Connect Desktop to a server

A Desktop can browse and edit a library owned by another Volum Desktop or a dedicated volumd server. Its previous local library remains intact.

To transfer the current local library and make a new NAS canonical, do not use ordinary pairing alone. Follow Move a Desktop library to a NAS.

Pair and connect

On the canonical host:

1. Enable Companion Access or start volumd with pairing enabled.
2. Create or copy the five-minute pairing payload.

On the client Desktop:

1. Open Settings → Advanced.
2. Under Library hosting, select Connect to a Volum server….
3. Paste the complete pairing payload.
4. Select Pair and connect.
5. Verify the server name and connection status.

The client stores its bearer token in the operating-system credential store. The webview does not receive it.

Remote capabilities

Remote Desktop supports normal browsing and most organization work, including:

• search, filters, folders, recents, favorites, collections, and saved searches;
• project creation and managed-file uploads;
• project names, notes, tags, custom fields, BOMs, assembly steps, materials, and estimates;
• project photos, thumbnails, plate images, and viewer meshes;
• Trash, restore, and permanent delete where server permissions allow;
• read-only duplicate review.

Some operations stay on the canonical machine:

• adding or reconnecting linked roots;
• scan administration and linked-to-managed conversion;
• merge, split, primary-file changes, and duplicate cleanup;
• package import or export and web-import ingestion;
• server backups and Companion host administration.

The client hides unsupported controls and does not fall back to mutating its local library.

Switch back to local mode

Open Settings → Remote library and choose Use local library. Volum returns to the database and folders that were already on that Desktop.

The remote server remains configured until you choose Forget server, so you can switch back later without pairing again.

To replace the configured server while remote mode is active, open Settings → Remote library and select Connect to another server….

This switch is intentionally unavailable after a completed NAS migration. The retired Desktop library is then a rollback copy, not a second writable library.

Open original files remotely

Thumbnails and viewer meshes stream from the server. Opening an original file in a slicer or file manager requires a verified local copy. Configure a managed mirror for that workflow.