OmniStor Drive uses a private cloud streaming architecture, meaning files are not fully downloaded to your local machine in advance but are transmitted in real-time as needed. When you browse folders, the system only loads the file list and basic information; the actual file content is streamed from the private cloud server only when you open a specific file. OmniStor Drive synchronization works in two directions:

• Upload Synchronization: Operations such as creating, modifying, copying, moving, and deleting files on your local machine are immediately synchronized to the cloud.
• Download Synchronization: File content from the cloud is downloaded to your local machine only when you open the file; downloaded content is cached locally for faster access next time.

The following sections explain the details of various synchronization behaviors, how to check status, and how to handle exceptions.

• When you perform the following operations within the OmniStor Drive virtual disk, the content is directly uploaded to the cloud:

  • Create: Creating new files or folders inside the OmniStor Drive disk.
  • Copy, Move: Copying or moving files from other locations on your local machine into the OmniStor Drive disk.
  • Modify: Editing and saving files directly within the OmniStor Drive disk.
  • Rename: Renaming files or folders inside the OmniStor Drive disk.
  • Delete: Deleting files or folders within the OmniStor Drive disk.

  Once upload is complete, you can see the results on your local OmniStor Drive disk and the web interface simultaneously.

  Delay with Large Files or Unstable Network: Because streaming technology is used, when files are large and the network is unstable, copying, creating, or moving files may experience brief delays. This is normal. Please wait patiently for synchronization to complete or track progress from the activity window.

  If a network issue occurs during upload, OmniStor will automatically retry; if the connection is interrupted for an extended period causing retry failure, the file will be moved to the Problem Files directory for retention.

• OmniStor Drive does not download entire folders to your local machine in advance. The actual download occurs in two stages:

  1. Browsing Folders: The system only loads the file list and basic information (name, size, modification time, etc.) of the folder, without downloading file content.
  2. Opening Files: When you double-click to open a file, the system initiates streaming, downloading the file content from the private cloud server to your local machine in real time.

  Downloaded content is cached locally, so opening the same file next time will be faster. See detailson how to manage OmniStor Drive’s local cache space.

• There are two places to check the synchronization status of OmniStor Drive: the taskbar icon and the activity window.

  Three States of the Taskbar Icon

  • Normal connection: Blue icon, indicating OmniStor Drive is operating normally.

  • Disconnected from Server: Grayscale icon, indicating a temporary loss of connection to the server; please check your computer’s network.
  • Error State: The icon shows a red dot with an exclamation mark, indicating there are files that failed to upload or download correctly. Please click the icon for more details. See Why did the upload fail?.

  Synchronization Status Displayed in the Activity Window

  Click the taskbar icon to open the activity window, where you can see the synchronization status of each file or folder:

  • Uploading
  • Upload Successful 
  • Rename Successful 
  • Move Successful 
  • Delete Successful 
  • Upload Failed 
  • Move Failed 
  • Delete Failed

  Tip: Drag the OmniStor Drive icon out of the hidden taskbar tray to keep it permanently visible. You can then see status changes immediately without expanding the hidden icons area.