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Vault mode gives your clients a private, browser-based gallery to review and select photos. To make this work, Copycat uploads compressed JPEG previews to your Google Drive — your original RAW files never leave your computer. Before you can create a vault, you need to connect a Google account that has sufficient Drive storage.

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Connect your Google account

1

Switch to Vault mode

Open Copycat and select Vault from the mode switcher. The Vault panel will appear with a prompt to connect your Google account if one isn’t already linked.
2

Click Connect Google Account

Click the Connect Google Account button. Copycat will open a browser window (or tab) pointing to Google’s sign-in page.
3

Sign in to Google

Sign in with the Google account you want to use for vault storage. If you’re already signed in to Google in that browser, you may be taken directly to the permissions screen.
4

Grant Drive access

Google will ask for permission to let Copycat create and manage files in your Drive. Make sure you approve this permission — Copycat needs it to upload the preview folder for each vault.
If you skip or deny the Drive access permission, the connection will fail silently. You’ll need to go through the connect flow again and approve all requested permissions.
5

Return to Copycat

After granting access, the browser will redirect and you can switch back to Copycat. You’ll see your Google account email displayed in the Vault panel, confirming the connection is active.

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What gets uploaded to Drive

Copycat creates a folder in your Google Drive named after your vault project. Inside that folder it stores compressed JPEG previews — not your original files.
What’s uploadedWhat stays local
Compressed JPEG previewsOriginal RAW files (CR3, ARW, NEF, etc.)
Vault index (encrypted)Your source folder
Preview files are typically a few hundred megabytes per vault session, depending on how many images you include and their resolution.
Use a Google account with at least a few gigabytes of available storage if you run frequent vault sessions. Google One plans start at 100 GB for a low monthly cost if your free 15 GB fills up.

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Disconnecting and reconnecting

To disconnect: click your account name or email in the Vault panel and choose Sign out. This removes the Google session from Copycat but does not delete any vault data already on your Drive. If your session expires: Google OAuth tokens expire periodically. When that happens, Copycat will prompt you to reconnect the next time you try to create or access a vault. Follow the same steps above to reauthorize.
Disconnecting from Copycat doesn’t revoke Copycat’s access from Google’s side. To fully revoke access, go to your Google Account settings under Security → Third-party apps with account access and remove Copycat from the list.