GJ FILE MANAGER · FIELD NOTES
Check a Delivery Folder Before Sharing Files from an External Drive
Check the copied files, source access and the recipient’s sharing route before handing over a delivery folder. A local path does not grant another person access.
Why the check comes before the link
Before sharing files copied from an external drive, verify the delivery folder on your Mac. Confirm that it contains the intended copies and that they open. Access on your Mac does not prove access for a recipient: a local path is not a share link. Keep the delivery collection separate from drafts and working assets, and retain the originals.
Inspect the shared drive before trusting it
Connect the external drive and check its status before copying anything. A drive can be readable but not writable, and its filesystem, mount state and permissions matter as much as the file manager you are looking at. In GJ File Manager, use the external-device area to inspect the drive before starting a copy with visible progress. Confirm the drive's name, format and writable status, then open a small destination folder to confirm access. If the drive is NTFS, remember that writing depends on system support and configuration — not every attached NTFS disk is automatically writable. Copy a sample file, wait for completion and open the destination copy. This is the point where you find out whether the drive behaves as expected, while the cost of a surprise is still low.
Build a separate delivery folder
Separate the working area from the delivery area in GJ File Manager. Create a clearly named Delivery folder and open it in its own tab. Copy the required files from their sources, inspecting name conflicts rather than replacing blindly. Then check each item against your delivery list: name, content, version and whether it opens. A file group is not an automatically assembled delivery package, and equal file counts do not establish equal content — a comparison cannot decide requirements, confidentiality or final approval for you. If an archive is needed, compress this checked folder, inspect the package and retain a copy of the delivery. This delivery folder is the collection to verify before sharing.
Confirm the app can access the source folder
A file can exist while an app is not allowed to access it, and missing authorization is a different problem from a missing path. Authorize the needed directory through GJ File Manager's folder picker and inspect remembered paths in Settings. Choose Add in Workspaces and select the actual project folder, confirm authorization in the system picker, then open the directory. If an old path no longer works, review the authorization settings and select the folder again. Retry and distinguish access denial from an offline disk or a nonexistent path. Keep access specific: solving one project problem does not require opening your whole home directory. Removing a remembered authorization is not deleting disk contents; access may need to be granted again.
Leave originals safe and finish cleanly
Keep your originals untouched and work from copies in the delivery folder. If a copy fails partway, do not treat the partial result as a backup or as a deliverable: first confirm the task has stopped and check the destination, then safely eject rather than unplugging mid-task. After all tasks finish, eject through the system and then disconnect the drive. After checking the copies, use an appropriate sharing method for the actual files. Verify that the recipient can open them through that method. Pasting a local path into a message grants no access.
Related product guides
Written by the GJ File Manager team. Mac workflows; controls may differ on iPad.
Explore GJ File Manager →