The macOS drive mapping client provides access to any storage presented through Foldr directly from Finder using a single drive. On-premise storage locations (shares) can be presented alongside Cloud Storage.
System Requirements
macOS 10.9 or higher
macFUSE for macOS if the Fuse file system is being used (latest available is recommended)
macOS 12.1 for File Provider file system
Where to get the app
The latest app release for macOS is available here:
Apple File Provider or macFUSE?
The Foldr app for macOS can present the Foldr drive using two different file systems – Apple File Provider or macFUSE. The administrator may allow users to choose which file system they use, or this can be enforced either using a local app preference settings (see below) or control this centrally by using an App Profile on the server.
File Provider support was implemented in the app as Apple look to migrate away from supporting third-party kernel extensions in macOS. The two file systems provide similar functionality, however it should be noted that specific features are only available with macFUSE:
– Custom overlay icons, using the same icons as used in the Foldr web app. The File Provider uses Apple’s default Finder / File Provider icons.
– Process filtering (Foldr Settings > Devices & Clients > macOS)
– Ransomware rename detection and common file extension detection
– Full support for Working File Recovery (in app recycle bin) – The File Provider implementation of WFR is limited currently
– Full support for offline files – The File Provider implementation of offline files is limited currently
On a macOS system that has previously used the macFUSE file system, the app will continue to use macFUSE for subsequent installations/upgrades unless configured otherwise. Brand new installations of the app on macOS will use the File Provider.
Deploying FUSE for macOS
IMPORTANT – If Apple File Provider is not being used, the Foldr for macOS relies on FUSE to function correctly and will not launch successfully without it. If FUSE is not already installed, a user will be prompted to install it the first time they launch the app which in turn will require an administrative password.
To avoid these prompts, the administrator should manage the FUSE installation separately from Foldr.
Deploying Foldr for macOS
The drive mapping app is provided in both standard disk image (.DMG) and the app package (.PKG) formats and may be installed manually or deployed en-masse by enterprise deployment tools, such as JAMF Casper Suite or a compatible MDM solution.
Foldr for macOS is not available from the Mac App Store.
The administrator can optionally set various options / preferences to configure the app as required.
Sophos Antivirus
At the time of updating this article (1st November 2022) it is currently NOT recommended to use Foldr on macOS systems with Sophos Antivirus installed. Sophos have acknowledged an issue causing system instability where macFUSE is installed.
They are working on a fix for this issue and hope to make this available early in 2023. This article will be updated as and when we get more information.
Configurable Options
– FOLDR_SERVER
– UPDATES_ENABLED
– SIGN_OUT_ON_EXIT
– VOLUME_NAME
– SHARES
– OPEN_DRIVE_DEFAULT
– DETECT_RENAME_THREAT
– DETECT_EXTENSIONS_THREAT
– GATEKEEPER_REQUIRED
– FILEVAULT_REQUIRED
– USE_MY_FILES
– PRESERVE_WRF_ON_SIGN_OUT
– USE_OFFICE_ASSIST
– USE_FILE_PROVIDER
Setting Options
To set app preferences, you are required to use sudo in the Terminal. This could be automated through the use of script of your MDM or macOS management solution supports that functionality:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist OPTION VALUEExamples:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist FOLDR_SERVER "my.foldr-server.address"
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist UPDATES_ENABLED 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist SIGN_OUT_ON_EXIT 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist VOLUME_NAME "newname"
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist SHARES "1,3,5"
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist OPEN_DRIVE_DEFAULT 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist DETECT_RENAME_THREAT 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist DETECT_EXTENSIONS_THREAT 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist GATEKEEPER_REQUIRED 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist FILEVAULT_REQUIRED 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist USE_MY_FILES 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist PRESERVE_WRF_ON_SIGN_OUT 1 or 0
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin.plist USE_OFFICE_ASSIST 1 or 0
Details
FOLDR_SERVER
If the option is absent, then the server address on the sign-in form will be empty until the user configures an account.
If FOLDR_SERVER=”address”, then the specified address will be used on the sign-in form when the user hasn’t yet configured their account.
UPDATES_ENABLED
If the option is absent, then the user is able to configure whether Foldr checks for updates.
If UPDATES_ENABLED=0, then Foldr will not check for updates. The user will not be able to change the setting.
If UPDATES_ENABLED=1, then Foldr will check for updates, by default. The user will be able to change the setting and may also choose to skip updates.
SIGN_OUT_ON_EXIT
If the option is absent, then the user is able to configure whether Foldr signs-in automatically.
If SIGN_OUT_ON_EXIT=0, the user does not need to provide login credentials when the app is run. The user will sign-in automatically and will be unable to change the setting.
If SIGN_OUT_ON_EXIT=1, then the user will need to sign-in manually each time the Foldr app starts. They will NOT be able to change the setting.
VOLUME_NAME
Determines the name of the Foldr drive as shown in Finder. If the volume name has not been set by admin, then we allow the user to change the name in the Drive Preferences.
Volume Naming Limitations:
• Length is greater than zero and less than 30 characters.
• Volume name must not contain a colon.
If the VOLUME_NAME contains an error, it will be ignored and the default name “Foldr” will be shown.
SHARES
Determines which configured storage items are available to the user through Finder. If the option is not configured or an empty value is set, all storage items will be available.
Otherwise, use a comma separated list of share IDs to specify which shares should be available, all others will be hidden from the drive. The share ID can be found in the Foldr Settings >> Files & Storage tab (shown next to the share name when editing the share in question)
OPEN_DRIVE_DEFAULT
Determines whether the drive should be displayed to the user automatically when it is mounted, i.e. after the user signs in.
DETECT_RENAME_THREAT
Determines whether the app detects rename threats and disconnect the drive immediately if detected. This can include multiple rename attempts in quick succession. If enabled, then the user will not be able to override the setting.
DETECT_EXTENSIONS_THREAT
Determines whether the app detects filename/extension threats. This is a pre-defined list of known malicious file extensions. If enabled, then the user will not be able to override the setting.
GATEKEEPER_REQUIRED
Determines whether the app requires macOS Gatekeeper protection to be enabled / running. If enabled, then the user will not be able to override the setting.
FILEVAULT_REQUIRED
Determines whether macOS FileVault full-disk encryption is required on the client to allow the drive to mount. If enabled, then the user will not be able to override the setting
USE_MY_FILES
Determines whether ‘My Files’ and ‘Bookmarks’ are shown in the root of the Foldr drive. When enabled, the storage locations available to the user will be contained within the ‘My Files’ directory. When disabled, the storage locations will be shown in the root of the Foldr drive.
PRESERVE_WRF_ON_SIGN_OUT
Working File Recovery (WFR) is a feature that provides an in-app recycle bin for files that have been worked on from the Foldr drive. The app and it will keep a copy of each document/file in the WFR location for every save action.
By default files in the WFR location will remain if the app is quit (or machine is shutdown). However, if the user signs out of the app, the default behaviour is for files in the WFR store to be deleted. Foldr will automatically manage files in the WFR store in-line with the setting to manage the cache (Clear cached files after x days). Manually clearing the cache will not affect files in the WFR store.
The admin option PRESERVE_WFR_ON_SIGN_OUT allows the administrator to change the app behaviour so files in the WFR store are not deleted if the user signs out of the app.
If the argument is set to 1 – Working files in the filesystem WFR folder are preserved on sign-out. The user will be unable to configure the setting.
If the argument is set to 0 – Working files in the filesystem WFR folder are removed on sign-out. The user will be unable to configure the setting.
USE_OFFICE_ASSIST
Determines whether locally installed Office apps will open Office documents hosted in Office 365 locations directly via their Online URL. This removes the Foldr server and default save/upload mechanism from the workflow and allows the Office apps to behave natively with 365 documents (from OneDrive, Teams or SharePoint Online). Autosave and will automatically enabled in the Office apps and collaborative editing will function as normal with other Office 365 users.
USE_FILE_PROVIDER
Determines whether the app file system should use the native Apple File Provider or macFUSE.
If the argument is set to 0 – macFUSE will be used.
If the argument is set to 1 – Apple File Provider will be used.
Reading Configured Options
How to read any options that are currently set:
sudo defaults read /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin
Deleting Options
To unset an option use the following command:
sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/it.minnow.FoldrAdmin OPTION