{"id":"cloud-accounts.can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive","category":{"id":"cloud-accounts","title":"Cloud accounts"},"subcategory":{"id":"using-accounts","title":"Using your accounts"},"question":"Can I copy files from a cloud account to my external drive?","alt_questions":["Download Google Drive to external SSD","Back up Dropbox to an external drive","Move cloud files to a hard drive","Archive my cloud storage locally","Copy S3 bucket to external drive Mac"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"Yes. In **New Transfer**, pick the cloud account (and folder) as the source and a folder on your external drive as the destination, then choose to copy, move or sync.\n\nCopying is handy for a local archive of a cloud account; moving clears the space in the cloud once the files are on your drive. The transfer downloads straight to the drive, so your Mac's internal disk doesn't need room for it. See [Data Transfers](/faq/data-transfers/).","answer_html":"

Yes. In New Transfer, pick the cloud account (and folder) as the source and a folder on your external drive as the destination, then choose to copy, move or sync.

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Copying is handy for a local archive of a cloud account; moving clears the space in the cloud once the files are on your drive. The transfer downloads straight to the drive, so your Mac's internal disk doesn't need room for it. See Data Transfers.

","answer_text":"Yes. In New Transfer, pick the cloud account (and folder) as the source and a folder on your external drive as the destination, then choose to copy, move or sync.\n\nCopying is handy for a local archive of a cloud account; moving clears the space in the cloud once the files are on your drive. The transfer downloads straight to the drive, so your Mac's internal disk doesn't need room for it. See Data Transfers.","tags":["transfers","external drive","archive"],"related":[{"id":"data-transfers.cloud-to-cloud-transfer","question":"Can I transfer files directly from one cloud account to another?","url":"/faq/data-transfers/cloud-to-cloud-transfer"},{"id":"cloud-accounts.which-account-type-for-archiving","question":"Which kind of account is best for archiving big files I want off my Mac?","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/which-account-type-for-archiving"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Can I copy files from a cloud account to my external drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Cloud accounts","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/"},{"name":"Can I copy files from a cloud account to my external drive?","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I copy files from a cloud account to my external drive?","alternateName":["Download Google Drive to external SSD","Back up Dropbox to an external drive","Move cloud files to a hard drive","Archive my cloud storage locally","Copy S3 bucket to external drive Mac"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. In New Transfer, pick the cloud account (and folder) as the source and a folder on your external drive as the destination, then choose to copy, move or sync.\n\nCopying is handy for a local archive of a cloud account; moving clears the space in the cloud once the files are on your drive. The transfer downloads straight to the drive, so your Mac's internal disk doesn't need room for it. See Data Transfers.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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Cloud accounts · Using your accounts

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Can I copy files from a cloud account to my external drive?

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Short answer: 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.

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Yes. In New Transfer, pick the cloud account (and folder) as the source and a folder on your external drive as the destination, then choose to copy, move or sync.

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Copying is handy for a local archive of a cloud account; moving clears the space in the cloud once the files are on your drive. The transfer downloads straight to the drive, so your Mac's internal disk doesn't need room for it. See Data Transfers.

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