---
id: external-drives.transfer-drive-vs-backup-drive
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/transfer-drive-vs-backup-drive
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "Upgrading, transferring and backing up the drive"
question: "What's the difference between Transfer Drive and Backup Drive?"
alt_questions:
  - "Transfer Drive or Backup Drive which one"
  - "Backup Drive vs Transfer Drive Storage Studio"
  - "Does Backup Drive switch drives?"
  - "transfer vs back up to another drive"
  - "Which should I use to upgrade my SSD?"
short_answer: "Both copy and verify everything onto another drive. Transfer Drive then switches over to the new drive (for upgrades); Backup Drive stops and keeps your current drive active (a spare copy). Your current drive is never changed."
tags: ["transfer drive", "backup drive", "comparison"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/transfer-drive-says-already-a-storage-studio-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-move-everything-to-a-new-external-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-make-a-backup-of-my-fast-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What's the difference between Transfer Drive and Backup Drive?

Both make a full, verified copy of everything on your fast drive — every moved app and folder plus Storage Studio's own records — onto another external drive. The difference is what happens next:

- **Transfer Drive** then **switches over**: shortcuts are re-pointed and the new drive becomes the active one. Use it to upgrade to a bigger or faster drive.
- **Backup Drive** then **stops**: your current drive stays active, and you get a point-in-time spare copy, with a **Reveal Backup in Finder** button at the end.

In both cases your current drive is never modified.