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Shares

Understand what shares are and how they work in Handrive.

What is a Share?​

A share is a folder that you make available through Handrive. Think of it as a synced folder that can be accessed by you across devices, or shared with other people.

Types of Shares​

Local Shares (Your Shares)​

Shares that you create on your device. These are folders on your computer that you've added to Handrive.

  • Marked with a purple drive icon 🟣
  • Appear under "My Shares" in the sidebar
  • You have full control (Owner role)
  • Stored on your local device

Remote Shares (Others' Shares)​

Shares created by your contacts that they've given you access to.

  • Marked with a cyan globe icon 🔵
  • Appear under the contact's name in the sidebar
  • Your access level depends on your assigned role
  • Files stored on the owner's device

Share Properties​

Each share has:

PropertyDescription
NameDisplay name for the share
Path(Local only) Folder location on your device
OwnerPerson who created the share
MembersPeople who have access
FilesContents of the shared folder

How Sharing Works​

Sharing works like network file sharing on your computer—share a folder, add permissions, others connect to see it.

Sharer's side:
1. Share a folder → Points to a folder on your device
2. Add members → Grant access by email

Receiver's side:
3. Connect to contact → Add the sharer as a contact
4. See their shares → Shares appear in your sidebar
5. Browse files → File list comes from their device
6. Download → Files transfer directly to you

One contact gives you access to all their shares across all their devices.

info

Files are NOT automatically copied to other people's devices. They remain on the owner's device until someone explicitly downloads them.

Share Discovery​

Shares are discovered through contacts. To see shares someone has given you access to:

  1. Add them as a contact first - You must add the share owner to your contacts
  2. Discover their shares - Shares they've invited you to appear under their name in your sidebar
Why this design?

Just like network file sharing—you connect to a machine to see its shares, not the other way around. Adding someone as a member doesn't push content into their app. They choose to connect to you first. This prevents unwanted content from appearing in anyone's app.

Example​

Alice wants to share photos with Bob:

StepAlice (Sharer)Bob (Receiver)
1Creates "Vacation Photos" share—
2Adds Bob as a member—
3—Nothing happens yet!
4—Adds Alice as a contact
5—Sees "Vacation Photos" under Alice in sidebar