Comparisons & alternatives · macOS's own storage tools
Is the Storage Studio location in Finder like using Finder's Connect to Server?
Short answer: Connect to Server mounts a file server's share as a volume. Storage Studio adds a Finder Location with your connected cloud accounts as folders, files online-only until opened, read and write, present while the app runs.
They look similar in Finder but work differently. Connect to Server mounts a share from a file server — usually on your network — as a volume you eject when you're done.
Storage Studio adds a Storage Studio entry to Finder's Locations sidebar, next to iCloud Drive and other cloud drives, with each connected account (and your external drive's working folder) as a folder inside. It isn't a mounted network volume:
- files show as online-only until you open them, then download on demand;
- you can open, edit, rename, move and delete cloud files right in Finder, and changes sync to the account;
- your external drive's working folder appears read-only there, so relocated apps can't be broken by accident;
- it appears while Storage Studio is running and disappears when you quit it.
You can choose which accounts appear in the Mounting tab. See Finding things in Finder.