Finding things in Finder

Moved items stay in their usual place but show a small curved arrow on their Finder icon. For a full list, open What's Using Space and click Relocated (N); moved apps are in the Apps window's Moved tab.

Select the shortcut in Finder and choose File → Show Original (⌘R) while the drive is connected. Or use Reveal in Finder on the row in the Relocated panel (folders) or the Apps window's Moved tab (apps).

Only the link is removed — your data stays on the external drive. Put the shortcut back from the Trash, or check the Relocated panel in What's Using Space, which flags the item and helps you resolve it.

Best not to. Storage Studio expects each shortcut where it left it, so a renamed or moved shortcut can show as needing attention. Move the item back first, reorganise it, then move it again if you want the space.

Finder is measuring the shortcuts left on your Mac, not the data on your external drive — which is why space was freed. Use Show Original and Get Info on the drive copy, or check the Relocated panel, to see the real size.

Those files were moved to your external drive by a rule and replaced with shortcuts — the arrow is Finder's shortcut badge. They still open while the drive is connected; adjust the rule in Settings → Rules or use Move back to keep them local.

Practically none — a shortcut is a tiny record of where the real item lives, so moving gives back almost the full size. Local backup snapshots can hold the old copy for a while, which What's Using Space shows as Pinned.

Not quite. A Finder alias is mostly understood by Finder, while Storage Studio leaves a system-level link that every app and tool follows automatically. In Finder both show a curved arrow and support Show Original.

Yes, while the drive is connected. The link at the original location is understood system-wide, so Terminal, scripts, editors and build tools find files at the same paths. With the drive unplugged those paths lead nowhere until it's back.

Some moves — Free Up Space and Data Parking's Relocate — keep the real folder on your Mac and turn only the files inside into shortcuts, so tools that walk your folders see the same layout while the data lives on the drive.

Usually either files were added after the move (turn on auto-sync so they follow), or a move finished most of the way — its row then offers Put the link back to finish the rest. Rules also leave recently opened files in place.

Open What's Using Space and click Relocated (N) to list every moved folder with Move back and Reveal in Finder. Moved apps are in the Apps window's Moved tab; Data Parking keeps its own moves log.

Use Move back: open What's Using Space, click Relocated (N), then Move back on the row. It copies the data home, removes the shortcut and leaves a normal folder. The drive must be connected and your Mac needs room.

No. The item on your Mac is just a shortcut; the folder on the drive is the only real copy. Don't delete the drive copy as a spare — use Move back to bring it home, or Backup Drive for a genuine second copy.

Some apps follow the shortcut and show where the file really lives — your external drive. It's the same file either way; keep opening it from its usual folder, or use Move back if you'd rather it lived on your Mac again.

Yes. Hidden files use real space and move with their folder, and they're counted in Storage Studio's sizes. Press Command-Shift-Period in Finder to show or hide them yourself.

Storage Studio measures the room a folder really takes on disk, including hidden files at every depth — what you'd get back by moving it. Finder's Get Info shows both size and on-disk figures, and a ≥ means part couldn't be read.

Yes, while the drive is connected — the shortcut sits exactly where the item was, so favourites, Open Recent and saved paths still lead to it. With the drive unplugged they appear but won't open until you reconnect it.

Yes. Open files from their usual place and save as normal — the shortcut sends your app to the real file on the external drive, so edits are saved there. The drive needs to be connected while you work.

It can stay on your built-in drive. To make new files follow a moved folder, turn on auto-sync for it in What's Using Space → Relocated (N); new files are then moved to the drive in the background with a shortcut left behind.

Yes. Choosing the file from its usual folder in an Open or Attach window gives the app the real file from your external drive, as long as it's connected. To copy the actual file elsewhere, use Show Original first.

You may copy just the shortcut. Use File → Show Original and copy the real item from the external drive, Move back to bring it home, or Backup Drive to copy everything Storage Studio manages onto another drive.

Yes. Moves copy and check first and only replace the original at the end, so your files stay put until the copy is complete. Leave the folder being moved alone until it finishes; you can hide the progress sheet meanwhile.

Yes, while the drive is connected — press the Space bar on the item in its usual folder and Finder previews the real file from the drive. If it can't, plug the drive in or click Remount fast drive.

They still appear with the shortcut arrow but won't open — Finder can't find the original because the data is on the unplugged drive. Nothing is lost: reconnect the drive and everything opens again.

Not from the drive copy — moved files exist only on the external drive. Move back anything you'll need before you go, take the drive with you, or keep a copy in a cloud account you can open from Finder.

The shortcut and the drive copy no longer match: the shortcut is gone, its data is missing (often the drive is unplugged), or the drive copy is empty. Reconnect the drive first, then check the row's warning in the Relocated panel.

Your external drive isn't connected, or Storage Studio can't confirm it's your prepared drive. Plug it in or click Remount fast drive; once Inspect fast drive reads Verified, Show in Finder works again.

Usually a Finder setting: in Finder → Settings, tick External disks on the Sidebar tab (and on the General tab for the Desktop). If it's still missing, check Disk Utility, try another cable, or click Remount fast drive.

Usually the drive is connected but not mounted or not yet recognised — click Remount fast drive and check Inspect fast drive reads Verified. If it still fails, the Relocated panel flags shortcuts whose data is missing.

Yes. A shortcut stays in the same Applications folder, so the app still appears (with a small arrow) and launches from Launchpad, Spotlight and the Dock. It lives on the external drive and won't open while that's unplugged.

Open the Apps window's Moved tab: each app shows its destination, and Reveal in Finder opens the app on the external drive. Or select its shortcut in Applications and choose File → Show Original.

They're archived with their data in Storage Studio's folder on your external drive and leave no shortcut, so they can't run until restored. Connect the drive and use Restore in the Apps window's Offloaded tab.

Yes. Storage Studio remembers whether an app came from Applications, your personal Applications folder, Setapp or Utilities, and Move back or Restore returns it to exactly that folder.

In the Apps window, each All Apps tile has a badge showing where it lives, and the Internal, Moved and Offloaded tabs split them out. In Finder, a moved app shows a shortcut arrow in Applications.

Yes, while the drive is connected and indexed. Spotlight finds the files on the external drive; if it doesn't, plug the drive in, make sure it isn't on Spotlight's privacy list in System Settings, and let indexing finish.

Not for moves — Spotlight and other macOS housekeeping are ignored when checking what's using a folder. Spotlight can briefly keep a file open on the drive and delay an eject; wait a moment and try Eject fast drive again.

Not today — Finder's Locked checkbox isn't carried over, so the moved file arrives unlocked. Re-lock it with File → Get Info → Locked, or keep folders full of locked files on your Mac.

Click the small folder icon (Reveal in Finder) on the row. It works on the main list, folders under Biggest on this disk, and the Relocated panel, where it shows the copy on your fast drive.

In the Duplicates window, click a copy's name to open it or its folder to show it in Finder, so you can compare copies first. Anything removed goes to the Recycle Vault and can be restored.

Right-click an item in either Data Parking pane and choose Reveal in Finder. It's only offered for items on your Mac or external drive; cloud items can be browsed through the Storage Studio location in Finder's sidebar.

In a folder named after your Mac inside that account, created the first time you use it in Data Parking. You can find it in Data Parking, the Storage Studio location in Finder's sidebar, or the provider's own app.

Yes. Junk Yard follows the shortcut to the file's new home, marks the card Moved, and Show in Finder, open and copy all use the live location — as long as the drive is connected.

macOS only lets a cloud service's own app free its downloads, so for Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive Storage Studio opens the file in Finder: right-click it and choose Remove Download. The file stays safe in the cloud.

Open Storage Profile and check What you actually work on: it lists files you've opened recently, grouped by type, each with its location and a reveal-in-Finder button. It's all measured on your Mac.

Look, but don't rearrange: your Mac's shortcuts point to exact spots in that folder, so changes there can break moved apps and folders. Use Move back, the Offloaded tab, the Recycle Vault or Transfer Drive instead.

Yes. Storage Studio only manages its own folder; the rest of the drive is yours. Free space is shared, and Transfer Drive and Backup Drive copy only Storage Studio's working folder, so back up your other files yourself.

On the second drive you picked — click Reveal Backup in Finder when Backup Drive finishes. It's a verified point-in-time copy of your working folder; your current drive stays active.

Yes. After verifying the copy, Transfer Drive re-points every shortcut to the new drive and makes it active — asking once for your admin password if some shortcuts are protected. Your old drive is left untouched.

In your Mac's own folder on the fast drive. When the panes are paired, moved items keep their place in the folder tree, with any missing folders created; right-click in the right pane and choose Reveal in Finder to see them.

You can browse the drive in Finder and open copies of your ordinary files, but the shortcuts only exist on your own Mac. Don't rename or delete anything in Storage Studio's folder there — copy files out instead.

It's Storage Studio's Cloud Drive: a Finder Location where each connected cloud account, your external drive's Home folder and Bridge-shared device folders appear as folders. Files download when opened, and edits sync back.

Open Cloud Accounts, go to the Mounting tab and use its switch. Turning it off only removes the Storage Studio location from Finder — your accounts, moved files and transfers are unaffected.

Yes. In Cloud Accounts → Mounting, each account and paired device has its own on/off switch. Hiding one only removes it from Finder; it still works in Data Transfers and Data Parking.

Files stay in the cloud until you open them, so online-only items take essentially no space on your Mac. Opening one downloads it on demand, so large files can take a moment the first time.

Yes. Cloud account folders in the Storage Studio location are read-and-write: open, edit, rename and move files in Finder and changes sync back. Only the Home folder is read-only, on purpose.

Yes. Dragging or copying files into an account's folder in the Storage Studio location uploads them to that account. For large jobs, Data Transfers adds per-job progress, copy/move/sync choices and Retry.

Yes — the folders are your accounts, not copies, so deleting there deletes from the account. Some services keep deleted files in their own trash and some don't; check the provider's website to recover.

On purpose: Home is your external drive's working folder, holding relocated apps, folders and settings. It's read-only so nothing breaks by accident; manage those items with Move back, Restore or Remove in the app.

Quitting Storage Studio really stops it, so its Finder location is removed and background activity ends. Reopen the app and it returns; turn on Launch Storage Studio at login to keep it there.

Make sure Storage Studio is running and has an account, device or drive to show. Then check Cloud Accounts → Mounting: the switch should be on and the status should say it's in Finder; otherwise use Remount / Repair or Open the Drive.

It means Finder's normal location couldn't start, so Storage Studio used a fallback network-style drive to keep files reachable. It isn't in the sidebar (that would need an admin password); use Open the Drive on the Mounting tab.

It rebuilds the Storage Studio location from your current accounts and devices — handy after a network drop or if folders look wrong. It's safe: if nothing has changed, it leaves the working drive alone.

Give it about a minute — the location re-checks folders regularly rather than getting instant notice of changes made elsewhere. If it still looks stale, reopen the folder or use Remount / Repair in Cloud Accounts → Mounting.

It's usually switched off in Cloud Accounts → Mounting, temporarily unreachable (skipped until it's back), or needs signing in again on the Accounts tab. Remount / Repair picks it up once it's reachable.

Inside the Storage Studio location in Finder's sidebar, in a folder named after the device, showing only the folders you chose to share. An offline device is skipped until it's reachable again.

It's a built-in Finder location like iCloud Drive, not a mounted disk, so there's nothing to eject and nothing extra to install. Turn it off in Cloud Accounts → Mounting, or quit the app to remove it.

Yes. The link between Finder and Storage Studio is encrypted and stays on your Mac, and files move directly between your Mac and your own cloud accounts — not through Storage Studio's servers.

Not to browse those accounts in Finder — the Storage Studio location shows every account connected in the app. Keep the providers' apps if you use their extras; the two are separate, and you can hide duplicates in the Mounting tab.

The Finder location is for using cloud accounts like folders — browse, open, edit, drop in files. Data Parking is for moving things off your Mac safely, with sizes, verified copies, shortcuts, progress and a moves log.