{"id":"cloud-accounts.can-i-keep-my-cloud-app-folder-on-an-external-drive","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-keep-my-cloud-app-folder-on-an-external-drive","category":{"id":"cloud-accounts","title":"Cloud accounts"},"subcategory":{"id":"cloud-apps-on-your-mac","title":"Cloud apps on your Mac"},"question":"Can I keep my Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive folder on an external drive?","alt_questions":["move Dropbox folder to external drive Mac","put Google Drive for desktop on an external SSD","change OneDrive folder location to external drive","can I sync my cloud folder to a USB drive instead of my Mac","store Dropbox on external hard drive macOS","Can Storage Studio move my Dropbox folder to the fast drive?"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"Usually not, and Storage Studio won't do it for you. With the system recent cloud apps use on macOS, the folder's location is decided by macOS and the provider, and it generally can't be pointed at an external drive. Whether your provider offers any alternative depends on its app and version, so check its own help pages.\n\nWe also don't recommend relocating a synced folder with a link: the cloud app watches that folder and may sync the link instead of your files, or think they were deleted.\n\nTo save space instead:\n\n- Make files **online-only** in the provider's app or with Finder's **Remove Download** — they stay in the cloud and download when opened.\n- Move what you no longer need synced out of the cloud account to your external drive with a [Data Transfers copy or move](/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive).\n\nSee [folders inside Dropbox or OneDrive](/faq/moving-folders/should-i-move-folders-inside-dropbox-or-onedrive).","answer_html":"

Usually not, and Storage Studio won't do it for you. With the system recent cloud apps use on macOS, the folder's location is decided by macOS and the provider, and it generally can't be pointed at an external drive. Whether your provider offers any alternative depends on its app and version, so check its own help pages.

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We also don't recommend relocating a synced folder with a link: the cloud app watches that folder and may sync the link instead of your files, or think they were deleted.

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To save space instead:

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See folders inside Dropbox or OneDrive.

","answer_text":"Usually not, and Storage Studio won't do it for you. With the system recent cloud apps use on macOS, the folder's location is decided by macOS and the provider, and it generally can't be pointed at an external drive. Whether your provider offers any alternative depends on its app and version, so check its own help pages.\n\nWe also don't recommend relocating a synced folder with a link: the cloud app watches that folder and may sync the link instead of your files, or think they were deleted.\n\nTo save space instead:\n\n- Make files online-only in the provider's app or with Finder's Remove Download — they stay in the cloud and download when opened.\n- Move what you no longer need synced out of the cloud account to your external drive with a Data Transfers copy or move.\n\nSee folders inside Dropbox or OneDrive.","tags":["dropbox","google drive","onedrive","external drive"],"related":[{"id":"cloud-accounts.can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive","question":"Can I copy files from a cloud account to my external drive?","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-copy-from-a-cloud-account-to-my-external-drive"},{"id":"cloud-accounts.free-space-used-by-dropbox-app","question":"Can Storage Studio free the space the Dropbox app uses on my Mac?","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/free-space-used-by-dropbox-app"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Can I keep my Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive folder on an external drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Cloud accounts","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/"},{"name":"Can I keep my Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive folder on an external drive?","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-keep-my-cloud-app-folder-on-an-external-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-keep-my-cloud-app-folder-on-an-external-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I keep my Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive folder on an external drive?","alternateName":["move Dropbox folder to external drive Mac","put Google Drive for desktop on an external SSD","change OneDrive folder location to external drive","can I sync my cloud folder to a USB drive instead of my Mac","store Dropbox on external hard drive macOS","Can Storage Studio move my Dropbox folder to the fast drive?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Usually not, and Storage Studio won't do it for you. With the system recent cloud apps use on macOS, the folder's location is decided by macOS and the provider, and it generally can't be pointed at an external drive. Whether your provider offers any alternative depends on its app and version, so check its own help pages.\n\nWe also don't recommend relocating a synced folder with a link: the cloud app watches that folder and may sync the link instead of your files, or think they were deleted.\n\nTo save space instead:\n\n- Make files online-only in the provider's app or with Finder's Remove Download — they stay in the cloud and download when opened.\n- Move what you no longer need synced out of the cloud account to your external drive with a Data Transfers copy or move.\n\nSee folders inside Dropbox or OneDrive.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-keep-my-cloud-app-folder-on-an-external-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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Cloud accounts · Cloud apps on your Mac

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Can I keep my Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive folder on an external drive?

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Short answer: 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.

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Usually not, and Storage Studio won't do it for you. With the system recent cloud apps use on macOS, the folder's location is decided by macOS and the provider, and it generally can't be pointed at an external drive. Whether your provider offers any alternative depends on its app and version, so check its own help pages.

\n

We also don't recommend relocating a synced folder with a link: the cloud app watches that folder and may sync the link instead of your files, or think they were deleted.

\n

To save space instead:

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  • Make files online-only in the provider's app or with Finder's Remove Download — they stay in the cloud and download when opened.
  • Move what you no longer need synced out of the cloud account to your external drive with a Data Transfers copy or move.
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See folders inside Dropbox or OneDrive.

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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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