--- title: Workspaces description: Create, switch, and manage your note workspaces --- A workspace is Octarine's top-level container. Each workspace is an independent folder on disk containing your notes, daily entries, and attachments. You can have multiple workspaces — for example, one for personal notes and another for work. ## Creating a New Workspace You can create a workspace during onboarding or later from **More → workspace name → Manage Workspaces**. The Command Bar's **Switch Workspace** action also opens workspace choices when another workspace is available. Choose **Start from scratch** for a normal local or cloud workspace, or **Clone from Git** for an existing Git repository. For a new workspace you choose: - **Name** — displayed throughout the app and in the workspace chooser. - **Color** — shown as the workspace's identifying color dot. - **Storage location**: - **On my iPhone** — local device storage. - **iCloud Drive** — synced via iCloud across your Apple devices. - **Dropbox** — synced via your Dropbox folder. Three starter notes (Welcome, today's daily note, and a weekly note) are generated automatically in every new workspace. To create a local workspace from an existing Git repository, see [Git Sync](../iOS/git-sync.mdx). Git workspaces are stored on the iPhone and use their repository name as the workspace name. ## Dropbox > We've since found that Dropbox doesn't always handle **dot folders** (for example `.octarine`, `.attachments`, and similar) correctly. In some cases those folders can be renamed to something like `Unknown File.octarine`, which can break parts of the app - most notably Inbox/Quick Capture. A fix is being worked on but may take a little time. The first time you create a Dropbox workspace, iOS opens the Files picker so Octarine can be granted access to your Dropbox folder. This is a one-time step. When the picker appears: 1. Tap **Browse** at the bottom, then tap **Dropbox** in the sidebar. 2. Stay at the **root of your Dropbox** — don't enter any subfolder. 3. Tap **Open** in the top-right corner. Octarine creates an `Octarine` folder at the root of your Dropbox and stores all workspaces inside it. Every new Dropbox workspace from here on lands in the same place automatically — you won't see the picker again. Picking the root also matches where the desktop app looks, so workspaces stay in sync across devices. ## Switching Between Workspaces There are three ways to switch: 1. **More menu** — tap the workspace name at the top of More and choose a workspace from the quick switcher. 2. **Command Bar** — run **Switch Workspace** and choose from its submenu. 3. **Manage Workspaces** — open the More menu's workspace switcher and tap **Manage Workspaces** for the full chooser, discovery, and creation flow. The active workspace has a checkmark. Each entry uses its workspace color and storage icon to help distinguish similarly named workspaces. ## Workspace Discovery When you open the workspace chooser, Octarine scans the app-created `Octarine` folder in on-device storage, iCloud Drive, and Dropbox for workspace directories it hasn't seen before. Discovered workspaces appear in the list alongside your existing ones, showing the storage location (phone, iCloud, or Dropbox) with an icon on the right side. The `Octarine` folder itself must be created by the app — creating a folder named `Octarine` yourself (in Files, Finder, or Dropbox) will not work. The app sets up this folder the first time you choose a storage location during workspace creation, and from then on it is the only folder Octarine looks in for existing workspaces. Any workspace folders placed outside of it won't be discovered. If no workspaces are found, the screen shows a message and a button to create one. > All workspaces MUST live inside the app-created `Octarine` folder in on-device storage, iCloud Drive, or Dropbox — and that folder itself can only be created by the app, not manually. Octarine can’t access folders outside of these locations. When you uninstall the app, iOS automatically deletes the `Octarine` folder from on-device storage, so please keep a backup so you don’t lose your notes. This is not the case with the cloud solutions. ## But what about my existing notes?? By operating under the rules of the Apple ecosystem, Octarine can't access your entire system — only the `Octarine` folder it's entitled to by the OS. Desktop OSes don't have this restriction, so if you already have a workspace synced via the desktop app in a custom location, here's how to bring it over to iOS. **The `Octarine` folder in iCloud must be created by the iOS app** when you create an iCloud workspace. Creating a folder named `Octarine` yourself in Files or Finder does not give Octarine the access it needs — only the in-app flow sets up iCloud correctly. 1. **Create an iCloud workspace** from the iOS app (onboarding or **Switch Workspace**), choosing **iCloud Drive**. That step is what creates the app-managed `Octarine` folder in iCloud with the right permissions. 2. **Copy your existing workspace folder** from the desktop location into that new `Octarine` folder in iCloud (for example in Files on Mac or iCloud.com). Prefer **copying** over moving for safety. If you **move** the data out of the original folder, the desktop app will no longer see that workspace at the old path — that is expected. You are not losing the copy in iCloud; you will reconnect the desktop app to the workspace in its new iCloud location in the next step. 3. The app discovers the workspace automatically once it sits inside the app-created `Octarine` folder. On iOS, open **Manage Workspaces** — the copied workspace appears there alongside any workspace the app created during setup. 4. On **desktop**, use **Create Workspace > Open Existing** and choose the same workspace folder inside `Octarine` in iCloud Drive. That reconnects the desktop app to the synced copy (the old custom path will not work anymore if you moved the data out of it). The first iCloud workspace you created on iOS may have been a small "dummy" setup used mainly to establish the folder. After your real notes are in place, you can **delete that workspace** from settings if you do not need it, or **leave it** — either is fine. ## Deleting a Workspace Go to **Settings → Delete Workspace** at the bottom of the settings page. This permanently removes the workspace folder, including all of its notes, folders, and attachments, from the selected storage location. > This is a destructive action. Please make sure you understand the consequences To confirm, type the workspace's display name exactly. The delete button remains disabled until it matches. #### Quick Answers ### Where can Octarine for iOS store workspaces? iOS workspaces can live in app-managed Octarine folders on your iPhone, in iCloud Drive, or in Dropbox. ### Can I bring an existing desktop workspace to iOS? Yes. Create an iCloud workspace from the iOS app first, then copy your existing workspace into the app-created `Octarine` folder in iCloud. ### Why can't I manually create the Octarine folder for iOS? iOS only grants the app access to folders it creates through the in-app flow, so the `Octarine` folder must be created by the app.