Learn/App & Interface/Files & data
Cloud Storage
Updated v2.4.7At a glance
- Connect Google Drive or OneDrive and open / save projects through the same themed file picker
- Browsing and organizing cloud folders responds instantly — changes sync in the background
- Sign-in happens in your browser — JetCad3 never sees your password; on the appliance the built-in browser handles it
- Connections restore automatically when you sign in on another machine; pickers reopen in your last cloud folder
- Post G-code straight into a cloud folder and preview it right after
- Fully optional: the app runs offline-first, local files always work
Settings → Cloud Storage connects a Google Drive or OneDrive account to JetCad3. Clicking Connect opens your normal browser to sign in — the app never handles your password, only the access token Google or Microsoft grants it. On a desktop install that's your system browser; on the JC3 Appliance the built-in web browser opens the sign-in page and closes itself when you're done. Once connected, both drives appear in the sidebar of the file picker alongside your local folders. Cloud storage is part of the paid tiers; on the Free Hobby login the tab shows an upgrade link instead and the picker's cloud rows stay disabled.
Working with cloud files
Browsing Drive or OneDrive in the picker behaves like browsing local disk: rename, new folder, cut/copy/paste, trash, and drag-and-drop all work the same — and respond instantly, with the change syncing to the cloud in the background in the order you made them. If the cloud rejects an operation after the fact (a name that already exists, say), the picker restores the real state and explains what happened. Listings refresh themselves quietly, so edits made from another computer or the provider's website show up on their own. Each task's picker also remembers the cloud folder you last used and reopens there, falling back to your local Documents folder if that provider is ever disconnected. Opening a cloud project stages a local working copy, so editing stays fast even on a slow connection — autosave and crash recovery run against that local copy too. When you hit Save, JetCad3 writes the file locally first and only reports success after the upload to the cloud actually completes, so a dropped connection can't silently eat your work. Themes, G-code files, and the text editor can open cloud files directly as well, and posting a program straight into a cloud folder works end to end — the G-code preview reads it right back. A few flows, like machine profile import/export, remain local-only for now.
Moving between machines
Connections are tied to your JetCad3 account. Install the app on a second computer, sign in, and previously connected drives restore automatically — no re-authorizing each provider by hand. If a token has been revoked in the meantime (you changed your password, or disconnected from the Google/Microsoft side), JetCad3 shows a short reconnect message instead of a cryptic error. Signing out clears the cloud tokens from that machine, so a shared shop computer doesn't leave your drives open to the next person. A Test connection button on each provider card confirms everything is talking before you rely on it.