# Move your base folder to a new location

> Change the base folder your roots live under on the desktop app.

Source: https://notate.md/docs/organizing/change-base-folder/

Category: Organizing your notes

Updated: 2026-08-16

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On the desktop app, the roots you sync are kept together under a single **base folder** on your disk. If you want that whole set to live somewhere else, for example on a different drive, change the base rather than moving the folders yourself.

## What the base folder is

When you sync a workspace's roots to a device, Notate places them under one base directory so they are easy to find and back up together. Each root is a subfolder of that base.

## Change the base

Use the change base option in Settings and pick a new location. Notate moves the roots under the new base and updates where it looks for them, all in one step, so everything keeps syncing without interruption.

## Do not move the base by hand

Moving the base directory in Finder or Explorer leaves Notate pointing at the old path, and your roots show as unavailable until you reconnect them. Always change the base from Settings so the move and the bookkeeping happen together. If a root has already been moved out from under Notate, see [Reconnect an unavailable folder](https://notate.md/docs/troubleshooting/root-unavailable/).

## Per device

The base is a per-device choice. Changing it on your laptop does not change where the same roots sit on your other devices, so you can keep them wherever suits each machine.