Offline synchronization
Mark the folders to keep available. Off the network, work carries on; on return, the queue empties and conflicts are flagged rather than overwritten.
Drag. Drop.It’s already filed.
Constellio Drive mounts the repository as a network drive. Your teams open, edit, and save their files from the explorer, online or offline, and the classification plan, the retention schedule, and the versions follow on their own.
- Mounted as a network drive
- Offline synchronization
- Locking and versions
HOW IT WORKS
Mount. Work. Sync. Govern.
Without changing a single habit.
Nobody learns a new tool: the drive appears in the explorer, beside the others. What changes happens behind it: locking, versions, classification, and retention are applied as you go.
- 01 Mount
The repository becomes a drive.
Constellio Drive appears in the file explorer, with your folders and your permissions. Every item shows its state: synced, in progress, or available on demand.
- A local view of the repository, not a full copy
- Folder tree and access rights honoured
- Sync state on every file
- 02 Work
Open with the software you already use.
Word, Excel, AutoCAD, your image viewer: the file opens straight from the drive. Constellio locks it while you have it, so nobody writes over your work.
- Opens in the applications on the workstation
- Automatic locking while editing
- Work carries on without a connection
- 03 Sync
Save, and the version goes up by itself.
Every save travels back to the repository as a new version. Offline, changes pile up locally and synchronize when the network returns, with conflicts flagged.
- A new version on every save
- An offline queue
- Conflicts detected and arbitrated
- 04 Govern
The filing happens in the meantime.
The classification plan and the retention schedule are applied on deposit. Duplicates are caught before they settle in, and everything deposited becomes searchable from the repository.
- Classification plan applied on deposit
- Retention schedule inherited from the folder
- Content duplicate detection
The files stay in the repository: the drive gives a local view of it, not one more copy to manage.
A DAY ON THE DRIVE
From the workstation
to the repository, unnoticed.
Follow a site specification from the file explorer: it opens in Word, is edited in a truck with no signal, comes back as version 7, and files itself without anyone filling in a form.
- 01The drive
One more drive in the explorer.
Constellio Drive mounts beside the local disk and the network shares. Inside it you find the repository's folder tree, the permissions in force, and each item's synchronization state.
- Mounted beside the other drives
- The repository's tree and permissions
- Synced, in progress, or on demand
- 02Offline
The network drops, the work carries on.
Folders marked for offline use stay readable and editable. The open file is locked in the repository, so nobody works on it in parallel without knowing.
- Folders available offline
- Lock held during editing
- Changes kept locally
- 03Synchronization
When the network returns, everything goes up.
The queue empties in order. If the repository changed in the meantime, the conflict is flagged and both versions are kept: no change is ever silently overwritten.
- A queue visible in the status bar
- A new version on every deposit
- Conflicts flagged, versions kept
- 04Governance
Filed, kept, de-duplicated.
The file inherits its folder's classification and retention schedule. Its content is compared with what already exists, and duplicates are flagged rather than stacked up.
- Classification and retention inherited
- Content duplicates detected
- Full history in the repository
File explorer
Constellio Drive (C:) › Public works › Specifications7This PC
- Desktop
- Documents
- Constellio Drive (C:)
- Network
NameModifiedSizeState
DOCStructural specification 2026.docx14 Mar 14:02482 KBIn progress
DWGSite layout plan.dwg12 Mar 09:148.2 MBSynced
PDFSite report 14-03.pdf14 Mar 11:471.4 MBIn progress
DWGTopographic survey.dwg9 Mar 16:0314.7 MBOn demand
XLSBudget schedule.xlsx13 Mar 10:2296 KBSynced
···Inspection photos8 Mar 08:30—On demand
DOCStructural specification 2025.docx4 Nov 2025465 KBSynced
Structural specification 2026.docxMicrosoft Word
Locked by you · since 14:02Saved locally · 3 changes pending
Constellio DriveSynchronizing- Structural specification 2026.docxv7 created
- Site report 14-03.pdfuploading 64%
- Topographic survey.dwgwaiting
Conflict
Budget schedule.xlsx: the repository changed since. Both versions are kept.
CompareConstellio properties- Classification
- Public works › Specifications
- Retention
- 10 years, then archive
- Version
- v7 · 14 March 2026
- Lock
- Released
Duplicate found
Content identical to Structural specification 2026 (copy).docx
MergeVersions
- v7Saved from the drive · M. Tremblay
- v6Edited offline · M. Tremblay
- v5Commented · S. Nadeau
- v4Deposited from SharePoint
PRACTICAL USE CASES
Out in the field,
and in the large files.
Two situations where a repository's web interface runs out of road: a team working far from the network, and line-of-business software that only opens local files.
For teams in the field
The network is not always there.
Mark the folders your teams need and they stay readable and editable with no connection. Changes pile up in a queue and travel back the moment the network returns, versions and all.
See document capture
For line-of-business software
Large files stay where they are.
Plans, surveys, high-resolution images, CAD files: they open directly in the software that can read them, with no manual download and no upload at the end. The lock keeps two people from working in parallel.
Talk to us about your formatsWhat the drive applies on its own
- Classification plans
- Retention schedules
- Duplicate detection
- Locking
- Offline synchronization
- Repository functions
With no form to fill in
A ROUND TRIP, NOT A DROP-OFF
The file leaves,
and comes back governed.
An ordinary network drive moves bytes. This one makes a full circuit: it locks before letting anyone edit, compares the content with what already exists, applies your rules on deposit, then sends the version back to the workstation.
Document locking
A file opened from the drive is locked in the repository. Others can see it and read it, but they cannot save over it.
Repository functions at hand
Search, metadata, versions, retention: a right-click in the explorer reaches what the repository can do, without opening a browser.
See unified content managementKEY FIGURES
Less handling.
Fewer lost copies.
Download, edit, rename, upload: every one of those steps is a chance to lose a version or create one too many. The drive removes all of them.
Figures published by Constellio01
0
Reduction in search time
02
0
Reduction in search costs
03
0
Reduction in security incidents
Why choose Constellio
Simplicity
Drag and drop replaces downloading, editing, renaming, and uploading.
Protection
Locking while editing, a version on every deposit, and the repository's permissions honoured right inside the explorer.
Collaboration
Everyone works on the same copy, and conflicts are flagged rather than silently resolved.
Mobility
Marked folders stay available offline and synchronize as soon as the network returns.
Organizations that run on Constellio
YOUR NEXT DRIVE
Unlock the potential
of your content.
Book a demo and watch your own folder tree appear in the file explorer, locking, versions, and retention included.
Or write to contact@constellio.com. Open source at its core, hosted your way.
