{"id":"finder-location.does-the-shortcut-take-up-space","url":"/faq/finder-location/does-the-shortcut-take-up-space","category":{"id":"finder-location","title":"Finding things in Finder"},"subcategory":{"id":"shortcuts","title":"The shortcut left behind"},"question":"Does the shortcut left on my Mac take up any space?","alt_questions":["How big is a Storage Studio shortcut?","Do relocated shortcuts use disk space?","space used by links after moving","Is the freed space real if a shortcut is left behind?"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"Practically none. A shortcut is a tiny record holding the location of the real item, so a multi-gigabyte folder leaves behind something measured in bytes. That's why moving gives you back almost the whole size of what you moved.\n\nTwo things can make the gain smaller than expected:\n\n- **Local snapshots.** If your Mac keeps recent backup snapshots, the old copy can stay held for a while after the move. Storage Studio's **What's Using Space** shows this as **Pinned** space.\n- **New files.** Anything saved into the original location after the move can stay on your built-in drive (see [where new files go](/faq/finder-location/where-do-new-files-go-in-a-relocated-folder)).\n\nSee [Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back](/manual/whats-using-space).","answer_html":"

Practically none. A shortcut is a tiny record holding the location of the real item, so a multi-gigabyte folder leaves behind something measured in bytes. That's why moving gives you back almost the whole size of what you moved.

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Two things can make the gain smaller than expected:

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See Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back.

","answer_text":"Practically none. A shortcut is a tiny record holding the location of the real item, so a multi-gigabyte folder leaves behind something measured in bytes. That's why moving gives you back almost the whole size of what you moved.\n\nTwo things can make the gain smaller than expected:\n\n- Local snapshots. If your Mac keeps recent backup snapshots, the old copy can stay held for a while after the move. Storage Studio's What's Using Space shows this as Pinned space.\n- New files. Anything saved into the original location after the move can stay on your built-in drive (see where new files go).\n\nSee Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back.","tags":["shortcut","free space","snapshots"],"related":[{"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"},{"id":"finder-location.where-do-new-files-go-in-a-relocated-folder","question":"If I save a new file into a folder that was moved, where does it go?","url":"/faq/finder-location/where-do-new-files-go-in-a-relocated-folder"},{"id":"finder-location.why-does-get-info-show-a-tiny-size-for-a-moved-folder","question":"Why does Finder's Get Info show only a few kilobytes for a folder I moved?","url":"/faq/finder-location/why-does-get-info-show-a-tiny-size-for-a-moved-folder"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Does the shortcut left on my Mac take up any space? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Finding things in Finder","path":"/faq/finder-location/"},{"name":"Does the shortcut left on my Mac take up any space?","path":"/faq/finder-location/does-the-shortcut-take-up-space"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/does-the-shortcut-take-up-space","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does the shortcut left on my Mac take up any space?","alternateName":["How big is a Storage Studio shortcut?","Do relocated shortcuts use disk space?","space used by links after moving","Is the freed space real if a shortcut is left behind?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Practically none. A shortcut is a tiny record holding the location of the real item, so a multi-gigabyte folder leaves behind something measured in bytes. That's why moving gives you back almost the whole size of what you moved.\n\nTwo things can make the gain smaller than expected:\n\n- Local snapshots. If your Mac keeps recent backup snapshots, the old copy can stay held for a while after the move. Storage Studio's What's Using Space shows this as Pinned space.\n- New files. Anything saved into the original location after the move can stay on your built-in drive (see where new files go).\n\nSee Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/does-the-shortcut-take-up-space"}}]},"fragment":"
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Finding things in Finder · The shortcut left behind

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Does the shortcut left on my Mac take up any space?

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Short answer: 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.

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Practically none. A shortcut is a tiny record holding the location of the real item, so a multi-gigabyte folder leaves behind something measured in bytes. That's why moving gives you back almost the whole size of what you moved.

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Two things can make the gain smaller than expected:

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  • Local snapshots. If your Mac keeps recent backup snapshots, the old copy can stay held for a while after the move. Storage Studio's What's Using Space shows this as Pinned space.
  • New files. Anything saved into the original location after the move can stay on your built-in drive (see where new files go).
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See Why deleting files doesn't always give the space back.

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Last reviewed

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