> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.expandrive.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.expandrive.com/connections/connection-creation-and-removal.md).

# Connection Creation and Removal

A connection tells ExpanDrive which remote service to mount and how to authenticate to it.

## Connection Creation

You can add multiple connections to the same service or to different services. Add new connections from the ExpanDrive application settings.

After you select a connection type, ExpanDrive prompts you for the required settings.

Each connection type has its own page with the parameters it needs — see [SFTP](/connections/file-servers-and-protocols/sftp.md), [Amazon S3](/connections/object-storage/amazon-s3.md), and the other per-service pages in this section.

After you save the connection, ExpanDrive mounts it and displays its contents.

### Automatic Connections

Enable *Connect Automatically* for a connection to mount it when ExpanDrive starts. This makes frequently used drives available without manually connecting them each time. The user must still complete any sign-in required by the storage service.

On Windows, the [MSI installer](/installation-and-system-requirements.md#msi-installer) registers ExpanDrive to launch at user logon. With Connect Automatically enabled, configured drives can mount as part of that startup without a separate logon script.

### Starting Folder

Most connection types let you choose a folder within the remote service as the root of the mounted drive. Use this setting when the connection should expose only a particular folder, bucket path, or server directory instead of the service's default root.

The exact field name varies by connection type. The page for that provider or protocol identifies the applicable setting.

### Read-Only Connections

Set a connection to read-only when users should be able to browse, open, and download remote content without changing it. A read-only connection prevents uploads, renames, moves, deletions, and other write operations through both the mounted volume and ExpanDrive's file browser.

### Windows Drive Letters

When you define a connection using ExpanDrive on Windows, you can choose whether to assign a drive letter to the connection, and which drive letter to use for each connection.

Assigning a drive letter can make it simpler to interact with multiple connections, or for scripting. Microsoft recommends [using UNC paths rather than drive letters](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/services/services-and-redirected-drives) for connecting to remote systems.

## Connection Removal

You can remove your defined connections from the ExpanDrive application settings.

If you've used [Offline Access](/offline-access.md) to download any files to your local system, the mounted folder with those downloaded files remains on your local device after the connection is removed. Once you delete the downloaded contents, the folder is removed automatically.