> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.1archive.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What Is 1Archive?

> 1Archive indexes hard drives into one unified, searchable library. Learn what it does, who it's for, and how it helps creative teams find any file, anywhere.

1Archive is a desktop application for creative teams who manage large collections of media across multiple hard drives. It scans your drives and builds a searchable catalog of every file, so you can find a specific clip, photo, or document in seconds, even when the drive it lives on is unplugged.

## Who 1Archive is for

1Archive is built for teams that deal with high volumes of media: production companies, post-production studios, photographers, and any organization where files live across dozens of drives and are routinely hard to locate. It works at the organization level, so every team member shares the same catalog and can collaborate without duplicating work.

## Key features

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Universal media search" icon="wand-sparkles">
    Search by filename, transcript content, or describe an image in plain language and let AI find it. Searches work across all indexed drives, even disconnected ones.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Drive indexing" icon="hard-drive">
    Plug in a drive and 1Archive scans it, building thumbnails and metadata for
    every file. The catalog persists after you unplug the drive.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Collections" icon="layers">
    Group files into Collections (Workspaces) that can be shared with your team or
    via a public web link. No account is required to view shared Collections.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Duplicate and backup detection" icon="copy">
    1Archive automatically flags duplicate files and identifies which files are
    already backed up across drives, so you can reclaim space with confidence.
  </Card>

  <Card title="People (Beta)" icon="scan-face">
    Facial recognition groups photos and video stills by the people in them,
    making it easy to find all footage of a particular subject.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cloud archiving" icon="cloud-upload">
    Archive drives to Backblaze B2 or Amazon Glacier directly from 1Archive for long-term, offsite storage.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How 1Archive fits into your workflow

You connect hard drives as **Sources**. 1Archive indexes each source, generating thumbnails and extracting metadata: file names, sizes, dates, transcripts for video and audio, and image content for AI search. Your full library is always browsable and searchable from the **Dashboard**, regardless of which drives are currently plugged in.

Files are organized using **Collections**, which work like curated albums. You can add files from multiple drives to a single Collection and share it as a web link that anyone can browse. No 1Archive account needed.

Your entire library is shared across your **Organization**, so every team member sees the same catalog and can collaborate on Collections.

<Note>
  1Archive requires an organization account. If your team doesn't have one yet,
  you'll create it during the installation flow.
</Note>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Install 1Archive" icon="download" href="/installation">
    Download the app and complete the setup for macOS.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quickstart guide" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Go from zero to finding your first file in under ten minutes.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>