if that letter is already in use, the mounting process will not succeed. Mounted Drive Mode is available when installing the Desktop App using the EXE installer, but it is not supported with the MSI installer.

On macOS, mounted connections appear as standard network volumes in Finder under Locations. macOS uses standard mount points rather than drive letters. Note that files or folders containing certain special characters are not supported in mounted drive mode on macOS and will be hidden from Finder. Mounted Drive Mode is available when installing the Desktop App using the PKG or DMG installers.

Working with Files in Mounted Drive Mode

Mounted Drive Mode allows you to browse folders, open files, edit content, and save changes directly through your native file browser. Files are automatically transferred in the background by your operating system and internet connection, letting you work with them as if they were stored locally. When you open a file, it is downloaded if not already cached; when you save changes, the file is uploaded back to Files.com automatically.

If you need specific folders mounted to specific drive letters on Windows, your Site Administrator or Workspace Administrator can set up Desktop Configuration Profiles to define and enforce these mappings automatically.

File Locking Behavior in Mounted Drive Mode

Files.com uses file locks to protect business document files that are opened for editing. This locking behavior applies when editing these documents through the Desktop App Mounted Drive, the Files.com online editor, or Office for the web, and applies only to business document files including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.

When a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document opens for editing from a Mounted Drive using the corresponding desktop application, the Files.com Desktop App requests a lock for the file. If no one else is editing the file, the lock is granted and the file opens for editing.

If another user or editing session already has the file open, the application opens the file in read-only mode. This prevents multiple users from editing the same file at the same time and causing conflicting changes or accidental overwrites.

For example, if one user opens a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document from a Mounted Drive using a desktop editing application and another user tries to open the same document for editing from another Mounted Drive or the Files.com online editor, the second user will see the file open in read-only mode.

If you make changes while the file is open in read-only mode, the application prompts you to save the file with a different name or in a different location. The application does not allow saving changes to the original file while another editing session holds the lock.

The lock is released when the user closes the file in the editing application that opened it. If the file remains open and the lock is not released, the lock expires automatically after 12 hours.

File locking does not apply in Fast Transfer Mode because Fast Transfer Mode is used to transfer files, while Mounted Drive Mode allows files to be opened and edited directly.