Finding a workspace app that keeps files on your computer is harder than it should be. Almost every visual workspace starts the same way: drag your files in, and they upload. Client contracts, invoices, tax documents, unreleased designs, private recordings, all copied to a server you do not control because you wanted to see them next to your plan. For a lot of solo founders and freelancers, that is the exact moment they stop and close the tab.
This post explains, precisely, how Vexlynk’s desktop app handles your files: what stays on your machine, the few moments anything leaves it, and the trade-offs that come with keeping files local. No vague promises. If a detail matters for your privacy, it is spelled out here.
What does “keeps files on your computer” actually mean?
It is worth being exact, because “add a folder to an app” usually means something heavier than it sounds.
In Vexlynk, the Files panel links a folder on your computer into the app so you can browse it and pull files onto your board. When you link a folder, Vexlynk stores a reference to the path. That is all. Specifically:
- Nothing is copied. Your files are not duplicated into an app directory.
- Nothing is uploaded. The folder and its files do not go to a server.
- Nothing is moved. Files stay in the folder you chose.
- Nothing is read in advance. Vexlynk does not read the folder’s contents until you ask it to open something.
The Files panel is in the desktop app for Windows and macOS. It needs a real file system, so the browser version does not have it.
How the Files panel works, step by step
- Open the Files panel in the desktop app.
- Click Choose a folder and pick any folder on your machine, say your Clients folder.
- It appears in the panel. Browse it the way you would in a file manager.
- Drag a file onto the board. It lands as a card: an image renders, a document opens in an editor, and anything else becomes a file card you can open.
Now your proposal draft can sit next to the client’s to-do list and the Stripe card that shows whether they paid, while the file itself never leaves your disk.
What happens if I move, edit or delete a file?
Because Vexlynk points at your real files instead of keeping copies, it behaves the way a shortcut does:
- Move or rename the folder and the link breaks. Vexlynk was pointing at the old path, so link it again.
- Edit a file in another program and Vexlynk sees the new version, because it is the same file.
- Delete a file on disk and it is gone from the panel too. There is no second copy.
That last point cuts both ways. It is what keeps the app from holding a shadow copy of your documents. It also means Vexlynk is not a backup. Keep your usual backup in place.
One more distinction worth knowing: linking a folder is different from dropping a file straight from your desktop onto the board. Media placed on a workspace is part of the workspace, so it moves with it if you ever turn sync on. Linked folders never do. For anything you keep editing elsewhere, or anything you would rather keep out of the workspace entirely, use the Files panel. It copies nothing.
Does anything leave my computer?
The desktop app is local-first: your workspaces and cards are written to your own disk and stay there. Here is the complete list of moments something leaves your machine, and each one is something you do on purpose:
- Connecting a source. Google Calendar reaches Google, Stripe reaches Stripe, because you connected them. Sources are read-only by default.
- Asking the agent. The relevant context from your workspace goes to the hosted AI when you press send, not in the background.
- Turning on cloud sync. Sync is opt-in on every plan and off by default. It is a Plus and Pro feature (see plans).
And even with sync on, linked folders are not synced. What syncs is your workspace: the cards, their layout and their content. Not the folders you linked, and not the files inside them. Open that workspace on another device and you see the cards, but the file references point at a path that device may not have.
If you never connect a source, never message the agent and leave sync alone, Vexlynk is an offline tool holding your work on your own disk. If privacy is why you are here, the setup that keeps everything local is simple: desktop app, sync off.
Does the AI read my files?
Mostly no, and the exceptions are narrow and opt-in.
- Uploaded file cards and PDFs are not readable by the agent. It cannot open them.
- Vexlynk document cards can be read only if you turn on “Let the agent read document cards you ask about” in Settings → AI. It is off by default. When it is on, the reading happens locally on your device, and only the relevant part travels with your question, like the text of a note. Vexlynk’s servers never read or ingest your documents.
- Background Vlynks never read document contents, with that setting on or off.
The agent only sees the workspace you are in, the sources you connected and the Vlynks you installed. The full detail is in Privacy & Local-First.
How is my account protected?
Your session is stored encrypted on your machine, which is why the desktop app opens already signed in without keeping your password anywhere. Two-factor authentication is available in Settings → Security. API keys for sources that use them are stored encrypted and never written into a workspace or a card. And in Settings → Data you can remove your data, clear only what is on this machine, or delete the account entirely.
Why a workspace app that keeps files on your computer is worth the trade-offs
Keeping files local is a choice with costs, and you should know them up front. Your files will not appear on another device on their own. Moving folders breaks links. There is no copy to recover if you delete something. In exchange, the most sensitive things you own never sit on someone else’s server just because you wanted them on a board. For a freelancer with client contracts or a founder with financial records, that trade is often the whole point. If you want the bigger picture of how local-first software works, read Your Data Stays on Your Machine: Local-First, Explained.
When Vexlynk is not the right fit
- Your team works in the same files. Linked folders live on one machine. Shared cloud storage is the better tool for collaborative files.
- You want your files backed up. Vexlynk deliberately keeps no second copy. Use a backup tool.
- You work only in a browser. The web workspace has no access to your file system, so no Files panel. On the web you can still upload images to private storage, up to 5 MB each.
- You need your files on your phone. Phones do not load the canvas.
If you are a creator, the same panel is how you keep video projects in one place. See How to Organize YouTube Video Project Files for that setup.
Ready to try it with your own folders? Download Vexlynk for desktop, link one folder and see that nothing moves. The Files docs cover every detail, and the features page lists what ships today.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a workspace app that keeps files on your computer instead of uploading them?
Yes. Vexlynk’s desktop app links folders through its Files panel by storing a reference to the path. Your files are not copied, uploaded or moved, and linked folders are not synced even if cloud sync is on.
Is cloud sync on by default?
No. Sync is opt-in and off by default on every plan. Nothing is uploaded because you forgot to check a box.
Can the AI agent read my PDFs?
No. PDFs and other uploaded file cards are not readable by the agent. Vexlynk document cards can be read only if you enable document reading in Settings → AI, and that reading happens locally on your device.
Does Vexlynk back up my linked files?
No. It keeps no second copy, by design. Delete a file on disk and it is gone from the panel too, so keep your usual backup in place.
Does the web version keep files local too?
No. The web workspace runs in a browser, has no access to your file system and keeps your workspaces in the cloud. For files that stay on your computer, use the desktop app with sync off.
Vexlynk
Vexlynk Team