---
id: external-drives.how-do-i-check-my-drive-is-set-up-correctly
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-check-my-drive-is-set-up-correctly
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "Checking your drive"
question: "How do I check my external drive is set up correctly?"
alt_questions:
  - "Verify fast drive Storage Studio"
  - "Is my drive healthy?"
  - "How do I validate the drive?"
  - "Inspect fast drive window"
  - "check external drive storage studio"
  - "How do I know Storage Studio is using the right drive?"
short_answer: "Open Inspect fast drive. A green Verified shield means it's connected and prepared; click Validate for an explicit re-check, which lists specific reasons if anything is wrong."
tags: ["inspect", "validate", "drive health"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/what-does-validate-check", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-check-an-external-drive-for-errors", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-see-free-space-on-my-fast-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How do I check my external drive is set up correctly?

Open **Inspect fast drive** from the popover's action buttons or footer. The top card shows a shield and a verdict:

- **Verified** (green) — connected and prepared.
- **Mounted, not set up** (orange) — connected but not prepared.
- **Not mounted** (red) — not connected.

Below it you'll see the drive's format, whether it's your prepared Storage Studio drive and when it was set up, and free and total space on both the fast drive and your built-in drive. Click **Validate** for an explicit re-check — you'll get a green **Valid**, or a red **Invalid** with the specific reasons.