{"id":"finder-location.do-shortcuts-follow-me-to-a-new-drive-after-transfer-drive","url":"/faq/finder-location/do-shortcuts-follow-me-to-a-new-drive-after-transfer-drive","category":{"id":"finder-location","title":"Finding things in Finder"},"subcategory":{"id":"drive-layout","title":"What's on your external drive"},"question":"After Transfer Drive, do my shortcuts in Finder point to the new drive?","alt_questions":["Will moved files open from the new SSD after transferring?","Transfer Drive re-point shortcuts","Switching external drives without breaking shortcuts","upgrade to a bigger external drive storage studio","Why did Transfer Drive ask for my password?"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"Yes. Once the copy on the new drive is verified and checked for completeness, **Transfer Drive** re-points every relocated shortcut at the new drive and makes it the active one. Your apps and folders open from the new drive with nothing for you to change in Finder.\n\nIt may ask once for your administrator password if some shortcuts are protected — for example relocated apps in your Applications folder. If you decline, or the final check fails, nothing is switched and your current drive stays active.\n\nYour old drive is never modified, so it remains a complete fallback until you decide to erase it. Don't use **Choose Drive** for this — it's only offered before a drive is set up, because switching that way would leave shortcuts pointing at nothing.","answer_html":"

Yes. Once the copy on the new drive is verified and checked for completeness, Transfer Drive re-points every relocated shortcut at the new drive and makes it the active one. Your apps and folders open from the new drive with nothing for you to change in Finder.

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It may ask once for your administrator password if some shortcuts are protected — for example relocated apps in your Applications folder. If you decline, or the final check fails, nothing is switched and your current drive stays active.

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Your old drive is never modified, so it remains a complete fallback until you decide to erase it. Don't use Choose Drive for this — it's only offered before a drive is set up, because switching that way would leave shortcuts pointing at nothing.

","answer_text":"Yes. Once the copy on the new drive is verified and checked for completeness, Transfer Drive re-points every relocated shortcut at the new drive and makes it the active one. Your apps and folders open from the new drive with nothing for you to change in Finder.\n\nIt may ask once for your administrator password if some shortcuts are protected — for example relocated apps in your Applications folder. If you decline, or the final check fails, nothing is switched and your current drive stays active.\n\nYour old drive is never modified, so it remains a complete fallback until you decide to erase it. Don't use Choose Drive for this — it's only offered before a drive is set up, because switching that way would leave shortcuts pointing at nothing.","tags":["transfer drive","shortcut","new drive"],"related":[{"id":"finder-location.where-is-the-backup-made-by-backup-drive","question":"Where do I find the copy that Backup Drive made?","url":"/faq/finder-location/where-is-the-backup-made-by-backup-drive"},{"id":"moving-folders.what-is-the-shortcut-left-behind-after-a-move","question":"What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves behind after a move?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/what-is-the-shortcut-left-behind-after-a-move"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"After Transfer Drive, do my shortcuts in Finder point to the new drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Finding things in Finder","path":"/faq/finder-location/"},{"name":"After Transfer Drive, do my shortcuts in Finder point to the new drive?","path":"/faq/finder-location/do-shortcuts-follow-me-to-a-new-drive-after-transfer-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/do-shortcuts-follow-me-to-a-new-drive-after-transfer-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"After Transfer Drive, do my shortcuts in Finder point to the new drive?","alternateName":["Will moved files open from the new SSD after transferring?","Transfer Drive re-point shortcuts","Switching external drives without breaking shortcuts","upgrade to a bigger external drive storage studio","Why did Transfer Drive ask for my password?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. Once the copy on the new drive is verified and checked for completeness, Transfer Drive re-points every relocated shortcut at the new drive and makes it the active one. Your apps and folders open from the new drive with nothing for you to change in Finder.\n\nIt may ask once for your administrator password if some shortcuts are protected — for example relocated apps in your Applications folder. If you decline, or the final check fails, nothing is switched and your current drive stays active.\n\nYour old drive is never modified, so it remains a complete fallback until you decide to erase it. Don't use Choose Drive for this — it's only offered before a drive is set up, because switching that way would leave shortcuts pointing at nothing.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/do-shortcuts-follow-me-to-a-new-drive-after-transfer-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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Finding things in Finder · What's on your external drive

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After Transfer Drive, do my shortcuts in Finder point to the new drive?

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Short answer: 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.

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Yes. Once the copy on the new drive is verified and checked for completeness, Transfer Drive re-points every relocated shortcut at the new drive and makes it the active one. Your apps and folders open from the new drive with nothing for you to change in Finder.

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It may ask once for your administrator password if some shortcuts are protected — for example relocated apps in your Applications folder. If you decline, or the final check fails, nothing is switched and your current drive stays active.

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Your old drive is never modified, so it remains a complete fallback until you decide to erase it. Don't use Choose Drive for this — it's only offered before a drive is set up, because switching that way would leave shortcuts pointing at nothing.

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