If I remember correctly, it was a regular folder with a special icon. The intention was that you could drag&drop it to some removable media to move between computers.

I guess MS envisioned it as a digital replacement for the physical suitcase of documents you'd bring to/from work.

Furthermore, this "digital replacement" strategy can be seen in other (now mostly defunct) MS programs such as that program that was bundled with windows 3.11 ( I think it was called wincard.exe) that mimiced a rolodex.

I'll take my MCSE now, thank you.

EDIT: Seems there was some sync stuff with it as well. I'll settle for some junior certification, thank you.

Specialty folder which did automatic syncing between devices.

It was a zip file, essentially. You drag files into it, then you drag it to your usb memory stick and take it to work. At wprk, you drag it from the usb drive to your briefacse on the work computer and it updates with the newer copies. That's about as much as I remember.

MS OneDrive 0.1beta

Gpt4o the windows expert:

“ The meme references a somewhat obscure feature from older versions of Microsoft Windows called “Briefcase.” Here’s a brief explanation:

Windows Briefcase:

• Introduced in Windows 95 and present in several subsequent versions, the Briefcase was a special folder designed to help users keep files in sync between two locations, typically between a desktop and a laptop.

• You could create a Briefcase on your computer, add files to it, and then copy that Briefcase to another location, such as a floppy disk or another drive.

• When you made changes to the files on either location, you could use the Briefcase to update the files on both sides by synchronizing them. This feature was particularly useful in the era before widespread use of networked file sharing and cloud storage.

The meme humorously challenges a supposed “Windows expert” to explain this somewhat outdated and lesser-known feature, implying that true expertise includes knowledge of such old functionalities.”

People don't like spending time with their family so they found a way to let you take your work home before high speed internet and hard drives you can put in your pocket.

It was a feature in Windows 98 that no one used so they discontinued it.

It deletes your files for no reason

I think we all ignored that.

I remember just trying this out when I was in school. The idea seemed interesting. It was a folder you could store on portable media like a floppy, a USB, or maybe even a CD-RW(to be crazy). I remember it was still in XP.

It basically worked like manual file syncing. It tried to automate how you'd work on something and keep a portable version of the files up to date.

I seemed to have much more luck just doing the copying myself though...my "briefcase" folder felt clunky and prone to losing files in the worst case, or just being generally confusing.

In my first briefcase I stored my MS Paint drawings. I got a new job and bought a bigger briefcase, and now I put my Linux isos in there.

Wasn't it basically a portable "My Documents" folder? It would sync up online, right? Or at least was easier to copy to a floppy, cd, or USB drive? I never actually used it but I always assumed that's what it was for since it appeared in Windows once the Internet started being a major thing.

When did they remove the briefcase?

I remember it on Windows 98, but not XP.

Was it removed with the DOS/NT transition?

Or is it still around, just hidden?

It was basically the early version of the Roaming folder. It would sync to a floppy disk.

It allowed you to synchronize files between computers over floppy disk.