---
id: comparisons.storage-studio-location-vs-finder-connect-to-server
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/storage-studio-location-vs-finder-connect-to-server
category: "Comparisons & alternatives"
subcategory: "macOS's own storage tools"
question: "Is the Storage Studio location in Finder like using Finder's Connect to Server?"
alt_questions:
  - "connect to server vs storage studio finder"
  - "storage studio drive in finder sidebar network share"
  - "is storage studio cloud drive an smb share"
  - "finder locations storage studio vs mounted server"
  - "how does storage studio show cloud accounts in finder"
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."
tags: ["finder", "cloud drive", "network"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/cloud-mounting-apps-vs-storage-studio", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/storage-studio-vs-macos-storage-settings"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Is the Storage Studio location in Finder like using Finder's Connect to Server?

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](https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/).