Guide

Local storage or cloud sync: how to actually decide

The choice between keeping files on a device and syncing them elsewhere is usually framed as a technology question, but it is really a question about what you need access to and when.

What local storage is good at

A file kept only on a device you hold is fast to open, works with no connection, and depends on nothing outside your control except that one device. The tradeoff is that the device itself becomes the single thing standing between you and your files.

What syncing is good at

Syncing trades some of that independence for availability — the same file shows up wherever you are logged in, and a lost device no longer means lost files. The dependency simply moves from a physical object to an account and a connection.

A reasonable middle ground

Many people land on keeping active working files synced for convenience, while periodically copying the ones that matter most onto a separate local drive that is not constantly connected to anything. Neither approach alone covers every failure mode.

Questions people ask