{"id":"external-drives.why-does-my-drive-have-a-different-name-in-disk-utility","url":"/faq/external-drives/why-does-my-drive-have-a-different-name-in-disk-utility","category":{"id":"external-drives","title":"External drives"},"subcategory":{"id":"formats","title":"Drive formats"},"question":"Why does my drive have one name in Finder and another in Disk Utility?","alt_questions":["Disk Utility shows model name instead of drive name","Drive name different in Disk Utility","Volume name vs device name Mac","which name is my drive"],"short_answer":"Disk Utility lists both the physical device (named after its model) and the volume on it (the name you see in Finder). You can rename the volume, but not the device. Avoid renaming your Storage Studio drive's volume after moving things to it.","answer_markdown":"Disk Utility shows two things: the **device** (the physical drive, named after its model, like a brand and capacity) and the **volume** on it (the name you see in Finder). With **View → Show All Devices** turned on, the device sits at the top with its container and volumes underneath.\n\nRename the volume in Finder or Disk Utility as you like; the device name comes from the hardware and can't be changed. For a drive Storage Studio uses, avoid renaming the volume after moving things to it — see [why not to rename the fast drive](/faq/external-drives/do-not-rename-the-fast-drive).","answer_html":"

Disk Utility shows two things: the device (the physical drive, named after its model, like a brand and capacity) and the volume on it (the name you see in Finder). With View → Show All Devices turned on, the device sits at the top with its container and volumes underneath.

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Rename the volume in Finder or Disk Utility as you like; the device name comes from the hardware and can't be changed. For a drive Storage Studio uses, avoid renaming the volume after moving things to it — see why not to rename the fast drive.

","answer_text":"Disk Utility shows two things: the device (the physical drive, named after its model, like a brand and capacity) and the volume on it (the name you see in Finder). With View → Show All Devices turned on, the device sits at the top with its container and volumes underneath.\n\nRename the volume in Finder or Disk Utility as you like; the device name comes from the hardware and can't be changed. For a drive Storage Studio uses, avoid renaming the volume after moving things to it — see why not to rename the fast drive.","tags":["disk utility","volume name","device"],"related":[{"id":"external-drives.do-not-rename-the-fast-drive","question":"Can I rename my fast drive after moving things to it?","url":"/faq/external-drives/do-not-rename-the-fast-drive"},{"id":"external-drives.disk-utility-only-shows-volumes","question":"Why does Disk Utility only show volumes and not the whole drive?","url":"/faq/external-drives/disk-utility-only-shows-volumes"},{"id":"external-drives.why-does-one-drive-show-two-icons","question":"Why does one external drive show up as two drives on my Mac?","url":"/faq/external-drives/why-does-one-drive-show-two-icons"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Why does my drive have one name in Finder and another in Disk Utility? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Disk Utility lists both the physical device (named after its model) and the volume on it (the name you see in Finder). You can rename the volume, but not the device. Avoid renaming your Storage Studio drive's volume after moving things to it.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"External drives","path":"/faq/external-drives/"},{"name":"Why does my drive have one name in Finder and another in Disk Utility?","path":"/faq/external-drives/why-does-my-drive-have-a-different-name-in-disk-utility"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/why-does-my-drive-have-a-different-name-in-disk-utility","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why does my drive have one name in Finder and another in Disk Utility?","alternateName":["Disk Utility shows model name instead of drive name","Drive name different in Disk Utility","Volume name vs device name Mac","which name is my drive"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Disk Utility shows two things: the device (the physical drive, named after its model, like a brand and capacity) and the volume on it (the name you see in Finder). With View → Show All Devices turned on, the device sits at the top with its container and volumes underneath.\n\nRename the volume in Finder or Disk Utility as you like; the device name comes from the hardware and can't be changed. For a drive Storage Studio uses, avoid renaming the volume after moving things to it — see why not to rename the fast drive.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/why-does-my-drive-have-a-different-name-in-disk-utility"}}]},"fragment":"
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External drives · Drive formats

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Why does my drive have one name in Finder and another in Disk Utility?

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Short answer: Disk Utility lists both the physical device (named after its model) and the volume on it (the name you see in Finder). You can rename the volume, but not the device. Avoid renaming your Storage Studio drive's volume after moving things to it.

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Disk Utility shows two things: the device (the physical drive, named after its model, like a brand and capacity) and the volume on it (the name you see in Finder). With View → Show All Devices turned on, the device sits at the top with its container and volumes underneath.

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Rename the volume in Finder or Disk Utility as you like; the device name comes from the hardware and can't be changed. For a drive Storage Studio uses, avoid renaming the volume after moving things to it — see why not to rename the fast drive.

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Last reviewed

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