{"id":"cloud-accounts.how-does-box-drive-use-space-on-my-mac","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/how-does-box-drive-use-space-on-my-mac","category":{"id":"cloud-accounts","title":"Cloud accounts"},"subcategory":{"id":"cloud-apps-on-your-mac","title":"Cloud apps on your Mac"},"question":"How does Box Drive use space on my Mac?","alt_questions":["Box Drive taking up space Mac","does Box Drive download all my files","Box Drive make available offline Mac","Box Drive cache size macOS","can Storage Studio free Box Drive space"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"Box Drive shows your Box account as a folder in Finder but streams files: they're fetched when you open them, and only what you've opened or marked for offline use takes space on your Mac. Folders you mark to keep offline are kept fully on your Mac, so those are the usual reason Box Drive grows.\n\nTo get space back, turn off offline use for folders you don't need offline, using Box Drive's options in Finder's right-click menu. Your files stay in Box.\n\nBox isn't an account type you can add in Storage Studio right now, and macOS doesn't let Storage Studio free another provider's downloads. You can still use the Box Drive folder in transfers as a [Local folder account](/faq/cloud-accounts/what-is-a-local-folder-account) — reading files from it may download them first. See [connecting Box](/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-connect-box-to-storage-studio).","answer_html":"

Box Drive shows your Box account as a folder in Finder but streams files: they're fetched when you open them, and only what you've opened or marked for offline use takes space on your Mac. Folders you mark to keep offline are kept fully on your Mac, so those are the usual reason Box Drive grows.

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To get space back, turn off offline use for folders you don't need offline, using Box Drive's options in Finder's right-click menu. Your files stay in Box.

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Box isn't an account type you can add in Storage Studio right now, and macOS doesn't let Storage Studio free another provider's downloads. You can still use the Box Drive folder in transfers as a Local folder account — reading files from it may download them first. See connecting Box.

","answer_text":"Box Drive shows your Box account as a folder in Finder but streams files: they're fetched when you open them, and only what you've opened or marked for offline use takes space on your Mac. Folders you mark to keep offline are kept fully on your Mac, so those are the usual reason Box Drive grows.\n\nTo get space back, turn off offline use for folders you don't need offline, using Box Drive's options in Finder's right-click menu. Your files stay in Box.\n\nBox isn't an account type you can add in Storage Studio right now, and macOS doesn't let Storage Studio free another provider's downloads. You can still use the Box Drive folder in transfers as a Local folder account — reading files from it may download them first. See connecting Box.","tags":["box","online-only","mac space"],"related":[{"id":"cloud-accounts.can-i-connect-box-to-storage-studio","question":"Can I connect a Box account to Storage Studio?","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/can-i-connect-box-to-storage-studio"},{"id":"cloud-accounts.what-is-a-local-folder-account","question":"What is a Local folder account?","url":"/faq/cloud-accounts/what-is-a-local-folder-account"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How does Box Drive use space on my Mac? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Cloud accounts","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/"},{"name":"How does Box Drive use space on my Mac?","path":"/faq/cloud-accounts/how-does-box-drive-use-space-on-my-mac"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/how-does-box-drive-use-space-on-my-mac","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How does Box Drive use space on my Mac?","alternateName":["Box Drive taking up space Mac","does Box Drive download all my files","Box Drive make available offline Mac","Box Drive cache size macOS","can Storage Studio free Box Drive space"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Box Drive shows your Box account as a folder in Finder but streams files: they're fetched when you open them, and only what you've opened or marked for offline use takes space on your Mac. Folders you mark to keep offline are kept fully on your Mac, so those are the usual reason Box Drive grows.\n\nTo get space back, turn off offline use for folders you don't need offline, using Box Drive's options in Finder's right-click menu. Your files stay in Box.\n\nBox isn't an account type you can add in Storage Studio right now, and macOS doesn't let Storage Studio free another provider's downloads. You can still use the Box Drive folder in transfers as a Local folder account — reading files from it may download them first. See connecting Box.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/cloud-accounts/how-does-box-drive-use-space-on-my-mac"}}]},"fragment":"
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Cloud accounts · Cloud apps on your Mac

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How does Box Drive use space on my Mac?

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Short answer: 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.

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Box Drive shows your Box account as a folder in Finder but streams files: they're fetched when you open them, and only what you've opened or marked for offline use takes space on your Mac. Folders you mark to keep offline are kept fully on your Mac, so those are the usual reason Box Drive grows.

\n

To get space back, turn off offline use for folders you don't need offline, using Box Drive's options in Finder's right-click menu. Your files stay in Box.

\n

Box isn't an account type you can add in Storage Studio right now, and macOS doesn't let Storage Studio free another provider's downloads. You can still use the Box Drive folder in transfers as a Local folder account — reading files from it may download them first. See connecting Box.

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