---
id: comparisons.restore-points-vs-macos-local-snapshots
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/restore-points-vs-macos-local-snapshots
category: "Comparisons & alternatives"
subcategory: "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."
tags: ["restore points", "snapshots", "undo"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/local-snapshots-manager-vs-tmutil"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

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

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.

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.

Restore points live on your external drive, so plug it in to see them. See [Restore Points](https://storagestudio.us/manual/restore-points).