{"id":"comparisons.restore-points-vs-macos-local-snapshots","url":"/faq/comparisons/restore-points-vs-macos-local-snapshots","category":{"id":"comparisons","title":"Comparisons & alternatives"},"subcategory":{"id":"backup-and-cloning","title":"Backup and cloning tools"},"question":"Are Storage Studio's Restore Points the same as macOS local snapshots?","alt_questions":["restore points vs apfs snapshots","is a restore point a snapshot of my files","difference between restore point and time machine snapshot","storage studio restore point what does it save","restore points copy my files?"],"short_answer":"No. macOS snapshots capture your whole disk. Restore Points save only Storage Studio's own records of what it moved, plus its settings, so they use almost no space and let you roll back the last batch of moves.","answer_markdown":"No — they protect different things. A macOS **local snapshot** is a point-in-time image of your whole disk that Time Machine uses; it can hold on to deleted files' space until it ages out.\n\nA Storage Studio **Restore Point** protects only Storage Studio's **own records**: the list of what it moved and where, plus its settings and rules. Your files are never copied into one, which is why it uses almost no space. Storage Studio makes one automatically before each batch of moves, and **Roll Back Last Batch** uses it to return the most recently moved files safely, skipping anything it can't put back without overwriting.\n\nRestore points live on your external drive, so plug it in to see them. See [Restore Points](/manual/restore-points).","answer_html":"

No — they protect different things. A macOS local snapshot is a point-in-time image of your whole disk that Time Machine uses; it can hold on to deleted files' space until it ages out.

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A Storage Studio Restore Point protects only Storage Studio's own records: the list of what it moved and where, plus its settings and rules. Your files are never copied into one, which is why it uses almost no space. Storage Studio makes one automatically before each batch of moves, and Roll Back Last Batch uses it to return the most recently moved files safely, skipping anything it can't put back without overwriting.

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Restore points live on your external drive, so plug it in to see them. See Restore Points.

","answer_text":"No — they protect different things. A macOS local snapshot is a point-in-time image of your whole disk that Time Machine uses; it can hold on to deleted files' space until it ages out.\n\nA Storage Studio Restore Point protects only Storage Studio's own records: the list of what it moved and where, plus its settings and rules. Your files are never copied into one, which is why it uses almost no space. Storage Studio makes one automatically before each batch of moves, and Roll Back Last Batch uses it to return the most recently moved files safely, skipping anything it can't put back without overwriting.\n\nRestore points live on your external drive, so plug it in to see them. See Restore Points.","tags":["restore points","snapshots","undo"],"related":[{"id":"comparisons.local-snapshots-manager-vs-tmutil","question":"Is the Local Snapshots manager any different from deleting snapshots with Terminal?","url":"/faq/comparisons/local-snapshots-manager-vs-tmutil"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Are Storage Studio's Restore Points the same as macOS local snapshots? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"No. macOS snapshots capture your whole disk. Restore Points save only Storage Studio's own records of what it moved, plus its settings, so they use almost no space and let you roll back the last batch of moves.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Comparisons & alternatives","path":"/faq/comparisons/"},{"name":"Are Storage Studio's Restore Points the same as macOS local snapshots?","path":"/faq/comparisons/restore-points-vs-macos-local-snapshots"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/restore-points-vs-macos-local-snapshots","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Are Storage Studio's Restore Points the same as macOS local snapshots?","alternateName":["restore points vs apfs snapshots","is a restore point a snapshot of my files","difference between restore point and time machine snapshot","storage studio restore point what does it save","restore points copy my files?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No — they protect different things. A macOS local snapshot is a point-in-time image of your whole disk that Time Machine uses; it can hold on to deleted files' space until it ages out.\n\nA Storage Studio Restore Point protects only Storage Studio's own records: the list of what it moved and where, plus its settings and rules. Your files are never copied into one, which is why it uses almost no space. Storage Studio makes one automatically before each batch of moves, and Roll Back Last Batch uses it to return the most recently moved files safely, skipping anything it can't put back without overwriting.\n\nRestore points live on your external drive, so plug it in to see them. See Restore Points.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/restore-points-vs-macos-local-snapshots"}}]},"fragment":"
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Comparisons & alternatives · Backup and cloning tools

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Are Storage Studio's Restore Points the same as macOS local snapshots?

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Short answer: No. macOS snapshots capture your whole disk. Restore Points save only Storage Studio's own records of what it moved, plus its settings, so they use almost no space and let you roll back the last batch of moves.

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No — they protect different things. A macOS local snapshot is a point-in-time image of your whole disk that Time Machine uses; it can hold on to deleted files' space until it ages out.

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A Storage Studio Restore Point protects only Storage Studio's own records: the list of what it moved and where, plus its settings and rules. Your files are never copied into one, which is why it uses almost no space. Storage Studio makes one automatically before each batch of moves, and Roll Back Last Batch uses it to return the most recently moved files safely, skipping anything it can't put back without overwriting.

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Restore points live on your external drive, so plug it in to see them. See Restore Points.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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