---
id: apps.how-long-does-it-take-to-move-an-app
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/how-long-does-it-take-to-move-an-app
category: "Apps"
subcategory: "Moving apps to your fast drive"
question: "How long does it take to move an app?"
alt_questions:
  - "App move is taking a long time"
  - "Why is moving an app slow?"
  - "Still working… elapsed time"
  - "How fast does Storage Studio move apps?"
short_answer: "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."
tags: ["move app", "speed"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/what-do-the-move-status-labels-mean", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/why-does-moving-an-app-ask-me-to-turn-off-spotlight-on-the-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How long does it take to move an app?

A typical app finishes in seconds to a minute. Very large apps, a slower drive or connection, and apps made of many thousands of small files take longer.

While a move runs the row shows a live status, and if it's taking a while it shows how long it has been working. One common slowdown is Spotlight indexing your fast drive during the copy — Storage Studio may offer to [turn that off for the drive](https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/why-does-moving-an-app-ask-me-to-turn-off-spotlight-on-the-drive).