---
id: external-drives.how-do-i-read-the-drive-list-in-choose-drive
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-read-the-drive-list-in-choose-drive
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "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."
tags: ["choose drive", "icons", "drive list"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-set-up-my-external-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/what-do-looks-good-warnings-and-not-suitable-mean", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-does-the-drive-speed-test-work"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

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

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.

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.