[RickC555]

Hello All!

I'm using MobileSheets on Windows 11 with a Dropbox-based (Though I do have my drobox configured for local storage too on my 3 PC's) PDF library. The Play Store and website say MobileSheets can use existing files and folders without copying or moving them. 

However, when I import PDFs (Either directly from dropbox or local storage) they are copied into the MobileSheets storage location. Is there currently (2026) a Windows method to reference PDFs in place without copying them into MobileSheets storage?

Ideally, I'd just use Mobilesheets as a PDF reader not for storage (For now anyway)

I read the description of Mobilesheets on Airturn's site and they said:

"MobileSheets acts as a file manager for your sheet music files (PDFs, images or text/chord pro files) and links directly to them on the device. It provides a way to organize and quickly access any of those files. MobileSheets can be configured to use existing files and folders on the device storage, allowing those files to be organized as desired by the user without them having to be copied or moved."

Thank you very much!!! I do love the program!

[Zubersoft]

MobileSheets always requires local access to files - you cannot point it to a cloud service like Dropbox and use the files directly from the cloud, as MobileSheets is designed to be able to be used without an internet connection (as that's often a requirement for musicians who are performing). However, if you are importing files already on the device, you can prevent copying or moving. This is easier on Android, but on Windows, you must go to Settings->Storage->Set the MobileSheets Storage Location, and set it to the root folder containing all other folders that you plan to import from. For example, if you have a C:\MobileSheets folder, you can place all other files you want to import under that, and then if you import them, MobileSheets will use them without copying or moving them. This lets you control the folder hierarchy under the storage location if desired. Due to the file permissions model with UWP applications, MobileSheets cannot access files outside the storage location, so you can't just add files from all over the device unless you set the storage location to just C:\ (which I really wouldn't recommend), and this also wouldn't handle multiple different drives. I am switching the framework over to WinUI 3 soon which should open up the possibility of letting users manage their own files and folders outside the storage location exactly like it works on Android.

Mike