Where should I store my Case Files?

Store Case Files locally or in iCloud Drive for reliable access and proper file preservation across your iPad and Mac.

Store Your Case Files Locally on Your Device

Storing Case Files locally ensures reliable access at all times, even when offline.

On Your iPad
- Store your Case Files in the On My iPad storage location, which is the physical storage location on the iPad, in a corresponding app specific folder.
  
  The “computer path” that many Windows users may relate to is:
  iPad \ Files \ On My iPad \ [AppName Folder]
On Your Mac
- Store the Case Files on the Desktop or in the Documents folder.

Store Your Case Files Using iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive is the only supported cloud storage option for LIT SUITE apps. It preserves the Apple package file format and enables seamless syncing across devices using the same Apple ID.

Benefits of iCloud Drive

Syncs files automatically between iPad and Mac.
Maintains full file integrity.
Allows access from either device when saved to iCloud Drive > Desktop or Documents.

Leveraging iCloud Drive

If you have iCloud Drive enabled on both your iPad and Mac, you can start a Case File on either device, saving it to the Desktop or Documents location in iCloud Drive, then use your other device to access that same Desktop or Documents location (because both devices are using the same Apple ID) to open and access the Case File.

⚠️ Note: Both devices must be online for syncing. Large files may take time to upload/download.

⚠️ Important: Never edit the same Case File on two devices at once to avoid data loss.

How To Enable iCloud Drive

If you want to access your Case File from two devices (your iPad and Mac) using the same Apple Account, you need to have iCloud Drive enabled on your iPad and Mac.

On iPad

Open the Settings app.

Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen.

Tap iCloud.

Tap iCloud Drive.

Turn on iCloud Drive.

On Mac

Choose Apple menu  > System Settings.

Click your Apple ID.

Click iCloud in the sidebar.

Turn on iCloud Drive.

Use Cloud Storage Providers for Backup Only

Third-party cloud services like Dropbox do not support the Apple package file format on iPadOS. While these files appear as single files on Apple platforms, they are actually folders containing multiple files, which can lead to corruption when transferred improperly.

To archive with Dropbox:

Zip the Case File before uploading.
Unzip it only after downloading it back to local storage.

IMPORTANT: Storing, or even temporarily transferring an uncompressed Case File to an unsupported cloud storage provider (e.g. Dropbox), may result in a corrupted Case File that can no longer be opened.

Summary of Storage Locations

The table below summarizes storing your Case Files using Local Storage, iCloud Drive, Cloud Storage Providers, External Drives, and Network Share.

Storage Location	iPad	Mac
Local Storage	✅ On My iPad is recommended for storing Case Files.	✅ Desktop or Documents is recommended for storing Case Files.
iCloud Drive	✅ Supported for storing Case Files.^{1 4}	✅ Recommended for storing Case Files. ^{2 4}
Cloud Storage (Dropbox, etc)	⚠️ Archival use only. ⁵	❌ Not supported for storing Case Files. ^{3 4}
External Drives (USB or Flash Drive)	⚠️ Archival only.	⚠️ Archival only.
Network Share	⚠️ Archival only.	⚠️ Archival only.

_{1. Case Files may not be accessible when you are offline, and may need to be downloaded before opening.}

_{2. If "Optimize Mac Storage" is enabled for iCloud Drive in System Settings, Case Files may not be accessible when you are offline, and may need to be downloaded before opening.}

_{3. Case Files will only be accessible to Mac versions if stored in this location.}

_{4. Case Files should not be edited from multiple devices at the same time.}

_{5. Case Files must be compressed/zipped before saving in cloud storage locations.}