Cloud folder support in PowerClick 2.0
Before version 2.0, PowerClick required granting access to specific folders one at a time, which created friction when working in cloud-synced directories. PowerClick 2.0 introduced a multi-folder sandbox access manager that lets you grant access to all your cloud folders at once — and remembers that access permanently.
Supported cloud storage providers
- iCloud Drive — including iCloud Documents and Desktop if sync is enabled
- Dropbox
- Google Drive — via the Google Drive for Desktop app
- OneDrive
Any folder accessible through Finder can be granted access to PowerClick, regardless of whether it is a cloud folder or a local folder.
How to set up cloud folder access
- Open the PowerClick dashboard from the menubar app.
- Go to the Folder Access section.
- Click Add Folder and select your cloud folder (e.g., iCloud Drive) from the standard macOS open panel.
- Repeat for any other cloud folders you use.
PowerClick stores a security bookmark for each granted folder, so it can access them in future sessions without asking for permission again.
What works in cloud folders
Once access is granted, all PowerClick right-click actions work in your cloud folders:
- New File — create files from templates inside iCloud Drive or Dropbox
- New File from Clipboard — save copied text or images into cloud folders
- Copy Path — copy local paths for cloud-synced files
- Batch Rename — rename assets in your cloud storage
- Copy To / Move To — move files between cloud and local folders
- Open in Editor — open cloud-stored project files in VS Code
- Quick File Info — copy metadata for cloud-stored files
Why cloud folder access needs to be granted explicitly
PowerClick is sandboxed, which is the same security model every Mac App Store app runs under. Sandboxing means an app cannot silently read arbitrary folders on your disk — it must be granted explicit permission for each location, including cloud-synced ones like iCloud Drive or a Dropbox folder. This is a macOS-level protection, not a PowerClick limitation, and it's the same mechanism cloud storage apps themselves use to integrate with Finder. Granting access once through the standard open panel is a one-time step; PowerClick stores a security-scoped bookmark so it doesn't ask again for that folder.
Does cloud folder support slow down file operations?
No. PowerClick operates on files exactly as Finder does — through the local file system path that iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive present locally after syncing. There's no extra network round-trip added by PowerClick; any sync delay you notice is from the cloud provider's own sync client, not from PowerClick's right-click actions.
Troubleshooting cloud folder access
If a right-click action doesn't work inside a cloud folder, re-check that the specific subfolder was granted access — sandboxed permissions in macOS are folder-specific and don't automatically extend to every nested subfolder created after access was granted for a parent in some edge cases. Re-adding the folder in the PowerClick dashboard's Folder Access section resolves this. If iCloud Drive files show as not-yet-downloaded (cloud icon overlay), download them in Finder first — PowerClick can't operate on a file that hasn't finished syncing to disk.