{"id":"external-drives.how-do-i-make-a-backup-of-my-fast-drive","url":"/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-make-a-backup-of-my-fast-drive","category":{"id":"external-drives","title":"External drives"},"subcategory":{"id":"upgrading-and-copying","title":"Upgrading, transferring and backing up the drive"},"question":"How do I back up my fast drive to another drive?","alt_questions":["Clone fast drive Storage Studio","Spare copy of external SSD","Copy my moved files to a second drive","back up external drive storage studio","Make a safety copy of the fast drive"],"short_answer":"Open More → Drive → Backup Drive…, pick a second APFS or Mac OS Extended drive with enough room, and start. It copies and verifies everything while your current drive stays active, then offers Reveal Backup in Finder.","answer_markdown":"Use **Backup Drive…** in the popover's **More → Drive** section.\n\n1. Plug in a second external drive (APFS or Mac OS Extended, with room for everything on your fast drive).\n2. Open **Backup Drive…** and pick it — Storage Studio checks it and runs a quick speed test.\n3. Start the copy. You can close the window or quit the app; it keeps going and resumes if a drive is briefly unplugged or the Mac sleeps.\n4. When it finishes, click **Reveal Backup in Finder**.\n\nIt's a point-in-time copy, so run it again when you want a fresh one. For ongoing versioned backups of particular folders, see [Data Backup](/faq/backups/).","answer_html":"

Use Backup Drive… in the popover's More → Drive section.

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  1. Plug in a second external drive (APFS or Mac OS Extended, with room for everything on your fast drive).
  2. Open Backup Drive… and pick it — Storage Studio checks it and runs a quick speed test.
  3. Start the copy. You can close the window or quit the app; it keeps going and resumes if a drive is briefly unplugged or the Mac sleeps.
  4. When it finishes, click Reveal Backup in Finder.
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It's a point-in-time copy, so run it again when you want a fresh one. For ongoing versioned backups of particular folders, see Data Backup.

","answer_text":"Use Backup Drive… in the popover's More → Drive section.\n\n1. Plug in a second external drive (APFS or Mac OS Extended, with room for everything on your fast drive).\n2. Open Backup Drive… and pick it — Storage Studio checks it and runs a quick speed test.\n3. Start the copy. You can close the window or quit the app; it keeps going and resumes if a drive is briefly unplugged or the Mac sleeps.\n4. When it finishes, click Reveal Backup in Finder.\n\nIt's a point-in-time copy, so run it again when you want a fresh one. For ongoing versioned backups of particular folders, see Data Backup.","tags":["backup drive","clone","backup"],"related":[{"id":"external-drives.should-i-run-backup-drive-regularly","question":"How often should I run Backup Drive?","url":"/faq/external-drives/should-i-run-backup-drive-regularly"},{"id":"external-drives.transfer-drive-vs-backup-drive","question":"What's the difference between Transfer Drive and Backup Drive?","url":"/faq/external-drives/transfer-drive-vs-backup-drive"},{"id":"external-drives.my-fast-drive-was-lost-or-broken","question":"My fast drive was lost or broke — can I get my moved files back?","url":"/faq/external-drives/my-fast-drive-was-lost-or-broken"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How do I back up my fast drive to another drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Open More → Drive → Backup Drive…, pick a second APFS or Mac OS Extended drive with enough room, and start. It copies and verifies everything while your current drive stays active, then offers Reveal Backup in Finder.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"External drives","path":"/faq/external-drives/"},{"name":"How do I back up my fast drive to another drive?","path":"/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-make-a-backup-of-my-fast-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-make-a-backup-of-my-fast-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I back up my fast drive to another drive?","alternateName":["Clone fast drive Storage Studio","Spare copy of external SSD","Copy my moved files to a second drive","back up external drive storage studio","Make a safety copy of the fast drive"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Use Backup Drive… in the popover's More → Drive section.\n\n1. Plug in a second external drive (APFS or Mac OS Extended, with room for everything on your fast drive).\n2. Open Backup Drive… and pick it — Storage Studio checks it and runs a quick speed test.\n3. Start the copy. You can close the window or quit the app; it keeps going and resumes if a drive is briefly unplugged or the Mac sleeps.\n4. When it finishes, click Reveal Backup in Finder.\n\nIt's a point-in-time copy, so run it again when you want a fresh one. For ongoing versioned backups of particular folders, see Data Backup.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-make-a-backup-of-my-fast-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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External drives · Upgrading, transferring and backing up the drive

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How do I back up my fast drive to another drive?

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Short answer: Open More → Drive → Backup Drive…, pick a second APFS or Mac OS Extended drive with enough room, and start. It copies and verifies everything while your current drive stays active, then offers Reveal Backup in Finder.

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Use Backup Drive… in the popover's More → Drive section.

\n
  1. Plug in a second external drive (APFS or Mac OS Extended, with room for everything on your fast drive).
  2. Open Backup Drive… and pick it — Storage Studio checks it and runs a quick speed test.
  3. Start the copy. You can close the window or quit the app; it keeps going and resumes if a drive is briefly unplugged or the Mac sleeps.
  4. When it finishes, click Reveal Backup in Finder.
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It's a point-in-time copy, so run it again when you want a fresh one. For ongoing versioned backups of particular folders, see Data Backup.

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Last reviewed

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