Syncing & storage
Where drops live
Drops are stored locally on your Mac and mirrored to your private iCloud database through CloudKit. That’s the only network Braindrop uses — there’s no Braindrop account, no server of ours, and no analytics or telemetry.
Syncing across your Macs
Sign in to the same iCloud account on another Mac running Braindrop, and your drops appear there too, kept in sync automatically. There’s no separate sign-in inside the app — it uses whichever iCloud account is active in System Settings.
Sync is silent when it’s healthy: Braindrop doesn’t show a “Synced” badge or a progress indicator. It only speaks up when something needs your attention — see below.
Using Braindrop without iCloud
If you’re signed out of iCloud, or choose not to use it, Braindrop works fully on that one Mac. Your drops just don’t appear anywhere else, and nothing is lost by turning iCloud on later — an existing local library uploads on its first sync.
When sync needs attention
A notice appears at the top of Settings only for problems you can act on:
| Notice | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sign in to iCloud in System Settings to sync your Braindrops across devices. | You’re signed out of iCloud. |
| Your iCloud storage is full, so new Braindrops aren’t syncing. | Free up space in iCloud, or upgrade your plan. |
| Braindrops aren’t syncing right now. They’re saved on this Mac. | A mirroring problem Braindrop can’t identify further. |
In every case, your drops are already saved locally — a sync problem never blocks capturing, editing, archiving or deleting. Temporary conditions, like being briefly offline, resolve on their own and aren’t reported.
Image storage
Attached images are stored as part of the drop, both locally and in iCloud, so they sync and get purged along with the drop that holds them — see Images and Archive.