Guide for Ensuring Access to United Plugin Presets in Cloud-Synced Folders
Some users may encounter issues accessing plugin presets stored in folders synchronized by cloud services, such as OneDrive on PC or iCloud on Mac.
United Plugins installs and stores presets in the Documents folder. If this folder is synced with a cloud service, the presets might become unavailable under certain conditions due to the way cloud storage handles file availability.
How Cloud Features Work (Files On-Demand, Optimize Storage, etc.):
Cloud services often use space-saving features like Files On-Demand (OneDrive) or Optimize Storage (iCloud). These features manage file storage as follows:
Default File States:
Online-only: Files are stored in the cloud and do not occupy local disk space. They are downloaded only when opened.
Locally available: Files are stored on your device and accessible offline until space is needed or their state is manually changed.
Always available: Files are permanently stored on your device and remain offline-accessible even if disk space is low.
Automatic Space Management:
If a file hasn’t been accessed for a long time and disk space runs low, the cloud service may convert it to Online-only to save space. These files remain visible in the file browser and can be downloaded on demand.
Manual Control:
You can override the automatic settings by right-clicking any file or folder and selecting:
"Always keep on this device": Ensures the file or folder is always available offline.
Recommendation for Plugin Presets:
To ensure that plugin presets remain accessible, we recommend:
Setting the synced Documents folder (or subfolders containing presets) to "Always available".
Alternatively, disabling the cloud service’s space optimization feature entirely.
How to Configure Cloud Settings:
For PC Users (OneDrive):
Open OneDrive Settings:
Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray (near the clock).
Select Settings.
Enable Files On-Demand:
In the Settings tab, ensure "Save space and download files as you use them" is checked.
Make Documents Folder Always Offline:
Open File Explorer.
Navigate to the Documents folder inside the OneDrive directory.
Right-click the Documents folder and select "Always keep on this device".
A green circle with a white checkmark will appear next to the folder, indicating it is always offline-accessible.
You can also achieve this for any subfolder with just a few plugins; there is no need to do this for the whole Documents folder.
Important Note:
If you enable syncing with OneDrive, the location of your Documents folder will change:
The original path, C:\Users\<username>\Documents\, is replaced with C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\Documents\.
The original C:\Users\<username>\Documents\ folder will likely become empty as its contents are moved to the OneDrive-synced location.
If syncing is disabled later, ensure that your files, including plugin presets, are moved back to the original location or remain accessible in the new location.
For Mac Users (iCloud Drive):
Open iCloud Drive Settings:
Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID.
Enable Desktop & Documents Sync:
Select iCloud in the sidebar and click Options next to iCloud Drive.
Ensure "Desktop & Documents Folders" is checked.
Disable Automatic Offloading:
Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Storage > Manage.
Under Recommendations, ensure "Optimize Mac Storage" is unchecked.
This ensures local copies of files are not removed when storage is low.
Verify Local Availability:
Open Finder and navigate to Documents.
Right-click the Documents folder (or individual files) and select "Download Now" to ensure the files are stored locally.
If you disable Syncing, which was enabled before:
If you disable syncing of the Documents folder with your cloud service:
Any presets previously stored as Online-only may become inaccessible.
To resolve this, you will need to:
Re-download the presets from the cloud.
Or perform a Repair Install of the plugin to restore the missing files.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your plugin presets remain accessible, preventing interruptions to your workflow. If you encounter further issues, please contact our support team for assistance.
