Shared Lab Accounts

How it works

Put your ResearchOS folder inside a cloud-synced folder (e.g., OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud). Every lab member points ResearchOS at that same folder on their own computer. Inside the folder, each member picks a different username, so their data lives at users/sarah/, users/grant/, and so on.

The cloud provider handles syncing files between machines. ResearchOS has no idea any of this is happening, it just reads and writes JSON files like normal.

Setup steps (every member runs these once)

1. Install the cloud provider's desktop app (not just the website). OneDrive on Windows is pre-installed. Drive for desktop, Dropbox, and iCloud Drive each ship as a separate download.
2. One person creates an empty folder named e.g. LabName-ResearchOS inside the synced area, then shares it with the rest of the lab via the cloud provider's normal share flow.
3. Each member accepts the share and confirms the folder is now visible on their laptop's filesystem (Finder / Explorer).
4. Each member follows their provider's instructions below to make the folder always available offline.
5. Each member opens ResearchOS, clicks Open a folder, and picks that shared folder.
6. On the user-picker, each member clicks Create New User and types their own username.

Pick your cloud provider

Verify the folder is local

Before you start using ResearchOS, open the shared folder in Finder (macOS) or Explorer (Windows) and confirm:

• Files show as fully downloaded (i.e., no cloud icon, no "online only" badge, no "available when online" tag).
• You can open a sample file with the network disconnected.
• The folder's "Size on disk" in its properties dialog is non-zero and roughly matches the "Size".

Pitfalls to avoid

• Don't put the folder in two different cloud providers. Pick one. Stacking OneDrive and Dropbox on the same folder corrupts JSON files when both try to write.
• Don't use the same username on two laptops. If Sarah signs in as sarah on her laptop and also sarah on a shared lab computer at the same time, the two ResearchOS sessions will overwrite each other's files.
• Don't edit files outside ResearchOS while the app is open. The app caches data in memory, so external edits won't be picked up until you reload the page.