Code Refined

DriveBar / Support

A little help.
Right here.

Set up DriveBar, understand what it’s showing, and get back to your files.

Contact support

Getting started

DriveBar requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later and iCloud Drive enabled on your Mac. The app supports English and Brazilian Portuguese and follows your macOS language preferences.

  1. Open DriveBar. It lives in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Click its cloud icon to open the activity panel.
  2. Allow access to iCloud Drive. When prompted, select the iCloud Drive folder itself, rather than a folder inside it. DriveBar requests read-only access.
  3. Let the first scan finish. Larger folders can take longer to read. Once the scan is complete, recent file activity appears in the panel.
  4. Keep DriveBar running. It continues observing changes while the panel is closed. Use the power button in the panel to quit.

Use the folder button to open iCloud Drive in Finder and the refresh button to update the activity list. Open the status panel for access information, scan details, and any reported errors.

Availability: DriveBar is being prepared for the Mac App Store. The DriveBar page will include a download link when the app becomes available.

Understanding the status indicators

The cloud icon

The regular cloud means DriveBar is not currently displaying observed transfer or deletion activity. It is not a guarantee that every file has reached iCloud or every other device.

The cloud with the sync badge

The sync badge appears for uploads or downloads reported by macOS. It also briefly signals a detected local deletion while DriveBar processes the change. The indicator works with the activity panel closed.

A deletion indicator confirms that DriveBar detected the local change. It does not confirm that Apple has finished propagating the deletion to other devices.

File availability

Individual entries may show that a file is uploading, downloading, waiting to upload, or available only in iCloud. These labels depend on information supplied by macOS and can update at a different time from Finder.

iCloud handles the sync. DriveBar observes activity on this Mac. It cannot force transfers, resolve iCloud account or storage issues, or verify the global state of your iCloud account.

Your activity list

DriveBar displays up to 200 recent file entries, with the latest observed activity for each file. Search filters these displayed entries by file name or folder path.

  • Added, edited, and deleted: entries describe changes observed in the monitored folder. The initial scan uses available file metadata; it cannot reconstruct every past change.
  • Open and reveal: open an available file, reveal it in Finder, open its folder, or copy its path. Opening a cloud-only file may cause macOS to download it.
  • Deleted files: these entries are records of observed deletions. DriveBar does not retain a copy of the file or restore deleted content.
  • Excluded items: hidden files and folders, app packages, symbolic links, and folders named DerivedData, node_modules, build, or dist are excluded from the activity inventory.

The list is a recent-activity view, not a complete audit log or a backup. A file can have more changes than the single latest entry shown.

Troubleshooting

How do I change the app language?

DriveBar includes English and Brazilian Portuguese in the same app. It uses the best match for your macOS language preferences. To choose a language just for DriveBar, open System Settings, go to General > Language & Region, and add DriveBar under Applications. Choose English or Portuguese (Brazil), then reopen DriveBar.

I can’t find the DriveBar window.

DriveBar is a menu bar app. Look for its cloud icon at the top of your screen and click it. If you have quit the app, reopen DriveBar from Applications.

DriveBar asks for folder access again.

Open the status panel and use the option to authorize access again. In the folder picker, select the iCloud Drive folder itself. If the folder is missing, check that iCloud Drive is enabled in macOS System Settings and available in Finder.

The list is empty or isn’t updating.

Clear any search text, confirm that access is authorized, and use the refresh button. Allow the scan to finish, especially with a large iCloud Drive folder. Check the status panel for an error. If necessary, quit DriveBar with its power button and reopen it.

Some files are excluded by design. Files outside the 200 most recent entries will not appear in the search results.

The icon and Finder seem to disagree.

Check the status panel and Finder for the affected file. DriveBar reads the transfer information macOS exposes; Finder may show a different view or update at a different time. A brief badge after a deletion indicates the local change, and an ordinary cloud does not prove that all devices are up to date.

If the difference persists, refresh DriveBar and contact us with the observed behavior. For account, storage, or network problems that also affect Finder, check your iCloud settings in macOS.

A file won’t open.

Try opening it directly in Finder. A file stored only in iCloud may need a working internet connection and time to download. A deleted entry cannot be reopened; DriveBar opens its parent folder when possible.

Can DriveBar recover a deleted file?

No. DriveBar stores activity metadata, not backup copies of your files. Check the Trash or Apple’s iCloud recovery options for the file itself.

Privacy and folder access

DriveBar reads file metadata and keeps its activity history locally on your Mac. It does not send file contents or file activity to Code Refined. The app does not edit, move, or delete the files it monitors.

Quitting DriveBar stops monitoring. To remove the app’s saved activity history or folder permission, contact support for guidance on removing its local app data. Removing only the application may leave that data on your Mac.

Read the DriveBar privacy policy for details about local storage, thumbnails, iCloud, and support correspondence.

A direct line

Contact Code Refined

For help with DriveBar, email support@coderefined.co.

To help us understand a problem, include:

  • Your macOS version and Mac model.
  • Your DriveBar version, if known.
  • What you expected and what happened instead.
  • Whether the same issue appears in Finder.

A screenshot can help, but hide private file names and personal information first. Please do not send passwords, Apple Account credentials, or private documents.

Email DriveBar support