---
id: finder-location.why-are-files-in-the-storage-studio-location-online-only
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/why-are-files-in-the-storage-studio-location-online-only
category: "Finding things in Finder"
subcategory: "Storage Studio in Finder's sidebar"
question: "Why do files in the Storage Studio location show as online-only, and do they use space on my Mac?"
alt_questions:
  - "Cloud icon next to files in Storage Studio drive"
  - "Do files in the cloud drive take up disk space?"
  - "Why does a file take a moment to open from the Storage Studio location?"
  - "download on demand storage studio finder"
  - "Files not downloaded in Storage Studio Location"
short_answer: "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."
tags: ["online-only", "cloud drive", "download"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/what-is-the-storage-studio-location-in-finder", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/can-i-edit-files-in-the-storage-studio-location", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/copy-files-into-a-cloud-account-from-finder"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Why do files in the Storage Studio location show as online-only, and do they use space on my Mac?

They stay in your cloud account until you open them, so a folder full of online-only files takes essentially no space on your Mac. When you open one, it downloads on demand — which is why the first open of a large file can take a moment, depending on your connection.

This works the same way as the online-only files you may know from iCloud Drive or Dropbox.

If you need files available without a connection, copy them to a folder on your Mac or your external drive.