Add Drives to the Desktop App

Before fully utilizing the Desktop App, users will need to connect their Egnyte Drive. Here’s how to do it on both Desktop App for Windows and Desktop App Core for Mac:

Step 1: Click Add Drive

• When the application launches for the first time, an option to Add Drive is available.
  
  
• Click it to begin the setup process.

If one or more drives is already added, users may add additional ones. The option to do it is available under the Settings tab and Add Drive button.

Step 2: Enter Credentials

• Users will be prompted to enter either their email address or username.
  
  
• If they enter their username, they will also be asked to provide their Egnyte domain address (for example, <yourcompany>.egnyte.com).
  
• Click Continue to proceed.

Step 3: Enter Password

• Users will be prompted to enter their Password.
  
  

If an organization uses Single Sign-On (SSO), users may be automatically redirected to the company’s SSO login page instead of seeing the standard Egnyte login flow. This is expected and ensures secure authentication through their identity provider. 

 Once the login process is completed and the drive is connected, they will see a confirmation screen. From there, they can: 

• Open Folder – Opens Finder at the root of the Egnyte drive. 
• Add another drive – Useful if users want to connect a second drive. 
• Close the window – Users can safely close it; their drive is already connected and ready to use. 

After this step, the setup window will close, and they will be taken to the Home Page of the Desktop App.

File Explorer Location

Users will see their Egnyte Drive mounted in File Explorer as a separate Location and under This PC as a network drive. This allows a user to access all their cloud files directly from File Explorer, just like any other drive in Windows. They can browse folders, open files, and work with them seamlessly—without needing to use the app interface every time.

Mac Finder Location

Users will also see their Egnyte drive mounted in Finder, under the Locations section, labeled Egnyte. This allows a user to access all their cloud files directly from Finder, just like any other drive on Mac. They can browse folders, open files, and work with them seamlessly—without needing to use the app interface every time.

Changing Drive Letter and Label

By default, Desktop App for Windows assigns the last available alphabet as a drive letter. Also for both Operating Systems the domain name will be the label by default. It is possible to change these default settings after the drive is added. 

• After the drive has been added, open the Settings menu and navigate to the Drives tab. Locate the relevant drive, select the three dots menu, and choose Configure.
  
  
• On Windows, a prompt appears indicating that the drive will be disconnected during configuration, and that files on the Egnyte Drive will be inaccessible during this time. Selecting Continue proceeds to the configuration screen. On Mac, the drive remains connected while accessing the Configure tab.
  
  
• Within the Configure Your Drive screen, several settings are available, including those for Label and Drive Letter. The Label field allows the entry of any desired name for the drive. The Drive Letter dropdown lists available drive letters for Windows; however, the C drive letter is system-reserved and therefore unavailable. On Mac, this option does not appear, as the drive letter setting is not applicable.
  
  
• Once the desired changes have been entered, selecting Save applies the updated configuration.

Configuring the Cloud Start Path

The Cloud Start Path determines the initial folder in the Egnyte Cloud that the drive points to when mounted. This makes it easier to navigate directly to a specific folder—whether Shared or Private—rather than defaulting to the root directory. For example, it can be set to a specific team folder (such as Shared/Projects) or a user’s private folder (such as Private/jsmith).

Configuring CSP on Desktop App for Windows

• After the drive has been added, open the Settings menu and navigate to the Drives tab. Locate the relevant drive, select the three dots menu, and choose Configure.
  
  
• In the Configure Your Drive screen, locate the Cloud Start Path setting. Here, a specific folder path in the cloud can be defined to direct the drive to open at that location. This setting allows users to tailor their experience and quickly access the most relevant content.
  
• Once the desired path has been entered, selecting Save applies the updated configuration.

Configuring CSP on Desktop App Core for Mac

On Desktop App Core for Mac, changing the Cloud Start Path is only possible during the drive creation process; it cannot be modified after the drive has been added. To do so, please follow the steps below while adding a new drive.

• Launch the Egnyte Desktop App and click on the Settings button.
  
• Click on the Add Drive button.
  
  
• Begin the login process by entering the credentials. Click on the Advanced option.
  
  Enter the Cloud Start Path and click on the Continue button.
  
• The drive is now added with the specified Cloud Start Path. The configured CSP can also be checked in the drive configuration.
  
  

Configuring via CLI

Custom Cloud Start Path can be added via Command Line Interface and only during the drive addition step. 

egcli drives add <drive_label> --domain <domain>.egnyte.com --username <egnyte_user>

--password <egnyte_password> --cloudStartPath /Shared/Documents

Adding and configuring drives on Desktop App for Mac

To add and configure additional drives for Desktop App for Mac, please follow the instructions below.

Add Additional Drives

1. Click on the Desktop App icon in the menu bar and click the Add Drive button under Settings (gear icon).
   
   
2. Enter email address or username and click Continue.
   
   
   
   
3. Enter Egnyte domain and click Continue.
   
   

   If the company utilizes SSO (Single-Sign On), users may be redirected to the SSO page to verify the login or the SSO provider will automatically connect.

   
   
   
4. Enter password and click Continue.
   
   
   
   
5. If the login information is accepted, users will receive a confirmation window as shown below and an email notification. User can close out of the window, add another drive, or go to the folder in Finder.
   
   

Configuring Cloud Start Path

Once the appropriate drive is added, open Finder and navigate from the Desktop App to the desired folder for the shortcut. Then, drag and drop the folder to the Favorites section of Finder.

Alternatively, click the Egnyte Connect icon in the menu bar and select the Settings (gear) option. Click the three dots next to the drive and choose Configure from the menu.

Once the drive is disconnected, a Configure your drive window will appear. In the Cloud start path section, enter the pathway to the folder for the shortcut and click Save. For example, to create a shortcut for a Private folder, enter /Private into the field.