---
title: "Working With CTERA Drive Connect"
slug: "working-with-ctera-drive-connect-content"
tags: ["Connect", "WebDAV", "Drive"]
status: "update"
updated: 2026-02-03T05:54:45Z
published: 2026-02-03T05:54:58Z
canonical: "kb.ctera.com/working-with-ctera-drive-connect-content"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.ctera.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Working With CTERA Drive Connect

You can [upload folders and files](/v1/docs/uploading-folders-and-files) to the CTERA Portal and securely share these folders and files with your team members or external users.

In addition, you can perform actions, such as editing, copying or moving files in the cloud using the standard Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder functionality.

You can also refresh Windows File Explorer display or reload macOS Finder to display the latest versions. Open files in Windows Explorer are refreshed every 60 seconds from the CTERA Portal. To update the local content before 60 seconds, you can use F5 to force the update.

Also see:

- [Displaying the Cloud Drive Content](/v1/docs/displaying-the-content)
- [The Right-click Menu](/v1/docs/the-right-click-menu)
- [Creating a Folder](/v1/docs/creating-a-folder-4)
- [Uploading Folders and Files](/v1/docs/uploading-folders-and-files)

## Connecting to a Portal

You can connect to the portal in one of the following ways:

- Integrated mode
- Smart synchronization mode

The connection mode is set in [Sync Settings](/v1/docs/sync-settings).

**Integrated** mode, which is only available from version 5.0.1, offers enhanced integration with the local operating system, significantly improving local, LAN, performance. Additionally, using Integrated mode has the following advantages:

- Eliminates need for cached stubs before deletion or after renaming files.
- Improves NT-ACL and WORM preflight checks.
- Enhances search capabilities via Windows File Explorer an Mac Finder.
- New status icon column for files and folders, indicating the current status for each item
- Displays a progress bar of a file being opened
- Significantly increases performance for opening files online.
- Displays current client activity.
- When using a Mac computer, online files can be cached without pinning.

**Smart Synchronization** mode, which was also available in previous releases, provides traditional network drive functionalities. Opened files and files marked **Keep Offline on Local Disk**, via the right-click menu in Windows File Explorer or macOS Finder, are copied to the local cache on the PC and can be accessed even when there is no connection to the portal.

**Note**

On Windows, Drive Connect Support tools must be installed when using Smart Synchronization. The first time you create a new connection using Smart Synchronization, you are prompted to install these tools.

CTERA recommends using **Integrated** mode except for in the following scenarios, when **Smart Synchronization** mode is recommended:

- To mount the portal as a network drive with a drive letter.
- To customizable cache location and external disk support.
- For large file streaming, such as videos.

**To enable Integrated mode on existing bookmarks:**

1. Select the bookmark and choose **Disconnect** from the menu.
2. Click **Edit Bookmark** from the menu and change **Connect Mode** to **Integrated**.
3. Click **Connect**.
4. If prompted, click **Trash** to trash cached files and then click **Connect**.

**To enable Integrated mode on new bookmarks:**

- Set **Connect Mode**  in [Sync Settings](/v1/docs/sync-settings) to **Integrated**.

## Setting Direct Mode

[Direct mode](/v1/docs/what-is-ctera-direct-mode) enables faster access to data from a storage node.

**Note**

Direct mode is only available for downloading files and **not** for uploading files,

Enabling direct mode is set by enabling a hidden property.

### Windows

Add the following property to the *%AppData%\CTERA Drive Connect\default.properties* file: `ctera.download.directio.enable=true`

**Note**

If the *%AppData%\CTERA Drive Connect\default.properties* file does not exist, create a text file in the *%AppData%\CTERA Drive Connect* folder called *default.properties*.

### macOS

Add the following property to the *~/Library/Group Containers/KD9X6Y7KA2.com.ctera/Library/Application Support/CTERA Drive Connect/default.properties* file: `ctera.download.directio.enable=true`

**Note**

If the *~/Library/Group Containers/KD9X6Y7KA2.com.ctera/Library/Application Support/CTERA Drive Connect/default.properties* file does not exist, create a text file in the *~/Library/Group Containers/KD9X6Y7KA2.com.ctera/Library/Application Support/CTERA Drive Connect* directory called *default.properties*.