Cloud files, external disks, and mobile devices

Browse a synchronized cloud folder

1. Install and sign into the provider's own sync application if the service requires one. Pathem browses available provider folders; it does not create an account for you.
2. Open the provider's location from the sidebar or its actual local path. Confirm the service badge and path so you do not confuse cloud Documents with a local Documents directory.
3. Browse filenames without assuming every file is downloaded. Directory browsing and indexing should not silently fetch all online-only contents.
4. When you need the bytes of a placeholder, use the available Download action or the provider's own controls, then wait for availability before previewing, renaming with AI, or transferring contents.
5. Check provider sync status after changes. A local operation finishing does not prove that an upload to the service has completed.

Use an external disk

1. Connect the device and wait for macOS to mount its volume. Look for it in Pathem's sidebar or browse the mounted path.
2. If it is absent, check Finder or Disk Utility to distinguish a macOS mount problem from a missing Pathem sidebar entry. Do not initialize or erase a disk merely to make it appear.
3. Before a large copy, check free space, write access, and the chosen source and destination. Enable copy verification when appropriate.
4. Finish transfers, close documents using the volume, and use Eject Volume or the sidebar eject action when available. If ejection reports that the disk is busy, resolve the active use before unplugging it.

Recognize mobile-device boundaries

iPhone and iPad access uses a separate AFC helper and depends on a connected, trusted/paired device and the content iOS exposes. It is not unrestricted access to the phone's filesystem; individual apps and device state can limit available documents.

The currently documented mainline build does not provide Android MTP browsing. An Android phone using MTP is not an ordinary mounted macOS disk and may not appear in Finder either. Do not assume a USB cable or a sidebar refresh will add missing protocol support.

For an Android connection, first verify the cable can carry data and the phone's chosen USB mode. If the device does not expose a mounted volume, use a trusted MTP-capable workflow or another supported transfer route. Do not format the phone or enable unrelated developer/security settings as a substitute for missing MTP support.