{"id":"apps.what-if-i-delete-a-moved-app-from-the-external-drive","url":"/faq/apps/what-if-i-delete-a-moved-app-from-the-external-drive","category":{"id":"apps","title":"Apps"},"subcategory":{"id":"reliability","title":"Drive, safety and recovery"},"question":"What happens if I delete a moved app from the external drive in Finder?","alt_questions":["Deleted app on fast drive by hand","Broken shortcut after deleting app on SSD","Removed moved app from drive manually"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"The shortcut on your Mac then points at nothing, so the app won't open. If it's still in the Trash, put it back. Otherwise reinstall the app from its developer — its settings were never moved, so they're still on your Mac.\n\nTo get rid of a moved app on purpose, use **Uninstall** on the **Moved** tab instead; it removes the app, the shortcut and its leftovers together.","answer_html":"

The shortcut on your Mac then points at nothing, so the app won't open. If it's still in the Trash, put it back. Otherwise reinstall the app from its developer — its settings were never moved, so they're still on your Mac.

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To get rid of a moved app on purpose, use Uninstall on the Moved tab instead; it removes the app, the shortcut and its leftovers together.

","answer_text":"The shortcut on your Mac then points at nothing, so the app won't open. If it's still in the Trash, put it back. Otherwise reinstall the app from its developer — its settings were never moved, so they're still on your Mac.\n\nTo get rid of a moved app on purpose, use Uninstall on the Moved tab instead; it removes the app, the shortcut and its leftovers together.","tags":["troubleshooting","external drive"],"related":[{"id":"apps.can-i-uninstall-an-app-i-moved-to-the-external-drive","question":"Can I uninstall an app that I moved to my external drive?","url":"/faq/apps/can-i-uninstall-an-app-i-moved-to-the-external-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What happens if I delete a moved app from the external drive in Finder? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Apps","path":"/faq/apps/"},{"name":"What happens if I delete a moved app from the external drive in Finder?","path":"/faq/apps/what-if-i-delete-a-moved-app-from-the-external-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/what-if-i-delete-a-moved-app-from-the-external-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What happens if I delete a moved app from the external drive in Finder?","alternateName":["Deleted app on fast drive by hand","Broken shortcut after deleting app on SSD","Removed moved app from drive manually"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The shortcut on your Mac then points at nothing, so the app won't open. If it's still in the Trash, put it back. Otherwise reinstall the app from its developer — its settings were never moved, so they're still on your Mac.\n\nTo get rid of a moved app on purpose, use Uninstall on the Moved tab instead; it removes the app, the shortcut and its leftovers together.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/what-if-i-delete-a-moved-app-from-the-external-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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Apps · Drive, safety and recovery

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What happens if I delete a moved app from the external drive in Finder?

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Short answer: 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.

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The shortcut on your Mac then points at nothing, so the app won't open. If it's still in the Trash, put it back. Otherwise reinstall the app from its developer — its settings were never moved, so they're still on your Mac.

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To get rid of a moved app on purpose, use Uninstall on the Moved tab instead; it removes the app, the shortcut and its leftovers together.

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Last reviewed

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