If your Air workspace has many Unused Items and you’re syncing it to your desktop using Air Flow, you may notice that all your files appear together in a single folder in Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows), without any board structure.
This can look like Air “lost” your folder hierarchy — but what’s actually happening is that Unused Items don’t belong to any boards, so they appear as individual files at the top level of your workspace folder.
Why this happens
Every board in your workspace is represented as a folder in your local Air directory.
Unused Items are files that live in your workspace but are not added to any board.
When you sync the workspace with Air Flow, those Unused Items appear loose at the top level of your Air folder because they have no board context to sync into.
Check your Unused Items
Open your workspace in Air’s web app
Go to Unused Items.
Compare what you see on the web to what’s in your Finder/File Explorer
If the files in your Unused Items view match the loose files at the top level of your Air folder, this confirms the issue.
Fix your Air workspace folder with Unused Items
You have two options depending on how you want your local Air folder to appear:
Option 1: Unsync Unused Items
If you don’t need these loose files synced locally:
Open Air Flow on your desktop
Click the ⚙️ Settings icon (top right)
Select Manage synced items
Uncheck “Unused Items”
Click Save
Your Air folder will now show only items organized in boards.
Option 2: Add items to boards
If you want to keep all your content synced but organized:
Go to the Unused Items view in Air’s web app.
Select the files you want to organize.
Click Add to board and choose the relevant board.
Once added, the files will move out of the Unused Items view and into their board folders, restoring structure in your local Air folder on the next sync.
If you frequently import or upload content directly to your workspace root, those files will appear as Unused Items until you add them to a board. To keep your sync folders organized, make it a habit to add new uploads to a board right away.
Still seeing issues?
If your workspace still appears disorganized after checking Unused Items and adjusting sync settings, try:
Force resync: Air Flow ⚙️ → Force resync
Or Rebuild sync structure: Air Flow ⚙️ → Manage synced items → Deselect all → Save → Reselect and Save again
Things still don't look right? Reach out to Air Support using the messenger icon below or email us at help@air.inc with a screenshot of your Finder window and workspace structure. We'll get to work finding a solution!