# Where your library lives

> Your library is a folder of ordinary files on your device, named Resurf Library.

- Page: https://resurf.so/guides/vault
- Section: Your data
- Works on: Mac, iPhone, iPad
- Last checked against the app: 2026-10-17
- Open: `⌘⇧O` on Mac

## Open it in Finder

On Mac:

1. Choose **File → Open Vault in Finder**, or press `⌘⇧O`. Finder opens with the **Resurf Library** folder selected.
2. Or, in the library with nothing selected, press `⌘\` to open the info pane.
3. The **Vault** section shows **Location** and **Last backup**. Hover **Location** for the full path, or click **Show in Finder**.

On iPhone and iPad, the library is kept in the app's own storage and doesn't show in the Files app.

## What's inside

Each capture has its own folder inside `Library`, sorted by year and month. In it:

- `capture.json` holds the title, tags, spaces, comments and your Note.
- `note.md` holds the text of a note or a quote. Other captures don't have one.
- `files` holds the original file and the files Resurf makes from it, such as a thumbnail or a transcript.

The `System` folder holds library-wide lists, such as your spaces and tags, and the search index.

## Make changes in Resurf

Resurf doesn't watch the folder for changes made outside the app, so edits made in Finder aren't picked up. Look around freely, but make changes inside Resurf.

## Questions

### Can I move the library to Dropbox, iCloud Drive or another disk?

No. Resurf picks where the library lives, and there's no setting to move it.

### Why doesn't my link have a note.md?

Only notes and quotes have one. The Note you add to a link or an image is kept in its capture.json.

## More guides

- Next: [Sync](https://resurf.so/guides/sync.md)
- [Sync](https://resurf.so/guides/sync.md): Your library syncs between your devices through your private iCloud, and it starts on its own.
- [Sync status](https://resurf.so/guides/sync-status.md): One line in Settings says whether sync is working, with a checklist and a report you can send to support.
- [Backup and export](https://resurf.so/guides/backup-and-export.md): Save the whole library as a zip, now or on a schedule, or export it as a spreadsheet with its files.
- [Import](https://resurf.so/guides/import.md): Bring captures in from a CSV file or from the old Resurf 1.0 app.
- [Erase and start over](https://resurf.so/guides/erase.md): Erase this device's copy of your library, or delete the copy in iCloud. Your license stays active either way.
- [Every guide](https://resurf.so/llms.txt)