{"id":"external-drives.can-i-use-a-network-drive-or-nas","url":"/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-network-drive-or-nas","category":{"id":"external-drives","title":"External drives"},"subcategory":{"id":"choosing-a-drive","title":"Choosing a drive"},"question":"Can I use a network drive or NAS as my fast drive?","alt_questions":["Does Storage Studio support a NAS?","Can I move apps to a network share?","Use SMB share as Storage Studio drive","Why is my NAS marked not suitable?","Can my Synology or file server be the fast drive?","network volume storage studio"],"short_answer":"No. Network shares and NAS volumes are marked not suitable, because moved apps and folders need a directly attached drive that's always there. To put files on a server or cloud account, use Data Transfers instead.","answer_markdown":"No. Network drives — anything mounted over the network, such as a NAS or a shared folder on another computer — are marked **not suitable** and can't be chosen. The shortcuts Storage Studio leaves behind need a drive that is directly attached and always answers instantly; a network share can drop out mid-task, and many don't keep Mac file details properly.\n\nIf you want files to live on a server or in the cloud, use **Data Transfers** instead, which is built for copying, moving and syncing to remote places. See [Data Transfers](/faq/data-transfers/).","answer_html":"

No. Network drives — anything mounted over the network, such as a NAS or a shared folder on another computer — are marked not suitable and can't be chosen. The shortcuts Storage Studio leaves behind need a drive that is directly attached and always answers instantly; a network share can drop out mid-task, and many don't keep Mac file details properly.

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If you want files to live on a server or in the cloud, use Data Transfers instead, which is built for copying, moving and syncing to remote places. See Data Transfers.

","answer_text":"No. Network drives — anything mounted over the network, such as a NAS or a shared folder on another computer — are marked not suitable and can't be chosen. The shortcuts Storage Studio leaves behind need a drive that is directly attached and always answers instantly; a network share can drop out mid-task, and many don't keep Mac file details properly.\n\nIf you want files to live on a server or in the cloud, use Data Transfers instead, which is built for copying, moving and syncing to remote places. See Data Transfers.","tags":["nas","network drive","not suitable"],"related":[{"id":"external-drives.can-i-use-a-partition-of-my-internal-drive","question":"Can I use a second partition or volume on my Mac's internal drive?","url":"/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-partition-of-my-internal-drive"},{"id":"external-drives.what-kind-of-external-drive-should-i-use-with-storage-studio","question":"What kind of external drive should I use with Storage Studio?","url":"/faq/external-drives/what-kind-of-external-drive-should-i-use-with-storage-studio"},{"id":"external-drives.can-i-use-a-spinning-hard-drive-as-my-fast-drive","question":"Can I use a spinning hard drive (HDD) instead of an SSD?","url":"/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-spinning-hard-drive-as-my-fast-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Can I use a network drive or NAS as my fast drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"No. Network shares and NAS volumes are marked not suitable, because moved apps and folders need a directly attached drive that's always there. To put files on a server or cloud account, use Data Transfers instead.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"External drives","path":"/faq/external-drives/"},{"name":"Can I use a network drive or NAS as my fast drive?","path":"/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-network-drive-or-nas"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-network-drive-or-nas","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I use a network drive or NAS as my fast drive?","alternateName":["Does Storage Studio support a NAS?","Can I move apps to a network share?","Use SMB share as Storage Studio drive","Why is my NAS marked not suitable?","Can my Synology or file server be the fast drive?","network volume storage studio"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. Network drives — anything mounted over the network, such as a NAS or a shared folder on another computer — are marked not suitable and can't be chosen. The shortcuts Storage Studio leaves behind need a drive that is directly attached and always answers instantly; a network share can drop out mid-task, and many don't keep Mac file details properly.\n\nIf you want files to live on a server or in the cloud, use Data Transfers instead, which is built for copying, moving and syncing to remote places. See Data Transfers.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-network-drive-or-nas"}}]},"fragment":"
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External drives · Choosing a drive

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Can I use a network drive or NAS as my fast drive?

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Short answer: No. Network shares and NAS volumes are marked not suitable, because moved apps and folders need a directly attached drive that's always there. To put files on a server or cloud account, use Data Transfers instead.

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No. Network drives — anything mounted over the network, such as a NAS or a shared folder on another computer — are marked not suitable and can't be chosen. The shortcuts Storage Studio leaves behind need a drive that is directly attached and always answers instantly; a network share can drop out mid-task, and many don't keep Mac file details properly.

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If you want files to live on a server or in the cloud, use Data Transfers instead, which is built for copying, moving and syncing to remote places. See Data Transfers.

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