This guide details the Lite Sync option of the desktop app kDrive (desktop application on Windows). The Lite Sync option is also available on macOS.

Preamble

• The Lite Sync feature saves space by virtually storing your kDrive files on your computer, downloading them only when necessary.
  • The files are always accessible from the Web app kDrive (online service ksuite.infomaniak.com/kdrive) but locally they are present in a "dehydrated" way, requiring a loading time to be fully accessible.
  • This allows you to view, complete, and synchronize the content of kDrive without saturating the hard drive.
• The Lite Sync option always acts:
  • on a specific kDrive (in case you synchronize several on the application).
  • and on the entirety of the kDrive (or the entirety of an advanced synchronization).
  • and via a specific kDrive app (another user of the same kDrive can make a different Lite Sync choice from yours).
• In case of a problem, consult this other guide on the subject.

Activate the Lite Sync option

Prerequisites & scope of use of Lite Sync

• Windows OS version ≥ 10 (21H2) — not available with Linux
• 64-bit processor (ARM64 compatible)
• File storage system under NTFS (FAT32 excluded)

The Lite Sync option can be activated during the installation of the application (this is offered to you) or subsequently:

1. If necessary, click on the chevron ‍ in the notification area of your computer (bottom right on Windows, near the clock) to access the kDrive icon as Windows hides application icons.
2. Perform a left click on the app icon.
3. Click on the action menu ⋮ to the right of the kDrive window.
4. Select kDrive settings.
5. Click on the action menu ⋮ to the right of the ongoing synchronization and the cloud symbol:
   
6. Click on the menu item:
   1. If the cloud is crossed out, you can enable Lite Sync as it was not yet active (confirm).
   2. In the same place, you can disable Lite Sync if the cloud was not crossed out (also read at the end of this guide).
7. Confirm the operation and wait until the message confirming the end of the operation.

Actions on data synchronized on the disk

Always keep on this device

Once Lite Sync is activated (and therefore the data on the disk has become “virtual”), you can still make available locally a folder and its subfolders or only one or more files:

1. From the Windows File Explorer, navigate to a folder synchronized with kDrive and right-click.
2. Select the option Always keep on this device under kDrive:
   
3. The symbol visible on the icon of the affected files will change to indicate that the file is no longer “in the cloud” but physically present on your disk.

Free up space

Conversely, once Lite Sync is enabled, you can free up space, file by file or in a folder and its subfolders.

1. From the Windows File Explorer, right-click on the affected folder or file.
2. Select the option Free up space under kDrive:
   
3. The symbol visible on the icon of the affected files/folders will change to indicate that the data is “in the cloud” and no longer fully present on your disk:
   • The action Free up space will free up storage space on your computer.
   • Files will remain visible but will no longer be accessible without an internet connection.

Example of use (necessary storage space)

If you enable Lite Sync, the space occupied (e.g., 900 GB) on the Infomaniak server will be freed up on your hard drive, but the opposite is also true (e.g., 900 GB of free space required on your hard drive if you enable the Lite Sync option midway).

File "dehydration"

As explained in the preamble, a dehydrated file is a kDrive file whose complete version is not present on the hard drive and instead a 1 KB "shortcut" is displayed, which is normal behavior when Lite Sync is enabled.

In some cases (e.g., if you copy files from your hard drive while Lite Sync is enabled and then start a new synchronization to a new kDrive), the application will block the import of this type of file. To resolve these errors, you can download the complete file from the kDrive Web app (online service ksuite.infomaniak.com/kdrive).

Here are the status icons used in Windows Explorer and their explanations:

Status icons	Description
= online	For a file, this means it is only on kDrive "in the cloud"; to view it locally, you will need to download it. For a folder, this means it contains at least one file or subfolder present on kDrive "in the cloud".
= always available	For a file, this means it is physically available on the disk and synchronized. For a folder, this means the folder contains only locally stored files.
= available (temporary)	File temporarily downloaded by Windows (can be freed by the OS).
= synchronization	The progress circle indicates an action in progress or pending.
= offline / error	Synchronization issue or Lite Sync (contact support).

Disable the Lite Sync option

To do this, follow the steps at the top of this guide. When disabling LiteSync via the kDrive Settings, two scenarios may occur depending on the remaining space on your device's storage:

1. If there is sufficient space on your computer, a message confirming the deactivation will appear; simply click on Continue.
2. If there is not enough space on your computer, a message will indicate the missing space to allow the deactivation of Lite Sync; the synchronization of your kDrive will be paused until space is freed up or files to synchronize are selected.