If you're still using the Silhouette Studio library as your main file organization system - it may be time to consider an alternative.
In my fifteen years of doing this I can't tell you how many times I've been asked: how do I build a big, organized library inside Silhouette Studio. My honest answer is that you shouldn't.
Most people are treating the Silhouette library as storage, and that's not what it is. In recent years, it's become more and more unreliable given changes to how the software syncs.
So here are my top three reasons NOT to use the Silhouette Design library as your primary file organization and storage.
1. It only exists on one computer
The majority of your library probably isn't in the cloud. Silhouette Studio is supposed to sync to the Silhouette Design Store and also to any computer that's also logged in to the same account, but it can be extremely inconsistent.
When you upload a file into the library - by default it's stored on your local computer and not the Silhouette cloud. That means if you're ever moving computers or accessing your library on another computer, local files won't be accessible.
2. It isn't a backup
This is the one that hurts people.
A real backup of your library would be a second copy of your library. However, there's not one single way to export your entire Silhouette library, in a way that's useable in any other program. So using the library as a backup is not really possible and design files are often lost due to it.
Even the Library Snapshots can't be relied on for backups since you have to turn them on and make sure they're saving at an interval that keeps a few good back up versions.
3. Your files are stuck where you can't use them
Silhouette Design store files should automatically sync to your library. However if you want to use them in a different program you can't export them from the Silhouette library in a useable format.
Instead you need to re-download them one by one from your Design Store Account. It's time consuming and creates extra files to store and organize.
Only your local user files can be exported in a useable format.
Free Silhouette Library Alternative
So what do I suggest when people ask me how to organize their Silhouette design files? Google Drive.
Google Drive fixes all these problems. It's accessible from any computer with wifi, it's a much more reliable backup, files can easily be used in a number of different software programs, and and there's no need to transfer or move an entire library to a new computer if you get a new computer.
Google Drive is also free. You get 15GB, and if you have a Gmail address you already have a Drive whether you've ever opened it or not.
Watch me build one start to finish
I recorded the whole process to set up and use Google Drive over on Silhouette U. I'm sharing how to the export your existing Silhouette Studio library files and folder, setting up Google Drive, and getting your Design Store purchases in there too. Plus I'll show you how easy it is to grab a file from Google Drive when you're ready to use it in Silhouette Studio.
Getting a new computer soon? Read this first: moving Silhouette Studio to a new computer.
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