Desktop Configurations – Quick Overview for Admins

Desktop Configurations provide a centralized way to manage how Desktop App Drives are deployed and controlled across user devices within the organization. This feature allows administrators to define which drives appear on user systems, which folders are synced or backed up, and how those drives behave.

This overview outlines the essential steps required to create and deploy a working configuration. For advanced use cases and full technical explanations, refer to the Product Guide.

 

What It Does

• Centrally defines drive mappings, Offline folders, and Connected folders
• Supports both Windows and macOS (Core version only)
• Assigns configurations to specific user Groups
• Enforces read-only behavior on managed drives and folders – users cannot modify, remove, or override
• Applies updates after restart to avoid interrupting users with active files

 

Desktop App Compatibility

This functionality will be respected by following Desktop App versions:

• Desktop App for Windows - version 3.25.0 or higher
• Desktop App Core for Mac - version 1.7.0 or higher (not supported on legacy Desktop App version)

 

Basic Setup Steps

1. Access Configuration Panel
   
   • Navigate to: Settings → Devices → Desktop Configurations
   • Click Add Configuration
     
2. Define General Information
   
   • Enter a unique Configuration name
   • Optionally, provide a description for internal use
     
3. Choose Target Operating Systems
   
   • Select Windows, macOS, or both
   • macOS support applies only to the Desktop App Core
     
4. Adjust General Settings (per OS)
   
   • Optionally disable Allow user to add drives (enabled by default)
   • Optionally disable Send notifications about the available upgrade (enabled by default)
     
5. Add Drives
   
   • Specify a drive label and on Windows a drive letter
   • Optionally define:
     
     • Cloud Start Path – the folder where the drive opens
     • Offline Folders – folders always available offline
     • Connected Folders – sync users’ local folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads) to the cloud
       
6. Assign to Groups
   
   • Add one or more user groups to determine who receives this configuration. Users outside these groups will not be affected
     
7. Save or Activate the Configuration
   
   • Click Save configuration in save it in Inactive mode or click Activate to activate the configuration. Inactive configurations can be activated from the configuration list
   • Activation requires at least one OS, one drive, and one assigned group
     

 

How It Works

1. The Desktop App regularly checks for new or updated configurations.
2. If a change is detected, the user will be notified that it will be applied after restarting the app.
3. First-time installations behave as follows:
   
   • On macOS: configuration is applied immediately after login
   • On Windows: configuration is applied after first restart
4. Later changes (for example, drive path or letter updates) are applied after the next restart.

 

Key Points to Remember

• Managed drives and folders are read-only for users – cannot be remove or modified
• Each connected folder (for example, Desktop, Documents) can be assigned to only one drive per OS configuration
• If a drive letter defined in the configuration is already used on the system (for example, by USB devices), the drive will not mount
• When users belong to multiple groups with different configurations, non-conflicting drives are merged automatically; conflicting ones are resolved based on configuration priority

 

Best Practice: Basic Configuration Example

A recommended starting setup for many organizations:

• One configuration assigned to all users (for example, All Power Users)
• Drive Z selected to avoid conflicts with commonly used system or device letters
  
• Connected folders: Desktop and Documents enabled for regular backup of frequently used files

 

For Full Technical Coverage

This overview is intended for quick onboarding and reference. The Product Guide includes advanced topics such as:

• Conflict resolution between overlapping configurations
• Multi-domain deployment and edge-case behavior
• Mobile Device Management systems integration and web configuration overrides
• Offline folder syncing behavior
• Migration from legacy setups
• Real-world examples and best practices for enterprise rollout

Refer to the product guide whenever planning advanced deployments, working across domains, or troubleshooting complex behavior.