---
id: external-drives.what-is-ignore-ownership-on-this-volume
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/what-is-ignore-ownership-on-this-volume
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "Drive formats"
question: "What is \"Ignore ownership on this volume\" on my external drive, and does it matter?"
alt_questions:
  - "Ignore ownership external drive Mac"
  - "Should I untick ignore ownership?"
  - "File permissions change after moving to external drive"
  - "Get Info ignore ownership checkbox"
  - "fast drive file ownership"
  - "Does Storage Studio change ownership settings?"
short_answer: "A macOS Get Info setting: when ticked (the usual default) files on the drive belong to whoever uses the Mac, so the drive doesn't remember owners. It rarely matters; Storage Studio checks it where relevant and only changes it if you ask."
tags: ["ownership", "permissions", "get info"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/why-is-my-external-drive-read-only", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/does-storage-studio-work-with-an-encrypted-external-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/what-format-should-my-external-drive-be"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What is "Ignore ownership on this volume" on my external drive, and does it matter?

It's a macOS setting, found at the bottom of **Get Info** for an external drive. When it's ticked — the usual default for external drives — macOS treats every file on the drive as belonging to whoever is using the Mac, which is convenient for moving a drive between computers but means the drive doesn't remember each file's owner.

For most people it doesn't matter. Where it could affect something Storage Studio does, it checks how your drive handles ownership first and tells you; it won't change the setting unless you ask it to. You can change it yourself by unlocking Get Info and unticking the box.