{"id":"external-drives.how-do-i-read-the-drive-list-in-choose-drive","url":"/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-read-the-drive-list-in-choose-drive","category":{"id":"external-drives","title":"External drives"},"subcategory":{"id":"setting-up","title":"Setting up your drive"},"question":"What do the icons and the CURRENT label mean in the Choose Drive list?","alt_questions":["Choose Drive window explained","Bolt icon next to drive","CURRENT pill Storage Studio","drive list icons storage studio","What's shown for each drive in Choose Drive?","Which drive is Storage Studio using now?"],"short_answer":"The icon shows the connection — a bolt for Thunderbolt, an external drive for USB, an internal drive for your built-in disk — then name, format, connection and size. The blue CURRENT label marks the drive in use.","answer_markdown":"Each row in the left pane shows an icon for how the drive is connected — a **bolt** for Thunderbolt, a plain external drive for USB, and an internal drive icon for your Mac's built-in disk — followed by its name, format, connection type and total size. The drive Storage Studio is currently using carries a blue **CURRENT** label.\n\nClick any row to see its details, compatibility verdict and speed test on the right. Values there are selectable, so you can copy them into a support message.","answer_html":"

Each row in the left pane shows an icon for how the drive is connected — a bolt for Thunderbolt, a plain external drive for USB, and an internal drive icon for your Mac's built-in disk — followed by its name, format, connection type and total size. The drive Storage Studio is currently using carries a blue CURRENT label.

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Click any row to see its details, compatibility verdict and speed test on the right. Values there are selectable, so you can copy them into a support message.

","answer_text":"Each row in the left pane shows an icon for how the drive is connected — a bolt for Thunderbolt, a plain external drive for USB, and an internal drive icon for your Mac's built-in disk — followed by its name, format, connection type and total size. The drive Storage Studio is currently using carries a blue CURRENT label.\n\nClick any row to see its details, compatibility verdict and speed test on the right. Values there are selectable, so you can copy them into a support message.","tags":["choose drive","icons","drive list"],"related":[{"id":"external-drives.how-do-i-set-up-my-external-drive","question":"How do I set up my external drive in Storage Studio?","url":"/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-set-up-my-external-drive"},{"id":"external-drives.what-do-looks-good-warnings-and-not-suitable-mean","question":"What do \"looks good\", \"usable with warnings\" and \"not suitable\" mean in Choose Drive?","url":"/faq/external-drives/what-do-looks-good-warnings-and-not-suitable-mean"},{"id":"external-drives.how-does-the-drive-speed-test-work","question":"How does the drive speed test in Storage Studio work?","url":"/faq/external-drives/how-does-the-drive-speed-test-work"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What do the icons and the CURRENT label mean in the Choose Drive list? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"The icon shows the connection — a bolt for Thunderbolt, an external drive for USB, an internal drive for your built-in disk — then name, format, connection and size. The blue CURRENT label marks the drive in use.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"External drives","path":"/faq/external-drives/"},{"name":"What do the icons and the CURRENT label mean in the Choose Drive list?","path":"/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-read-the-drive-list-in-choose-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-read-the-drive-list-in-choose-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What do the icons and the CURRENT label mean in the Choose Drive list?","alternateName":["Choose Drive window explained","Bolt icon next to drive","CURRENT pill Storage Studio","drive list icons storage studio","What's shown for each drive in Choose Drive?","Which drive is Storage Studio using now?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Each row in the left pane shows an icon for how the drive is connected — a bolt for Thunderbolt, a plain external drive for USB, and an internal drive icon for your Mac's built-in disk — followed by its name, format, connection type and total size. The drive Storage Studio is currently using carries a blue CURRENT label.\n\nClick any row to see its details, compatibility verdict and speed test on the right. Values there are selectable, so you can copy them into a support message.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-read-the-drive-list-in-choose-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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External drives · Setting up your drive

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What do the icons and the CURRENT label mean in the Choose Drive list?

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Short answer: The icon shows the connection — a bolt for Thunderbolt, an external drive for USB, an internal drive for your built-in disk — then name, format, connection and size. The blue CURRENT label marks the drive in use.

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Each row in the left pane shows an icon for how the drive is connected — a bolt for Thunderbolt, a plain external drive for USB, and an internal drive icon for your Mac's built-in disk — followed by its name, format, connection type and total size. The drive Storage Studio is currently using carries a blue CURRENT label.

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Click any row to see its details, compatibility verdict and speed test on the right. Values there are selectable, so you can copy them into a support message.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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