A free replacement for Creative Cloud synced files

If your team shared InDesign files through Creative Cloud Synced files, that folder is gone. I replaced it with two free tools, Syncthing and Tailscale. Files now move straight between our Macs, and nothing sits on a cloud server.

What happened

For seven years I have produced a set of long, chart-heavy InDesign reports for one client. Each document links to hundreds of files: workbooks, charts and images. Two or three people work on them, on different Macs.

For most of those years, a shared Creative Cloud folder did the job well. Then Adobe discontinued Creative Cloud Synced files. The final cutoff for most accounts was February 3, 2025, and shared synced folders stopped working (Adobe's notice). Adobe's Cloud Documents still exist, but they do not hold a folder of linked files.

The replacement had to do three things:

• Be fast. Two Macs in the same room should not wait on an upload and a download.
• Keep links working. InDesign stores links by folder path, so the folder must sit at the same path on every Mac.
• Prevent silent overwrites. Two people must not save over each other's work.

What I built instead

• Files go straight from Mac to Mac. Syncthing, a free open-source sync tool, copies each change directly between the computers. At home it uses the local network, so a large file moves in seconds. When a Mac is away, the copy travels over Tailscale, a private encrypted network that only my devices can join. There is no cloud account and no upload limit.
• One always-on Mac holds the full copy. A small desktop that never sleeps keeps every file. A laptop that was closed all week catches up the moment it wakes.
• The folder has the same path on every Mac. Every InDesign link works on every computer, with no relinking.
• "Someone has this open" travels too. InDesign leaves a small lock file next to an open document. The lock file syncs, so the second person sees "document in use" and gets a read-only copy.
• Nothing is lost. Every replaced or deleted file is kept for 30 days. If two Macs save the same file while offline, both versions are kept side by side.
• A Finder in the browser. One web page lists the whole folder, shows what changed recently, previews PDFs and images, and opens any file in its app on the Mac I am using.
• A new Mac joins by itself, but only the right ones. A new computer asks to join. It is accepted only if it comes in through my private network. Someone on my guest Wi-Fi is refused, even with the right code.

How it works, in plain terms

Syncthing is a small program that runs in the background on each Mac and watches the shared folder.

• It sends only what changed. Syncthing cuts each file into blocks and computes a fingerprint (a hash) of every block. It compares fingerprints with the other Macs and sends only the blocks that differ. A small edit to a large file sends a small amount of data.
• There is no server in the middle. Every Mac holds a full copy and talks directly to the others. Several Macs can send blocks to one Mac at the same time, a little like BitTorrent.
• Only Macs you approve can connect. Each Mac has an ID made from its own security certificate. Two Macs connect only after each one has added the other's ID, and every connection is encrypted.
• It keeps old versions and both sides of a clash. A replaced or deleted file goes to a hidden versions folder first. If two Macs change the same file before they see each other's change, Syncthing keeps both and adds "sync-conflict" to one file name.

Tailscale puts all my Macs on one private, encrypted network, built on WireGuard. At home, Syncthing finds the other Macs on the local network by itself. Away from home, it reaches them through Tailscale. Nothing is opened to the public internet.

The technical details are in Syncthing's protocol description.

What changed

• A saved file is already on the other Macs. No upload step, no "is it synced yet?"
• Links never break.
• Nobody overwrites anybody.
• It costs nothing per month.

This is part of a bigger habit. I am automating the small, annoying, recurring chores that cost me time and money. Each one is minor. Together they buy back hours every week. A shared folder is the least glamorous thing I built this year, and it may be the one I use most.