{"id":"finder-location.why-is-the-home-folder-read-only-in-finder","url":"/faq/finder-location/why-is-the-home-folder-read-only-in-finder","category":{"id":"finder-location","title":"Finding things in Finder"},"subcategory":{"id":"cloud-drive-in-finder","title":"Storage Studio in Finder's sidebar"},"question":"Why can't I change or delete anything in the Home folder inside the Storage Studio location?","alt_questions":["Home folder is read-only in Finder","Can't delete files in Storage Studio Home folder","What is the Home folder in Storage Studio's Finder location?","permission denied home folder cloud drive","Why is Home locked in the Storage Studio drive?","Why is the Home folder read-only in the Storage Studio location in Finder?","I can't delete files in the Storage Studio Finder location","Storage Studio Home folder read only","Why can't I change files in Home on the drive?","How do I manage relocated apps from Finder?"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"That's deliberate. The **Home** folder is your external drive's working folder, which holds your relocated apps and folders and Storage Studio's own settings. Changing or deleting files there by hand could break a relocated app or leave a shortcut pointing at nothing, so it's shown read-only — you can browse it, but you can't damage it by accident.\n\nManage those items from the app instead:\n\n- **Move back** in What's Using Space → **Relocated (N)**, or the Apps window's **Moved** tab.\n- **Restore** or **Remove** in the Apps window's **Offloaded** tab.\n\nYour cloud account folders next to it are fully editable.","answer_html":"

That's deliberate. The Home folder is your external drive's working folder, which holds your relocated apps and folders and Storage Studio's own settings. Changing or deleting files there by hand could break a relocated app or leave a shortcut pointing at nothing, so it's shown read-only — you can browse it, but you can't damage it by accident.

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Manage those items from the app instead:

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Your cloud account folders next to it are fully editable.

","answer_text":"That's deliberate. The Home folder is your external drive's working folder, which holds your relocated apps and folders and Storage Studio's own settings. Changing or deleting files there by hand could break a relocated app or leave a shortcut pointing at nothing, so it's shown read-only — you can browse it, but you can't damage it by accident.\n\nManage those items from the app instead:\n\n- Move back in What's Using Space → Relocated (N), or the Apps window's Moved tab.\n- Restore or Remove in the Apps window's Offloaded tab.\n\nYour cloud account folders next to it are fully editable.","tags":["home folder","read-only","cloud drive","finder","safety"],"related":[{"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"},{"id":"finder-location.what-is-the-storage-studio-location-in-finder","question":"What is the \"Storage Studio\" entry in Finder's sidebar?","url":"/faq/finder-location/what-is-the-storage-studio-location-in-finder"},{"id":"finder-location.can-i-edit-files-in-the-storage-studio-location","question":"Can I edit and rename files in my cloud accounts directly from Finder?","url":"/faq/finder-location/can-i-edit-files-in-the-storage-studio-location"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Why can't I change or delete anything in the Home folder inside the Storage Studio location? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Finding things in Finder","path":"/faq/finder-location/"},{"name":"Why can't I change or delete anything in the Home folder inside the Storage Studio location?","path":"/faq/finder-location/why-is-the-home-folder-read-only-in-finder"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/why-is-the-home-folder-read-only-in-finder","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why can't I change or delete anything in the Home folder inside the Storage Studio location?","alternateName":["Home folder is read-only in Finder","Can't delete files in Storage Studio Home folder","What is the Home folder in Storage Studio's Finder location?","permission denied home folder cloud drive","Why is Home locked in the Storage Studio drive?","Why is the Home folder read-only in the Storage Studio location in Finder?","I can't delete files in the Storage Studio Finder location","Storage Studio Home folder read only","Why can't I change files in Home on the drive?","How do I manage relocated apps from Finder?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"That's deliberate. The Home folder is your external drive's working folder, which holds your relocated apps and folders and Storage Studio's own settings. Changing or deleting files there by hand could break a relocated app or leave a shortcut pointing at nothing, so it's shown read-only — you can browse it, but you can't damage it by accident.\n\nManage those items from the app instead:\n\n- Move back in What's Using Space → Relocated (N), or the Apps window's Moved tab.\n- Restore or Remove in the Apps window's Offloaded tab.\n\nYour cloud account folders next to it are fully editable.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/finder-location/why-is-the-home-folder-read-only-in-finder"}}]},"fragment":"
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Finding things in Finder · Storage Studio in Finder's sidebar

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Why can't I change or delete anything in the Home folder inside the Storage Studio location?

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Short answer: 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.

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That's deliberate. The Home folder is your external drive's working folder, which holds your relocated apps and folders and Storage Studio's own settings. Changing or deleting files there by hand could break a relocated app or leave a shortcut pointing at nothing, so it's shown read-only — you can browse it, but you can't damage it by accident.

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Manage those items from the app instead:

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  • Move back in What's Using Space → Relocated (N), or the Apps window's Moved tab.
  • Restore or Remove in the Apps window's Offloaded tab.
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Your cloud account folders next to it are fully editable.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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