---
id: external-drives.can-i-use-a-network-drive-or-nas
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-network-drive-or-nas
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "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."
tags: ["nas", "network drive", "not suitable"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-partition-of-my-internal-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/what-kind-of-external-drive-should-i-use-with-storage-studio", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-a-spinning-hard-drive-as-my-fast-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

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

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.

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](https://storagestudio.us/faq/data-transfers/).