{"id":"bridge-devices.what-does-keep-connected-for-do","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-keep-connected-for-do","category":{"id":"bridge-devices","title":"Bridge & your devices"},"subcategory":{"id":"connection","title":"Staying connected"},"question":"What does “Keep connected for” do in Bridge?","alt_questions":["Bridge auto-disconnect setting","How long does Bridge stay connected?","Make Bridge disconnect after an hour","Keep Bridge connected always","Bridge disconnects by itself","Auto-disconnect timer in Storage Studio Devices"],"short_answer":"It's an auto-disconnect timer: pick from 15 minutes up to 1 week, or Always. When the time is up the device disconnects but stays paired, so you can Connect it again any time.","answer_markdown":"It sets how long a device stays connected before Bridge disconnects it on its own. You can choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2, 4 or 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week, or **Always**, which stays connected until you disconnect.\n\nIt's handy when you only want a device linked for a work session. The device stays paired after the timer runs out — use **Connect** on its row to link it again.\n\nYou'll find it under **Connect a device** in the Devices tab; the Bridge app has the same setting for the Mac it's linked to.\n\n- [Disconnect vs Forget](/faq/bridge-devices/what-is-the-difference-between-disconnect-and-forget)\n- [Why did my device disconnect?](/faq/bridge-devices/why-did-my-bridge-device-disconnect-by-itself)","answer_html":"

It sets how long a device stays connected before Bridge disconnects it on its own. You can choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2, 4 or 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week, or Always, which stays connected until you disconnect.

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It's handy when you only want a device linked for a work session. The device stays paired after the timer runs out — use Connect on its row to link it again.

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You'll find it under Connect a device in the Devices tab; the Bridge app has the same setting for the Mac it's linked to.

\n","answer_text":"It sets how long a device stays connected before Bridge disconnects it on its own. You can choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2, 4 or 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week, or Always, which stays connected until you disconnect.\n\nIt's handy when you only want a device linked for a work session. The device stays paired after the timer runs out — use Connect on its row to link it again.\n\nYou'll find it under Connect a device in the Devices tab; the Bridge app has the same setting for the Mac it's linked to.\n\n- Disconnect vs Forget\n- Why did my device disconnect?","tags":["bridge","settings","disconnect"],"related":[{"id":"bridge-devices.what-is-the-difference-between-disconnect-and-forget","question":"What's the difference between Disconnect and Forget in Bridge?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-is-the-difference-between-disconnect-and-forget"},{"id":"bridge-devices.why-did-my-bridge-device-disconnect-by-itself","question":"Why did my Bridge device disconnect by itself?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/why-did-my-bridge-device-disconnect-by-itself"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What does “Keep connected for” do in Bridge? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"It's an auto-disconnect timer: pick from 15 minutes up to 1 week, or Always. When the time is up the device disconnects but stays paired, so you can Connect it again any time.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Bridge & your devices","path":"/faq/bridge-devices/"},{"name":"What does “Keep connected for” do in Bridge?","path":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-keep-connected-for-do"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-keep-connected-for-do","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does “Keep connected for” do in Bridge?","alternateName":["Bridge auto-disconnect setting","How long does Bridge stay connected?","Make Bridge disconnect after an hour","Keep Bridge connected always","Bridge disconnects by itself","Auto-disconnect timer in Storage Studio Devices"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It sets how long a device stays connected before Bridge disconnects it on its own. You can choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2, 4 or 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week, or Always, which stays connected until you disconnect.\n\nIt's handy when you only want a device linked for a work session. The device stays paired after the timer runs out — use Connect on its row to link it again.\n\nYou'll find it under Connect a device in the Devices tab; the Bridge app has the same setting for the Mac it's linked to.\n\n- Disconnect vs Forget\n- Why did my device disconnect?","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-keep-connected-for-do"}}]},"fragment":"
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Bridge & your devices · Staying connected

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What does “Keep connected for” do in Bridge?

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Short answer: It's an auto-disconnect timer: pick from 15 minutes up to 1 week, or Always. When the time is up the device disconnects but stays paired, so you can Connect it again any time.

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It sets how long a device stays connected before Bridge disconnects it on its own. You can choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2, 4 or 8 hours, 1 day, 1 week, or Always, which stays connected until you disconnect.

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It's handy when you only want a device linked for a work session. The device stays paired after the timer runs out — use Connect on its row to link it again.

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You'll find it under Connect a device in the Devices tab; the Bridge app has the same setting for the Mac it's linked to.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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Also available as Markdown and JSON.

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