Cloud accounts

Click Cloud Accounts in the menu bar popover, then Add Account. Choose the account type, give it a nickname, then sign in through your browser (Google Drive, Dropbox) or fill in the server details (bucket storage, FTP, SFTP) and save.

Google Drive, Dropbox, Bucket Storage (Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services), FTP, SFTP and Local folder accounts. Google Photos can't be added right now, and OneDrive and Box aren't available as account types right now.

Open the Storage Studio popover from the menu bar and click Cloud Accounts, next to Data Transfers. It opens the Remotes & Accounts window with Accounts, Cloud Drive and Devices tabs.

It counts every cloud account you've connected — Google Drive, Dropbox, bucket storage, FTP, SFTP and local folders — not just Google. Open Cloud Accounts and refresh the list to see exactly which ones.

Use a short, distinct name such as personal-drive, work-drive or client-s3. Letters, numbers, spaces and _ - . + @ are allowed; it can't start with a dash. The nickname is how the account appears in transfers and schedules.

The nickname is usually empty or contains a character that isn't allowed. Use only letters, numbers, spaces or _ - . + @ and don't start with a dash. If that's fine, you may have reached the limit for that account type.

Up to 5 Google Drive, 5 Dropbox and 5 Local folder accounts, and up to 10 each of Bucket Storage, FTP and SFTP. Each row in Add Account shows a used / limit badge, and a full type dims until you remove one.

It opens your default browser at the provider's own sign-in page, so your password goes to Google or Dropbox, not to Storage Studio. Pick the account, approve access, and the app finishes adding it on its own.

It's Storage Studio's own confirmation page, served from your Mac, not a website. It means the sign-in came back and the account is being added, so you can close the tab. If access was refused, it says why and nothing is added.

Click Reopen URL in the Add Account sheet while it's waiting. Also check the browser named under "Will open in your default browser" — the page may be behind other windows. Nothing is added until you finish signing in.

The sheet waits five minutes for the browser sign-in to finish. After that it stops and adds nothing. Click Try Again — your form values are kept — and complete the sign-in in the browser.

The sign-in didn't complete — wrong account, a network blip, or the provider refused access — and nothing was added. Read the details, then click Try Again. If Google says "This app is blocked", use custom sign-in credentials.

Yes. Click Cancel or close the sheet at any time and the sign-in stops cleanly, with no half-added account left behind. You can start again whenever you like.

When you see Account added, click Add Another. The form clears for the next account; click Done when you've finished. Every account stays signed in separately.

Yes. An account stays connected, across restarts, until you remove it. The exception is a Google account added with your own credentials in testing mode, which Google expires after seven days unless you publish the project.

No. Storage Studio connects to Google Drive, Dropbox, bucket storage, FTP and SFTP on its own — just sign in or enter the details in Add Account. A provider's own Mac app can stay installed alongside it.

Usually not — the account added is the one you choose on the provider's page, not the browser profile. Pick the right account or use Use another account. Otherwise cancel, switch to the profile you want, and start again.

The sign-in had already stopped in Storage Studio — the sheet was closed, cancelled or timed out before you approved. The confirmation page only exists while the sheet is waiting. Start again and approve while it waits.

Nothing is added. The provider reports the refusal, your browser shows a plain-English explanation and the sheet shows the failure. Click Try Again if you change your mind — no access is granted unless you approve.

Often yes: add it as Bucket Storage if it's S3-compatible, as SFTP if it offers SFTP, or add its Mac app's Finder folder as a Local folder account. Check your provider's help for S3 or SFTP access.

No. Adding, testing and removing accounts — and the Storage Studio location in Finder — never ask for your Mac's administrator password. Only your provider's sign-in or server details are needed.

Open Cloud Accounts, select the account and click Test connection. A green check means it works; a red message explains the problem and can be copied with Copy error.

Read the red message — it usually names the cause. For bucket storage, FTP or SFTP, click Edit and fix the details; for Google Drive or Dropbox, remove and re-add the account. Use Copy error to keep the text for support.

Select the account in Cloud Accounts and click Edit. It works for Bucket Storage, FTP and SFTP: the form opens with current values, so you can change just the key, password or server. Google Drive and Dropbox are re-added instead.

Not directly. The nickname is locked because transfers and schedules refer to it. Remove the account and add it again with the new name, then recreate any transfers that used it. Your cloud files aren't affected.

Select the account in Cloud Accounts and click Remove. If transfers use it, Storage Studio lists them and offers to remove them too. Your files in the cloud stay untouched, and the stored secret is deleted from your Mac.

No. Removing an account only disconnects Storage Studio. Your cloud files stay where they are. What goes is the saved connection and its stored secret on your Mac, plus any transfers using it if you agree.

Some transfers or schedules use this account. Storage Studio offers to remove them together with the account so nothing keeps pointing at an account that's gone. Cancel first if you want to repoint a transfer to another account.

It's optional but tidy. Removing in Storage Studio deletes the connection from your Mac; revoking in your Google or Dropbox account settings also cancels the permission you granted on their side.

Click refresh in the Remotes & Accounts toolbar first. Accounts don't carry over to a different Mac. If they're still missing, update Storage Studio and reopen the window. Your cloud files aren't affected either way.

A remote is any place outside your Mac's own disks that Storage Studio works with — a cloud account, a bucket, or an FTP or SFTP server. In practice it means the same as a cloud account.

Fix the account: for bucket storage, FTP or SFTP, use Edit to update the key or password and the schedule keeps working. For Google Drive or Dropbox, re-add the account with the same nickname and recreate the schedule.

It reloads the account list from your Mac so the window shows exactly what's connected now. It doesn't re-sign in or test anything — use Test connection on an account for that.

Click Copy error under the red Test connection result to put the full message on your clipboard, or select the text directly. Paste it into a support request or a message to your host.

For bucket storage it's normal — one account per bucket, reusing the key. For FTP or SFTP, different base paths can point at different folders. For Google Drive or Dropbox it's rarely useful and uses up a slot.

Yes — add it in Storage Studio on each Mac; accounts don't copy between Macs. Both can use it at once, and Data Backup keeps each Mac's backups in its own folder so they never mix.

Open Cloud Accounts, click Add Account, choose Google Drive, type a nickname and click Open browser to sign in. Pick your Google account, approve access, and it's added — no Google Drive app needed.

Yes, up to five Google Drive accounts, all connected at once. Give each a distinct nickname. Google's account chooser always appears, so adding a second account works even when you're signed in to the first.

Some Google accounts only allow approved apps. Open Advanced — custom sign-in credentials in Add Account, follow Show me how to create your own Client ID and Client Secret in Google's console (about five minutes), paste them in and sign in again.

Often, but Google restricts third-party apps on managed work and school accounts. If you see "This app is blocked", ask your admin to allow it or use your own sign-in credentials if your organisation permits. Personal accounts usually just work.

Yes. Google Drive for desktop syncs its own folder; Storage Studio talks to your account directly for transfers, backups and its Finder location. They don't interfere, though you may see the same files in two places in Finder.

Not directly — macOS only lets an app free its own cloud service's downloads. In Finder, right-click Google Drive files and choose Remove Download, or switch Google Drive for desktop to stream files. Your files stay in the cloud.

Read and write access to your Drive, which it needs to copy, move, sync and back up files and show them in Finder. Google lists what's granted before you agree, and you can revoke it at any time.

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides live in Google's own format and use little or no Drive space. The duplicate finder skips them. For portable copies, export them with Google Takeout and keep the files on your drive.

Google limits how fast apps can upload and adds a short delay per file, so big or many-file transfers take longer. It keeps running and resumes if interrupted. For a huge first copy, an external SSD or bucket storage is quicker.

Yes. You sign in on Google's own page, so 2-Step Verification, passkeys and security keys work as usual. Keep them on, and have your phone or key ready — the sheet waits five minutes for you to finish.

Remove the account and add it again, picking the right one on Google's "Choose an account" screen (or Use another account). Google accounts can't be switched in place, and neither Drive is changed by doing this.

On purpose: Storage Studio asks Google to show its account chooser rather than silently using whoever is signed in to your browser, so you always add the account you mean and second accounts add cleanly.

Yes. Create a transfer from your Mac folder to your Google Drive account and choose move — the files go to Drive and leave your Mac. Large amounts take a while because Google limits upload speed.

Google storage is shared between Gmail, Google Photos and Google Drive. Storage Studio can move old Drive files off to your drive; Google Photos isn't available in the app right now, so use Google Takeout for photos.

Not right now. Google changed its rules for third-party apps in 2025, so Google Photos accounts can't be added at the moment. Use Google Takeout to download your library, then keep it on your external drive.

Use Google Takeout: select Google Photos, export, and download the archives — in batches if your Mac is short on space — then move them to your external drive. Google Photos can't be connected as an account right now.

Since Google's 2025 rule change, third-party apps can't read a whole Google Photos library, so it isn't available right now even where the option is visible. Custom credentials don't help; use Google Takeout instead.

Not right now. Google Photos can't be added as an account at the moment and doesn't provide the file fingerprints needed. Export with Google Takeout, and the downloaded files can be checked like any other folder.

We can't promise that. Google Photos isn't available right now because of Google's 2025 change for third-party apps, and that's up to Google. Use Google Takeout to get your library out in the meantime.

About what Google Photos uses in your Google account storage, plus room to unpack. Takeout splits the export into archives; download them straight to an external drive or a few at a time if your Mac is short on space.

Open Cloud Accounts, click Add Account, choose Dropbox, type a nickname and click Open browser to sign in. Sign in on Dropbox's page and approve access. The Dropbox app isn't required.

Yes, up to five Dropbox accounts, each with its own nickname and signed in separately. If the browser signs you in as the first account, sign out of Dropbox in the browser before adding the second.

Yes. The Dropbox app syncs its own folder while Storage Studio talks to your account directly. They don't interfere; you may just see your files in two places in Finder, which you can hide in the Cloud Drive tab.

Not directly — macOS only lets an app free its own service's downloads. Right-click Dropbox files in Finder and choose Remove Download or Make online-only, or set Dropbox to keep new files online-only. They stay in your Dropbox.

Make sure the page is on dropbox.com. Dropbox's permission page names the connector Storage Studio uses, which may not say Storage Studio — that's expected. Approving lets Storage Studio on your Mac read and write your Dropbox for your transfers.

Remove the Dropbox account and add it again to sign in fresh — Dropbox accounts aren't edited in place. Note any transfers that use it first, reuse the same nickname, then click Test connection.

OneDrive isn't an account type you can add right now. Use Microsoft's OneDrive app, which keeps a OneDrive folder in Finder, and work with that folder in Storage Studio — for example by adding it as a Local folder account.

Right-click files in your OneDrive folder and choose Free up space or Remove Download; they stay in OneDrive and download when opened. Storage Studio can't free another service's downloads, because macOS doesn't allow it.

Box isn't an account type you can add right now. With Box's own Box Drive app, your Box files appear as a folder in Finder, which you can use in Storage Studio — for example as a Local folder account.

In Cloud Accounts, choose Add Account, then Bucket Storage, pick Amazon Web Services, and enter a nickname, Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, Region and Bucket. Leave the endpoint blank, save, then click Test connection.

Give a dedicated user read, write and delete access to objects in your one bucket — nothing more, and never your main AWS login. Storage Studio doesn't need to create buckets or list every bucket.

Use S3 Standard for backups you restore often or Standard-IA for ones you rarely touch. Glacier is cheaper but slow to retrieve. Avoid S3 Express One Zone — it keeps a single copy and Storage Studio won't save it.

Uploads to S3 Express One Zone buckets don't work with Storage Studio, and Express keeps only one copy, so it isn't suited to backups. Names ending in --x-s3 are refused. Create a normal S3 bucket instead.

You probably entered an Availability Zone ID such as aps1-az1 instead of a region like ap-south-1. Storage Studio blocks the save and suggests the right region; for a saved account, use the banner's one-click fix or Edit the region.

With a least-privilege user that's expected: it can't list every bucket in your AWS account, only use its own. Enter that bucket's exact name. If reads or writes inside it are denied too, fix the user's policy in AWS.

The usual mistakes: an Availability Zone ID as the region, an S3 Express bucket, no bucket set, expecting a restricted user to list all buckets, and a wrong or leaked secret. Storage Studio flags the first three for you.

Treat it as compromised: create a new access key in AWS, paste the new key and secret into the account with Edit, test the connection, then delete the old key in AWS. Your transfers and nickname are kept.

No. Keep Block Public Access fully on. Storage Studio uses your access key, so the bucket never needs to be public. Amazon's default encryption setting is the right choice too.

Enter the region your bucket was created in, such as eu-west-2. The Amazon preset starts with us-east-1, so change it if needed. The S3 console's bucket list shows each bucket's region.

You pay your storage provider directly — Amazon bills S3 under its own pricing, and Storage Studio adds nothing on top. Your Storage Studio licence covers the app. Check the provider's prices for storage, requests and downloads.

The form takes a long-lived Access Key ID and Secret Access Key; there's no session-token field, and temporary credentials expire, breaking schedules. Create a dedicated user with its own key, limited to one bucket.

Bucket Storage is the account type for Amazon S3 and other S3-compatible services that store files in buckets. Choose your provider, enter an access key, secret, region and bucket. Up to ten are allowed.

Bucket storage has no default bucket, so every file must go into a named one. Without it every transfer would fail, which is why Save account stays disabled until you enter the bucket's exact name.

The bucket storage account has no bucket saved, so every transfer would fail with "bucket does not exist". Click Edit bucket… on the banner, enter the bucket's exact name, save, and test the connection.

Yes. Add one Bucket Storage account per bucket, reusing the same key if it can reach both, with clear nicknames. Or Edit an existing account to change its bucket — its transfers then go to the new one.

Choose Bucket Storage, pick your provider or Other (custom endpoint), and enter the access key, secret, region, bucket and the Endpoint URL from your provider's dashboard. Then save and click Test connection.

Copy it from your provider's dashboard, usually labelled endpoint or S3 API endpoint, including https://. It's required for every provider except Amazon, where you leave it blank.

It changes how the bucket name appears in the address used to reach your storage. It's on by default for self-hosted and custom providers and off for Amazon. Turn it on if a self-hosted server won't connect.

Yes. Choose Bucket Storage, the self-hosted preset or Other (custom endpoint), and enter your server's address as the Endpoint URL with its key, secret and bucket. Path-style URLs are on by default for these presets.

They're two halves of one key pair: the Access Key ID is the public part identifying you; the Secret Access Key is the private part proving it — treat it like a password. Storage Studio keeps the secret encrypted on your Mac.

Older versions could pass Test connection while a backup to non-Amazon bucket storage failed — that bug is fixed, so update and retry. If it persists, check the Bucket and Endpoint URL are set and exactly right.

No. Create the bucket in your provider's console first and enter its exact name. Storage Studio uses that bucket and never tries to create one, so a user limited to that single bucket is enough.

Choose Bucket Storage, pick DigitalOcean Spaces, and enter your Spaces key and secret, the region (such as nyc3), the Space's name as the bucket, and that region's endpoint. Save, then Test connection.

Yes. A Bucket Storage account works as a New Transfer source or destination, a Data Parking destination, in schedules, and as a Data Backup destination. Just make sure its bucket is set.

It fills in defaults for that service — a starting region, the endpoint format, whether an endpoint is required, and path-style URLs. Every field stays editable. Choose Other (custom endpoint) if your service isn't listed.

Open Cloud Accounts, choose Add Account, then SFTP. Enter a nickname, the Server (hostname only), Port (usually 22), Username, and sign in with a password or a private key. Save, then click Test connection.

A private key is usually stronger if your server supports it; a password is fine otherwise. Choose with Sign in with in the SFTP form. Key files (OpenSSH or PEM) stay on your Mac and are never uploaded.

Click Browse… next to Private key file — the picker opens at your SSH keys folder with hidden files visible. Choose the private key (not the .pub file). In any Mac file picker, Shift-Command-Period toggles hidden files.

Only if your key has one. Leave it blank for an unprotected key; otherwise type it in. The passphrase is strength-checked and stored in Storage Studio's encrypted vault on your Mac.

The Server field should hold only the address, such as sftp.example.com. If you paste user@host, Storage Studio offers a Fix button that moves the name into Username. Put the port in its own field.

An optional starting folder on the server. Blank means the server's default folder; set it, for example /backups/macbook, and this account's transfers stay inside that folder.

Check the Server and Port, that the server runs SFTP, and that you can reach it from your network (you may need its VPN). Timeouts usually mean a firewall; refusals mean nothing's listening on that port.

Choose Add Account, then FTP, and enter server, port (usually 21), username and password. Because FTP sends passwords and files unencrypted, you must tick the risk checkbox before saving. Use SFTP if your server offers it.

SFTP is encrypted (it runs over SSH); FTP isn't, so FTP exposes your password and files on the network. Use SFTP whenever your server offers it — Storage Studio asks you to confirm the risk before saving FTP.

The FTP account type is plain FTP, which is why it warns that it isn't encrypted. For an encrypted connection, use SFTP, which most hosts offer alongside or instead of FTPS.

Enter it in the Port box of the SFTP form (it starts at 22), not in the Server field. For an existing account, click Edit, change the port, save and test.

Yes. Turn on Remote Login on the other Mac (System Settings, General, Sharing), then add it as an SFTP account with its address, port 22 and a user's password or key. Two Macs running Storage Studio can also use Bridge.

Yes. Any server with SSH and SFTP enabled works, including most Linux systems and Raspberry Pi. Add it as SFTP with its address, port, username and password or key; a base path keeps files in one folder.

Yes. Add your host as SFTP (or FTP if that's all it offers) with your control panel's details, optionally setting the base path to your site folder. Copy is the safest choice; sync can remove server files missing locally.

Yes. Click Edit, switch Sign in with to Private key, choose the key file (and passphrase if needed), save and test. Install the public key on the server first. The nickname and transfers stay the same.

A Local folder account gives a folder on your Mac a nickname so it appears alongside your cloud accounts in transfers. It's handy for mounted network shares or other sync apps' folders. Nothing is copied; up to five are allowed.

The folder it points at isn't available — an unmounted share, an unplugged drive, or a renamed folder. Reconnect it and click Test connection, or remove the account and add it again at the new location.

WebDAV isn't an account type you can add right now. Mount the server in Finder with Connect to Server and add it as a Local folder account, use Nextcloud's synced folder, or add the server as SFTP if it offers it.

A Client ID and Client Secret you create in Google's console so Google treats you as the app's owner. You only need them if Google shows "This app is blocked"; otherwise leave the fields blank and the built-in defaults are used.

In Add Account, open Advanced — custom sign-in credentials and click Show me how. The guide links to each Google console page: create a project, enable Drive, set up the consent screen, create credentials, then paste the Client ID and Secret.

Your custom credentials' Google project is in testing mode, and Google expires those sign-ins after seven days. Publish the app on your project's consent screen, then add the account once more and it stays signed in.

Yes. The Client ID and Client Secret belong to your Google Cloud project, so you can reuse them for every Google Drive account you add. In testing mode, add each account as a test user or publish the project.

No. Your Client ID and Client Secret stay on your Mac and are only used to sign in with Google. You own the project in Google's console and can delete or replace the credentials whenever you like.

Yes. Google Drive and Dropbox sign-ins happen on the provider's own page, so Storage Studio never sees the password. Keys and passwords for other accounts stay in an encrypted vault on your Mac and go only to the service you connected.

Plan to add them again. Stored keys and passwords are locked to the Mac they were entered on, so a different Mac can't read them. Reinstalling on the same Mac keeps them. Your cloud files are never affected.

In an encrypted vault kept privately on your Mac and tied to it, so a copy can't be opened elsewhere. It holds bucket storage secrets and FTP/SFTP passwords. Removing an account deletes its secret.

Edit shows the stored value so you can verify or change it. Click the eye button to hide it as dots, for example while screen sharing. Leaving it unchanged keeps the existing secret.

No. With AI access on, an assistant can see an overview such as which accounts are connected, but never credentials, passphrases or file contents, and it can't change anything. It's off until you turn it on.

It scores secrets as you type: Very weak and Weak (red) can't be saved, Fair (orange) and Good (yellow) save with a hint, Strong (green) shows none. Common passwords always score weak. The check runs only on your Mac.

Provider-generated secrets are long and random and score strong, so a weak score usually means only part was pasted or a space crept in. Paste the full secret again and the meter should turn green.

Yes. Removing an account deletes its saved connection and its stored secret from your Mac in the same step. An SFTP key file stays where you keep it, and nothing in the cloud or on the server is deleted.

Yes for Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, typical S3-compatible services and SFTP. Plain FTP isn't encrypted, which is why it carries a warning. A self-hosted server is encrypted only if its endpoint uses https.

No — connected accounts belong to your own macOS user, so someone signed in as a different user doesn't get them. Anyone using your logged-in user can, so lock your screen when you step away.

Only when you ask: moving files out of an account, syncing, deleting inside the Storage Studio Finder location, or removing duplicates you chose. Connecting, testing or removing an account never deletes anything.

No. Updates keep your accounts, and reinstalling on the same Mac restores them. You only re-add them on a different Mac, because stored secrets are locked to the Mac they were entered on.

No. The meter scores your password entirely on your Mac using length, character mix and a short built-in list of common passwords. Nothing is sent or looked up online, so use a unique password per server.

Not on its own. Adding an account downloads and moves nothing. Space is freed when you move files from your Mac to that account, for example with Data Transfers. Cloud files in Finder stay online-only until opened.

In New Transfer as a source or destination, in Data Parking, in scheduled transfers, as a Data Backup destination, and in the Storage Studio location in Finder. Transfers between any two places work in either direction.

Yes. Any account you add in Cloud Accounts can be chosen as a Data Backup destination. Bucket storage tends to be quicker for a big first backup; Google Drive and Dropbox limit how fast apps can upload.

Yes. A Storage Studio entry appears under Locations in Finder's sidebar with a folder per connected account. Files are online-only until opened, and you can edit, rename and delete them there while the app is running.

Yes. In Cloud Accounts, open the Cloud Drive tab and switch off that account. Each source has its own switch. The account keeps working everywhere else; it just doesn't appear in Finder.

Every transfer points at the account you choose by nickname in New Transfer's source and destination lists. Accounts are signed in separately, so a transfer to work-drive never touches personal-drive.

Yes. The Storage Profile's connected cloud accounts section reads each account's real usage from the provider and, once analysed, shows file types, recent activity and how much is online-only. Results are kept for a day.

Yes. In New Transfer, choose the cloud account as the source and a folder on your external drive as the destination, then copy, move or sync. Files go straight to the drive, so your internal disk doesn't need the room.

Bucket storage such as Amazon S3 usually suits large archives best: built for big data, quick to upload to, with cheaper classes for rarely used files. Google Drive and Dropbox work but upload more slowly. An external drive is fastest of all.

Type the nickname, a colon, then the folder — for example work-drive:Reports/2026. Paths in that form open that account in the pane. Use the nickname exactly as it appears in your account list.

Storage Studio couldn't reach that account — offline, an expired sign-in or a provider problem — so it was skipped while the rest mounted. Run Test connection; if it passes, click Remount / Repair on the Cloud Drive tab.

Connect both accounts, then copy from Dropbox to a Google Drive folder with New Transfer. Check the files arrived before deleting anything from Dropbox. Large accounts take time because Google limits upload speed.

Yes. Set up a transfer from Google Drive to a folder on your external drive and give it a schedule. Copy keeps everything; sync mirrors Drive exactly, including deletions. The drive must be connected when it runs.

Cloud Accounts is where you add, test, edit and remove sign-ins. Data Transfers is where you copy, move or sync files using them. Add an account once, then use it in transfers, Data Parking and Data Backup.

No. Freeing space, moving apps and folders to an external drive, and reclaiming old local backups all work without any cloud account. Cloud accounts are optional, for sending files to online services or servers.

Yes. Tuhi can tell you roughly how many accounts you've connected and explain how to add, test or remove one. It can't see your passwords or keys and doesn't sign in for you.

Recent versions keep them in a CloudStorage folder inside your user Library, shown in Finder's sidebar under Locations. Storage Studio finds these folders on its own.

The provider moved to Apple's system for cloud apps, which keeps the folder in a CloudStorage folder in your user Library. Nothing was lost, and Storage Studio finds the new location by itself.

Usually not — recent cloud apps let macOS and the provider decide where the folder lives. Make files online-only instead, or move what you no longer need synced to your drive with Data Transfers.

Stream, if space is tight. Streaming keeps files in the cloud and downloads them when opened; Mirror keeps a full local copy of your whole Drive.

Online-only files stay in Dropbox and download when opened, using almost no Mac space; available-offline files are also kept on your Mac, so they open without internet but use their full size.

OneDrive's way of showing all your files in Finder while keeping them in the cloud until opened. Free up space removes the local copy; Always keep on this device keeps one. Neither deletes from OneDrive.

Box Drive streams files on demand, so only what you've opened or marked for offline use takes space. Turn off offline use for folders you don't need to reclaim space; your files stay in Box.

Selective sync hides unticked folders from this Mac entirely; online-only keeps everything visible in Finder but downloads files only when you open them.

Opened files download again, files still uploading can't be freed, offline folders keep their copies, and macOS may hold freed space briefly. Storage Studio's Free Up Space settings show each provider's real local size.

In Storage Studio, open Preferences → Rules → Free Up Space includes: each cloud folder on your Mac is listed with the space its downloaded files really take. Finder's Get Info counts online-only files too, so it overstates it.

Usually it hasn't finished uploading, is open in an app, or is in a folder set to stay offline. Let it sync, quit the app, or turn off offline availability, then use Remove Download again.

Yes — the folder is synced, so deleting there deletes from your account and other devices. To free Mac space without deleting, make the file online-only instead.

No — your files stay in your cloud account. Local copies may be left or removed depending on the provider, so let syncing finish and copy anything you need offline before you uninstall.

Yes. Add the destination account, then copy from your iCloud Drive folder (picked as a folder on your Mac) in New Transfer. Online-only iCloud files download as they're read, so work in parts if space is tight.

Yes — use the OneDrive or Box app's folder on your Mac as the transfer source and copy to a connected Google Drive or Dropbox account. Files may download as they're read, so allow space.