---
id: external-drives.does-storage-studio-work-with-an-encrypted-external-drive
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/does-storage-studio-work-with-an-encrypted-external-drive
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "Drive formats"
question: "Does Storage Studio work with an encrypted external drive?"
alt_questions:
  - "Can I use an encrypted APFS drive as the fast drive?"
  - "Password-protected external SSD with Storage Studio"
  - "Does Storage Studio support APFS encrypted volumes?"
  - "Why does my encrypted drive show as disconnected?"
  - "encrypt fast drive storage studio"
  - "Can I encrypt my fast drive?"
short_answer: "Yes. An encrypted APFS drive works normally once it's unlocked. Until it's unlocked and mounted, Storage Studio treats it as disconnected and resumes when it appears."
tags: ["encryption", "apfs", "security"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/does-filevault-encrypt-my-external-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/what-format-should-my-external-drive-be", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/should-my-fast-drive-be-case-sensitive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Does Storage Studio work with an encrypted external drive?

Yes. An encrypted APFS drive behaves like any other Mac-formatted drive once it's unlocked. Until you enter its password and it mounts, Storage Studio treats it as not connected — moved apps and folders aren't reachable and moves wait — and it picks things up again once the drive appears.

To encrypt a new drive, choose **APFS (Encrypted)** when erasing it in Disk Utility, or right-click the drive in Finder and choose **Encrypt**. If you want it to unlock automatically, tick the option to remember the password in your keychain when macOS asks.