How FolderTube sync works
When you are signed in, FolderTube stores your cloud-backed folder structure in Supabase, tied to your account. Whenever you change something โ adding a folder, moving a channel, renaming a folder, applying a color โ that change is saved to your account and becomes visible on every device where you are signed in.
If you use FolderTube without signing in, folders and channel assignments are stored locally and do not appear on other devices. When you later sign in with existing local data, a confirmation dialog asks whether to migrate it; choose "Migrate to cloud" before expecting those folders to sync. Once the data is cloud-backed, signing in to the same account on another device is enough to retrieve it.
What gets synced
| Item | Synced across devices? |
|---|---|
| Folder names and structure (top-level and subfolders) | Yes |
| Which channels are in which folder | Yes |
| Folder order and channel order within folders | Yes |
| Custom folder colors and icons (Premium) | Yes |
| Mark as Watched flags | Yes |
| Your YouTube subscription list itself | Handled by your Google account, not by FolderTube |
| Your watch history and recommendations | Handled by your Google account, not by FolderTube |
For cloud-backed data, the line is simple: FolderTube's folder data syncs through your FolderTube account, while anything YouTube itself owns is handled by your Google account exactly as before. Signed-out local data is not part of that sync.
Setting it up on a second device
- On the second device, install FolderTube from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open YouTube and click the purple FolderTube button in the top-right of the page to open the sidebar.
- Sign in with the same Google account you use on your other device.
- Your folders, channels, colors, and Mark as Watched flags appear automatically โ no rebuilding required.
If your subscription list itself differs between devices (because you have not signed in to the same Google account on YouTube yet), make sure you are signed in to the same Google account on YouTube too. Folders sync via FolderTube; the subscription list they organize comes from Google.
Add real folders to YouTube
FolderTube is free to install. Drag your subscriptions into folders and finally find what you actually want to watch.
Add to ChromeCommon multi-device setups
Home and work computers
Install FolderTube on each. Sign in with the same Google account. Your folder structure follows you between machines so research you queue up at work is ready to watch at home, and vice versa.
Two browser profiles on the same machine
If you run separate Chrome profiles (one for personal, one for work), each profile is treated as a separate browser. Install FolderTube in each profile and sign in with whichever account you want that profile to use. The two profiles can keep entirely different folder structures.
Mac and Windows
FolderTube runs the same on Chrome regardless of operating system. Sync works identically across Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chromebook โ sign in to the same account and the folders match.
Things to know
Changes take effect quickly, not instantly
Sync is fast but not instant. If you change something on one device and immediately switch to the other, you may need to refresh YouTube on the second device to see the change. Reload the page and the latest state appears.
Conflict-free in practice
Because you are typically working on only one device at a time, conflicts are rare. If you do edit folders on two devices simultaneously and the changes overlap, the last save wins for the affected folder.
Signing out removes folders from that device
If you sign out of FolderTube on a particular device, the folders are no longer displayed there. They are not deleted โ sign back in on any device and they return. Folders only disappear permanently if you delete them while signed in.
Mobile is a separate question
Sync covers every desktop browser where you sign in. It does not extend to the YouTube mobile app, because the mobile app does not run browser extensions. Folder-based YouTube is desktop-only โ on mobile, your subscription list looks the way YouTube itself presents it.
Privacy and data
Sync requires that your folder structure live somewhere outside your local browser, so it can be retrieved on another device. FolderTube stores cloud-backed data in Supabase, tied to the account you sign in with. Signed-out folders remain local. Read the extension's privacy policy on the Chrome Web Store listing for the full details on what is stored and how.
Your YouTube subscription list itself, your watch history, and your recommendations are not stored by FolderTube โ they are owned by your Google account exactly as before.
What to read next
If you have not built your folder structure yet, start with the complete guide to organizing YouTube subscriptions โ sync simply carries whatever structure you build. For an honest take on whether Premium features (subfolders, custom colors) are worth it, see Is FolderTube Premium worth the price?.