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

# Offline and reconnect

> Omni Desktop keeps one connection to your xpander and reconnects on its own. Your organization decides what a task that needs your Mac does while the Mac is offline.

The app keeps one connection open to your xpander. It reconnects on its own: at launch, when your Mac wakes, and when the connection goes quiet. The [laptop status](https://docs.xpander.ai/desktop/window.md#the-laptop-status) in the sidebar always shows where it stands. Nothing on your Mac accepts incoming connections; the app only connects out.

## While your Mac is offline

Conversations that do not use your Mac carry on as usual, on the web and in the cloud. For a task that needs your Mac, your organization's [Desktop policy](https://docs.xpander.ai/desktop/admin.md#desktop-policy) sets **When the computer is offline** (**Ask** by default):

| Setting | What the task does |
| - | - |
| **Ask** | It asks you what to do. |
| **Wait for the computer** | It waits, and continues when your Mac is back. The app notifies you with **Waiting for your Mac**. |
| **Continue in the cloud** | It carries on in the cloud, without your Mac's folders. |

When your Mac reconnects, waiting work continues and the app tells you it is **Back on this Mac**.

A [scheduled task linked to your Mac](https://docs.xpander.ai/desktop/scheduled-tasks.md) that fires while the app is closed runs in the cloud, and the app tells you it **ran without your Mac**, with **Run now**.

To have agents work in the cloud first, so a conversation keeps going while your Mac sleeps, turn **Prefer this Mac's files and apps** off. See [Prefer this computer or the cloud](https://docs.xpander.ai/desktop/your-controls.md#prefer-this-computer-or-the-cloud).

## When the app cannot reconnect

![Grey dot with Mac offline and the Mac's name](https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/5kO48nCPjVxjKi_K/images/desktop/status-offline.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=5kO48nCPjVxjKi_K\&q=85\&s=5fe9a242eac2eba23d8196bda60f7979)

The status in the sidebar while the Mac is offline. Shown with sample data.

* **Mac offline** for a long time: check your network (and VPN for a self-hosted xpander), and the address in [Settings](https://docs.xpander.ai/desktop/settings.md).
* **Mac turned off** or **Mac removed**: an admin turned Omni Desktop off for you or revoked this Mac. Ask your admin. After a revoke, sign in again to register the Mac as a new device.

See [Troubleshooting](https://docs.xpander.ai/desktop/troubleshooting.md) for more.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.