Connecting OmniFocus

OmniFocus can use Omni Automation Plug-Ins on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro. You can easily sync plug-ins between devices, using Connected Folders with iCloud Drive or Other Cloud Services supported by the operating system.

iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive supports syncing Omni Automation Plug-Ins between your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro devices.

If you need to set up iCloud Drive, start with this Apple Support article:

Set up iCloud Drive

Once you have iCloud Drive set up, open System Settings, navigate to Apple Account > iCloud > Drive > Apps syncing to iCloud Drive, and turn on OmniFocus.

To learn more about iCloud Drive, see these Apple User Guide articles:

Other Cloud Services

You can also sync Omni Automation Plug-Ins using cloud services other than iCloud Drive, as long as the cloud service is fully supported by the operating system. This may limit which cloud service you decide to use.

macOS supports using Connected Folders with most cloud services, so if you are using Connected Folders only with Macs, you will have many options. Please email Support if you encounter any issues, or have questions.

iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS currently support using Connected Folders with iCloud Drive and Dropbox. They do not currently support Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Proton Drive.

You can check other cloud services, or see if updates from Apple or the cloud services have added support for your device, by either:

Connecting a Synced Folder on iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro. If the Open button can’t be selected, the service cannot be used for Connected Folders.
Open Apple’s Shortcuts app, and create a new shortcut with the operating system Select File action. Switch from Select File to Select Folder, and run the shortcut. If a service can’t be selected for this shortcut, the service also cannot be used for Connected Folders.

If you need help configuring cloud services on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, start with this Apple Support article:

Use third-party cloud apps in the Files app

Connected Folders

Earlier versions of OmniFocus 4 used Linked Folders to sync plug-ins. OmniFocus 4.9 and later uses Connected Folders. If you had Linked Folders configured in an earlier version of OmniFocus 4, they will be automatically migrated.

OmniFocus creates a default iCloud Drive Connected Folder. You can also add Connected Folders from other cloud services, by Connecting a Synced Folder.

iCloud Drive Connected Folder

By default, OmniFocus uses the OmniFocus folder inside iCloud Drive as the default Connected Folder, as long as you have already configured iCloud Drive to support OmniFocus. Please see the iCloud Drive section, if you still need to configure support for OmniFocus.

The default Connected Folder has support for Plug-Ins turned on by default. To change that setting, select Connect Folder… from the Configure/Configure Plug-Ins window.

Once the Connected Folder window opens:

Select OmniFocus in the Sidebar.
Select Plug-Ins to turn support for Plug-Ins on or off for plug-ins stored in the OmniFocus > Plug-Ins folder.

Once you have updated the settings you can either close the window, or connect additional folders by selecting the add button.

Please note that the default Connected Folder will only display plug-ins which are stored in a specific folder. This allows you to store additional plug-ins in the main OmniFocus folder, without having them show in-app. To create this folder, you can either select the magnifying glass button next to the Location field, or:

On Mac, open Finder and choose Go > iCloud Drive from the menu bar, then open the OmniFocus folder.
On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, open Files, tap on iCloud Drive in the left sidebar, then open the OmniFocus folder.

You can now create the required folder, if it does not exist:

iCloud Drive > OmniFocus > Plug-Ins

Connecting a Synced Folder

In addition to the default iCloud Drive Connected Folder, you can connect as many synced folders as needed, using Other Cloud Services supported by the operating system.

To connect a new folder, select Connect Folder… from the Configure/Configure Plug-Ins window.

Once the Connected Folder window opens:

Select the button.
On Mac, navigate inside of the folder you would like to configure, and click the Connect Folder button.
On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, navigate inside of the folder you would like to configure, and tap the Choose or Open button.

The Connected Folder is automatically selected for editing, with the following attributes set to their default values:

The window also contains a Settings menu, which contains commands to:

Connected Folder Attributes

Once you have finished Connecting a Synced Folder, you can edit the following attributes:

You can also:

Display Name

When you connect or reconnect a synced folder, the Display Name is based on the name of the folder.

To change the Display Name:

Select the folder in the sidebar.
Tap or click into the Display Name field.
Edit the name.
Press Return or exit the field to save changes.

This updates the name displayed in this window, but does not change the name of the synced folder.

Location

The Location field shows where the synced folder is located on your device.

To view the local copy of your synced folder, you can either:

Select the button next to the Location field.
Select Show in Files or Show in Finder from the Settings menu.

Use For

When you connect a synced folder, support for Plug-Ins is turned on.

To update the Use For section:

Select the folder in the sidebar.
Select Plug-Ins to turn support for Plug-Ins on or off.

The default iCloud Connected Folder looks for plug-ins stored in the iCloud Drive > OmniFocus > Plug-Ins folder.

Connected Folders that have been added by Connecting a Synced Folder display plug-ins from anywhere inside that folder.

Disconnecting a Folder

To disconnect a folder:

Select the folder in the sidebar.
Select Disconnect Folder from the Settings menu.

Plug-Ins

Omni Automation Plug-Ins which are stored in a Connected Folder are available to OmniFocus on all devices.

To make sure plug-ins are available, you may need to configure the Use For attribute for a given folder.

If you need to configure a Connected Folder, please select one of these options: