{"id":"finder-location.can-i-open-files-on-the-drive-from-another-mac","url":"/faq/finder-location/can-i-open-files-on-the-drive-from-another-mac","category":{"id":"finder-location","title":"Finding things in Finder"},"subcategory":{"id":"drive-layout","title":"What's on your external drive"},"question":"If I plug my external drive into another Mac, can I open my moved files there?","alt_questions":["Use the Storage Studio drive on a different Mac","Access relocated files from my other Mac","Plug fast drive into work Mac","Are moved files readable without Storage Studio?","Open the drive on a friend's Mac"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"You can browse the drive in Finder and open copies of your ordinary files from your Mac's folder on it — they're normal files. But the shortcuts that make everything appear in the usual places exist only on your own Mac, so on another Mac you'll find things by browsing the drive.\n\nKeep it read-only there: don't rename, move or delete anything inside Storage Studio's folder, or the shortcuts on your Mac can break. Copy a file out if you want to work on it elsewhere.\n\nIf both Macs use Storage Studio, each keeps its own folder named after that Mac, so they can share the drive without mixing files.","answer_html":"

You can browse the drive in Finder and open copies of your ordinary files from your Mac's folder on it — they're normal files. But the shortcuts that make everything appear in the usual places exist only on your own Mac, so on another Mac you'll find things by browsing the drive.

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Keep it read-only there: don't rename, move or delete anything inside Storage Studio's folder, or the shortcuts on your Mac can break. Copy a file out if you want to work on it elsewhere.

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If both Macs use Storage Studio, each keeps its own folder named after that Mac, so they can share the drive without mixing files.

","answer_text":"You can browse the drive in Finder and open copies of your ordinary files from your Mac's folder on it — they're normal files. But the shortcuts that make everything appear in the usual places exist only on your own Mac, so on another Mac you'll find things by browsing the drive.\n\nKeep it read-only there: don't rename, move or delete anything inside Storage Studio's folder, or the shortcuts on your Mac can break. Copy a file out if you want to work on it elsewhere.\n\nIf both Macs use Storage Studio, each keeps its own folder named after that Mac, so they can share the drive without mixing files.","tags":["external drive","another mac","shortcut"],"related":[{"id":"moving-folders.can-several-macs-share-one-drive-for-moved-folders","question":"Can several Macs move folders to the same external drive?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/can-several-macs-share-one-drive-for-moved-folders"},{"id":"finder-location.can-i-rename-or-reorganise-files-on-the-drive-directly","question":"Can I rename, move or delete things inside Storage Studio's folder on the drive?","url":"/faq/finder-location/can-i-rename-or-reorganise-files-on-the-drive-directly"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"If I plug my external drive into another Mac, can I open my moved files there? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Finding things in Finder","path":"/faq/finder-location/"},{"name":"If I plug my external drive into another Mac, can I open my moved files there?","path":"/faq/finder-location/can-i-open-files-on-the-drive-from-another-mac"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/can-i-open-files-on-the-drive-from-another-mac","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"If I plug my external drive into another Mac, can I open my moved files there?","alternateName":["Use the Storage Studio drive on a different Mac","Access relocated files from my other Mac","Plug fast drive into work Mac","Are moved files readable without Storage Studio?","Open the drive on a friend's Mac"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"You can browse the drive in Finder and open copies of your ordinary files from your Mac's folder on it — they're normal files. But the shortcuts that make everything appear in the usual places exist only on your own Mac, so on another Mac you'll find things by browsing the drive.\n\nKeep it read-only there: don't rename, move or delete anything inside Storage Studio's folder, or the shortcuts on your Mac can break. Copy a file out if you want to work on it elsewhere.\n\nIf both Macs use Storage Studio, each keeps its own folder named after that Mac, so they can share the drive without mixing files.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/can-i-open-files-on-the-drive-from-another-mac"}}]},"fragment":"
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Finding things in Finder · What's on your external drive

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If I plug my external drive into another Mac, can I open my moved files there?

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Short answer: 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.

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You can browse the drive in Finder and open copies of your ordinary files from your Mac's folder on it — they're normal files. But the shortcuts that make everything appear in the usual places exist only on your own Mac, so on another Mac you'll find things by browsing the drive.

\n

Keep it read-only there: don't rename, move or delete anything inside Storage Studio's folder, or the shortcuts on your Mac can break. Copy a file out if you want to work on it elsewhere.

\n

If both Macs use Storage Studio, each keeps its own folder named after that Mac, so they can share the drive without mixing files.

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Last reviewed

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