Apps

The Apps window lists every app on your Mac and your fast drive. From it you can open apps, and move, offload or uninstall the ones you choose — each with a safety badge first.

Click Apps in the Storage Studio menu bar popover, or choose Apps… from the More menu. The global shortcut (⌃Space by default) and the Dock icon, if shown, open it too.

All Apps is a launcher grid of everything; Internal lists apps on your built-in drive you can move, offload or uninstall; Moved lists apps running from your fast drive; Offloaded lists archived apps you can restore.

Yes. All Apps is a Launchpad-style grid of every app on your Mac and fast drive. Type to filter, press Return to open the top match, or click an icon.

Start typing as soon as the Apps window opens — the search box is already focused and the grid filters instantly. Press Return to open the highlighted match.

Type to search, Tab to jump into the grid, arrow keys to move, Return to open the highlighted app, and Esc to close the Apps window.

Yes — press ⌃Space (Control-Space) by default to open the All Apps grid from anywhere. You can change it in Settings → Advanced → Keyboard Shortcut.

Go to Settings → Advanced → Keyboard Shortcut, or click the shortcut keycap beside the Home screen heading, and pick a new combination. Handy if ⌃Space clashes with another shortcut.

Show in Dock keeps a Storage Studio icon in your Dock that opens the All Apps grid when clicked — a quick way to launch any app. Turn the switch off to remove it.

Open the Apps window and switch off Show in Dock at the top-right. Storage Studio returns to the menu bar only; the global shortcut still opens the app grid.

It scans the main Applications folder, your personal Applications folder, the Setapp folder and Utilities, plus apps already on your fast drive. Protected system apps aren't offered for moving.

The chip shows where the app was installed: building = main Applications folder, person = your own Applications folder, S = Setapp, wrench = Utilities. Apps always return to that same folder.

It narrows the Internal tab to apps you haven't opened in at least that many days (30 by default). Choose All to see every app, or pick 60d, 90d, 180d or 365d.

Hide running removes currently open apps from the Internal list. It's on by default because running apps can't be moved; quit the app or turn the switch off to see it.

Use the Sort menu above the Internal list to order apps by Name, Last used, Size or Safety. Size puts the biggest space savers first.

Yes. The Internal list can be filtered by the app's declared category (such as Games or Productivity) and by install location. Choose All categories to clear it.

Last used is how long ago you last opened each app, as macOS records it. Rarely used apps are usually the best ones to move or offload.

macOS has no recorded open date for that app — often because it has never been opened on this Mac or was recently reinstalled. It doesn't affect whether the app can be moved.

The All Apps grid shows totals for apps On this Mac and on your Fast drive (including caches), and each row on the Internal tab shows that app's size.

The ? button opens a plain-English glossary of every safety badge, update label, install-folder chip and status in the Apps window.

Storage Studio is checking each app — how it updates, its permissions and helpers — to decide its safety badge. Rows show Classifying until that check finishes.

The filters are hiding them. Set Older than to All or turn off Hide running and your apps will appear on the Internal tab.

It may live outside the folders Storage Studio scans (Applications, your personal Applications folder, Setapp, Utilities), or the Older than / Hide running filters are hiding it.

The badge shows whether each app currently lives on your Mac's built-in drive or on your fast drive. The Moved tab lists only the moved ones.

Right-click a tile to Open, Reveal in Finder, Move to Fast Drive, Offload, Move Back, Uninstall — or Restore/Remove an offloaded app — and see where the app and its data live.

So everything you own is in one place. Offloaded apps can't be opened from the grid; right-click and choose Restore to This Mac to bring one back.

Click Refresh in the Apps window toolbar to rescan your apps and recheck their safety badges — for example after installing an app or quitting one that was running.

Right-click the app in the All Apps grid: the menu shows where the app and its data and caches live, with sizes. The Uninstall screen lists each piece too.

It's still adding up your apps' caches for the combined total. It works in the background and shows the figure when done.

Open Apps, choose the Internal tab and click Move on the app. Storage Studio copies it to your fast drive, verifies it, and leaves a shortcut so it still opens normally.

Yes. A shortcut stays at the app's original place, so the Dock, Spotlight, Launchpad and Finder open it from your fast drive as before — as long as the drive is connected.

It's a tiny link (a symbolic link) at the app's original location pointing to its new home on your fast drive. macOS follows it, so the app opens from the usual place.

No. Move relocates only the app; its settings and data stay on your Mac. Offload moves the app and its data, but the app can't run until restored.

Most apps move in seconds to a minute. Big apps, slower drives and apps with many small files take longer; the row shows live progress the whole time.

Waiting means queued, Preparing is the safety check, Copying is the copy to your fast drive, and Wrapping up verifies it and places the shortcut. Failed rows explain why when clicked.

Yes — moves run in the background while you keep working. Just don't open the app that's being moved until it's finished.

Spotlight indexing competes with the copy and can make app moves much slower. Storage Studio can switch indexing off for the fast drive only; the rest of your Mac stays searchable.

macOS links some permissions to an app's location, so it may ask once more for Camera, Microphone or similar the first time a moved app opens. Click Allow — it's normal.

macOS may show a placeholder Dock icon briefly while it catches up with the moved app's new location. It fixes itself, and the app opens normally meanwhile.

Apps owned by the system (usually installed by an installer package) need administrator access to move. If you cancel the prompt, nothing is changed.

No — quit the app first. A running app shows as blocked with "Currently running"; quit it, refresh, and the Move button appears.

Yes — click Move on each app you want; the moves queue up and run one after another, with a progress card and a reason for any that can't move.

In the Storage Studio folder on your fast drive, in an area set aside for apps. The Moved tab shows each app's location; don't rearrange it by hand.

Yes. The shortcut left at the original location keeps moved apps visible in Launchpad, Spotlight and the Dock, and the All Apps grid lists them too.

It depends on the drive. A fast SSD on USB-C or Thunderbolt usually feels close to the built-in drive; slow drives make launches slower. Move big apps you use occasionally.

About the app's own size, shown on its row. Its settings and data stay on your Mac; Offload frees those too.

No. Storage Studio copies, checks, links and tracks every app move from buttons in the Apps window — no Terminal needed.

Dragging only copies the app, and deleting the original makes the Dock and updaters lose track of it. Storage Studio verifies the copy, leaves a shortcut, and can undo it.

Yes — the fast drive must be connected and set up by Storage Studio's setup wizard. If it isn't, moving is unavailable until you plug it in or rerun setup from More.

While the licence isn't active, new app moves pause — but apps already moved stay put and keep working. Reactivate to carry on.

No — Storage Studio moves apps between a Mac and its fast drive, not between Macs. Use Apple's Migration Assistant for a new Mac.

No. Apps run from a fast drive physically connected to your Mac. Cloud and network storage are too slow and unpredictable for running apps; use them for files instead.

No. Moving relocates only the app itself; it keeps saving documents where it did before. Move folders separately if you want them on the drive.

No. Apps move only when you click Move or Offload. The only automatic step is re-moving an app you already moved after an updater reinstalls it — and you're notified.

Safe moves freely; Caveat works with a small side effect such as a permission prompt; Override has a known risk you must confirm; Blocked can't be moved safely, so no Move button is shown.

Safe means Storage Studio found nothing that should cause trouble after a move — no tricky updater, location-tied permissions or helpers. Move it whenever you like.

Caveat means the app will work after moving, with a small side effect — most often macOS asking again for a permission, a brief Dock placeholder, or a note that you use it often.

Override means there's a specific known risk, such as an updater that may reinstall the app or a helper tied to its location. Read the reason, then confirm to move it — or leave it if unsure.

Blocked means the app can't be moved safely — for example a built-in Apple app, a Setapp-managed app, an app that's open, or one already moved — so no Move button is offered.

Built-in Apple apps are in a protected, read-only part of macOS, and other Apple-signed apps are updated in place by macOS or the App Store — so Storage Studio blocks moving them.

Setapp manages and re-downloads its own apps, so moving one would conflict with it. Storage Studio leaves Setapp apps in place and marks them Blocked.

Usually not. Mac App Store apps carry Apple's signature and are updated in place by the App Store, so Storage Studio generally marks them Blocked. Move large apps from developers' sites instead.

Its privileged helper is tied to the app's location, so moving the app may break the helper on its next update. Storage Studio asks you to confirm; leaving such apps in place is usually safer.

It registers an automatic start that points at its exact location. After a move, auto-start can fail if the external drive isn't connected yet at login.

The app loads some of its own parts from a fixed Applications-folder address. After moving, it could load the wrong files, so Storage Studio lists them and asks you to confirm.

It's a heads-up: moving is safe, but you seem to use the app often, so you'd notice slower launches and need the drive connected. Big, occasionally used apps are better candidates.

Yes. They're marked Caveat because Homebrew upgrades reinstall the app to Applications, but Storage Studio detects that and moves the new version back to your fast drive.

Update labels show how an app updates. In-app updaters update it wherever it is; installer-style updaters (Adobe, Microsoft, Homebrew) may reinstall it, which Storage Studio detects and fixes.

Click Override → Move, read the specific risk on the sheet, and confirm. Enter your password if macOS asks. You can move it back any time.

No — Blocked apps can't survive a move, so there's no override. If it's blocked only because it's open, quit it and refresh.

The app is open, and open apps can't be moved safely. Quit it fully (including any menu bar part), refresh the list, and the Move button returns.

Yes. In-app updaters update the copy on your fast drive, and if an updater reinstalls the app on your Mac instead, Storage Studio notices and moves the new version back.

A background check that spots when an updater reinstalls a moved app on your Mac, waits until you quit it, then moves the new version back to your fast drive. See it in Settings → Services.

An updater installed a new copy on your built-in drive. Storage Studio flags it and moves the new version back to your fast drive once you quit the app.

An update reinstalled the app and it now asks for new permissions. Storage Studio pauses the automatic re-move so you can review and approve before it moves the app back.

It's the app's own updater, not Storage Studio, and it can't finish while your fast drive is unplugged. Click Cancel, then reconnect the drive or move the app back.

Yes, after confirming an Override. Adobe's updater may reinstall apps to Applications, but Storage Studio detects that and moves the new version back to your fast drive.

Yes, with an Override. Microsoft's updater may reinstall Office apps to Applications; Storage Studio detects that and moves them back. Daily-use apps are often better left on your Mac.

It's possible but not recommended unless the drive stays connected during updates. Storage Studio keeps a safety copy on the drive and restores the app if an update damages it.

For self-updating apps, Storage Studio keeps a safety copy on your fast drive. If an update damages the moved app, it restores it from that copy and notifies you.

Usually not. Browsers and chat apps update constantly and work most reliably on your built-in drive. Move large apps you update and use less often.

For apps that replace themselves when they update, Storage Studio keeps a compressed safety copy on the fast drive so it can restore the app if an update damages it. It uses no space on your Mac.

Open Apps → Moved and click Move back. Storage Studio copies the app back to its original folder, removes the shortcut, and cleans up the fast-drive copy. The drive must be connected.

No. The app is on the drive, so reconnect it to move the app back. If the drive is lost, reinstall the app — its settings stayed on your Mac.

A real copy of the app already exists in its original folder, and Storage Studio won't overwrite it. Quit the app, move that copy to the Trash, then try Move back again.

No. A moved app's settings and data never left your Mac, so moving the app back leaves them exactly as they were.

At least the app's size plus some headroom, because the app is copied back and verified before the fast-drive copy is removed.

No. Use Move back (Moved tab) or Restore (Offloaded tab) in the Apps window. Restore Points cover Storage Studio's records, settings and folder moves, not apps.

Open Apps → Moved. It lists each moved app with when it was moved and where it lives, with Move back, Offload and Uninstall buttons.

Offload archives an app and its data to your fast drive and removes both from your Mac, freeing the most space. The app won't run until you restore it from the Offloaded tab.

Move keeps the app working from your fast drive (its data stays on your Mac). Offload archives the app and its data to the drive for maximum space, but it won't open until restored.

Open Apps → Offloaded and click Restore. The app and its data are copied back exactly where they were. The fast drive must be connected.

No. An offloaded app is archived on the drive and removed from your Mac, so it can't run. Restore it from the Offloaded tab, or use Move if you want it usable from the drive.

Remove sends an offloaded app's archive (app and data) from your fast drive to the Trash. After that it can't be restored from Storage Studio.

Usually a copy of the app is already installed, the fast drive isn't connected, or your Mac lacks space. Nothing is changed and the offloaded copy stays safe; fix the cause and retry.

Yes. Offload archives the app together with its data, and Restore brings both back. Documents you saved elsewhere aren't touched.

No. Offload copies and checks everything on your fast drive before removing originals; if anything fails, nothing changes. Deleting only happens if you click Remove, and that goes to the Trash.

A few items are protected by macOS, so Storage Studio leaves them where they are and offloads everything else, telling you when it finishes. Restore still works normally.

Offloaded apps live on your fast drive, which isn't connected. Plug the drive in and Restore becomes available again.

Yes — use Offload on the Moved tab. The app and its data are archived on the fast drive so the data stops using your Mac's space too.

An offload attempt failed and the reason is shown. One failure is often temporary, so you can retry; if it repeats, Storage Studio says the app can't be offloaded on this Mac. Nothing is changed.

It won't start: you'll see that there isn't enough free space to complete it safely, and nothing changes. Make room on the drive and retry.

Yes. The app is quit before it's archived, so save any open work first. A progress card shows while it's copied to your fast drive.

System-owned apps need administrator access to be removed from Applications. Cancel the prompt and nothing is changed.

In the Storage Studio folder on your fast drive. The Offloaded tab lists each archive, when it was made and the total space used.

The app's size plus its data, because both leave your built-in drive — more than Move, which relocates only the app.

Offload copies the app to your fast drive, so the drive must be connected. Reconnect it and try again — nothing was changed.

Click Uninstall on the app in Storage Studio's Apps window. It lists the app and its leftover files with sizes, then moves them all to the Trash so they stay recoverable.

It finds the app's files in your Library — support files, caches, logs, preferences, saved state, its sandbox container, website data and cookies — and lists each one before moving them to the Trash.

Yes, as long as you haven't emptied the Trash — everything Uninstall removes goes there, so use Put Back in the Trash to restore it.

Yes. Untick any leftover item on the confirmation screen to keep it; the space total updates. The app itself is always removed.

Apps installed by a system installer are owned by macOS, so removing them needs administrator approval. Cancel and nothing is removed.

Yes — use Uninstall on the Moved tab. It removes the app from the fast drive, the leftover shortcut and its leftover files, all to the Trash.

No. Uninstall moves everything to the Trash, so it stays recoverable until you empty the Trash yourself.

The app has usually already been removed (for example dragged to the Trash or by its own uninstaller). Refresh the Apps list.

Some items were in use or protected by macOS, so they stayed put; the screen lists which. Quit related apps or restart, then uninstall again.

It removes the app but usually leaves caches, support files and preferences in your Library. Storage Studio's Uninstall finds and removes those leftovers too, to the Trash.

No. Uninstall only collects the app and its own files in your Library, not documents in your folders. Check the list for app-stored data and untick what you want to keep.

Storage Studio quits the app first, then moves it and its leftovers to the Trash. Save your work in it before confirming.

It's the shortcut a moved app left in Applications. Uninstall removes it with the app so nothing is left pointing at a missing app; it takes almost no space.

The Uninstall confirmation shows each item's size and an "About … will be freed" total that updates as you tick or untick items. Empty the Trash to get it all back.

It removes the app and its per-app files in your Library. System-wide helpers and extensions installed by security tools, VPNs or drivers are best removed with the developer's own uninstaller.

Your fast drive is case-sensitive and the app has files whose names differ only by capitals, so they'd clash. Nothing is changed; a standard (case-insensitive) APFS drive avoids it.

The app is safe: the original isn't replaced until the copy is finished and checked. Reconnect the drive and Storage Studio resumes the move or puts the app back as it was.

Moved apps won't open until you reconnect the drive; nothing breaks and they work again once it's back. Keep apps you need on the go on your Mac.

It confirms the copy on your fast drive matches the original file for file and that the app is still intact and signed. If any check fails, it keeps the original and discards the copy.

Moves are checkpointed. On the next launch Storage Studio finishes the move cleanly or returns the app to its original place with nothing missing.

During a move the original app is kept aside as a safety stand-by. After the move is finished and checked, the stand-by is cleared and its space is freed.

A failed or interrupted move won't lose the app — the original is kept until the copy is verified. The bigger risk is the drive itself failing later, so keep it backed up.

Apps stored only on a failed drive are lost; reinstall them. Moved apps keep their settings on your Mac, but offloaded apps' data was on the drive — so back the drive up.

Your apps aren't deleted and moved ones keep working from the drive, but nothing watches their updates and offloaded apps need Storage Studio to restore. Move back and restore first if you want them on your Mac.

Click the failed row to see the plain-English reason and the fix — often the app was opened, the drive was unplugged or full, or the copy didn't verify. Your original app is kept safe.

The app is still safe on your fast drive. Put the shortcut back from the Trash, or use Move back on the Moved tab to return the app to your Mac.

The shortcut then points at nothing and the app won't open. Put it back from the Trash or reinstall it; next time use Uninstall on the Moved tab instead.

Make sure the fast drive is connected, check the Moved tab for a notice, and if an update damaged the app let Storage Studio restore it — or use Move back.

Large apps you open occasionally with a Safe or Caveat badge — creative tools, games, specialist software. Sort the Internal tab by Size and filter by Older than to find them.

Keep daily-use apps, frequently updated apps, apps you need without the drive, login and helper-based tools (VPN, security, drivers) and anything Blocked on your built-in drive.

Offload is usually best: it frees the app and its data, and restoring it takes one click when you need it. Move it if you want it ready to open at any time.

Often yes. Games installed as normal apps with a Safe or Caveat badge move like any app; App Store games are usually Blocked, and launcher-managed games may get re-downloaded — check the reason shown.

In the Apps window's Internal tab, set Older than to All and sort by Size. The largest apps appear first with their Move, Offload and Uninstall buttons.

On the Internal tab, choose Older than 180d or 365d and sort by Last used to list apps you haven't opened in that long.

Rarely — small apps free little space but still depend on the drive. Move or offload a few large apps instead, starting with the biggest.

Indirectly: freeing space helps a nearly full Mac that's short of room for temporary files and memory swap. The moved apps themselves don't run faster.

Offload it if you might want it back with your settings intact; Uninstall it if you're sure you're finished with it, so it uses no space anywhere.

Generally not: Xcode is signed by Apple and updated in place, so it's marked Blocked. Its simulators, build data and caches are usually the bigger space win.

A fast external SSD on USB-C or Thunderbolt, formatted as APFS and usually kept connected. Slower drives work but apps will feel sluggish.