{"id":"freeing-space.what-is-put-the-link-back","url":"/faq/freeing-space/what-is-put-the-link-back","category":{"id":"freeing-space","title":"Freeing up space"},"subcategory":{"id":"free-up-space-wizard","title":"Free Up Space wizard and button"},"question":"What does \"Put the link back\" mean on a half-finished move?","alt_questions":["A move only half finished","Fix a broken move Storage Studio","Put the link back button","The move stopped partway"],"short_answer":"It completes a move that left some files behind, in one click. Nothing was lost meanwhile. If macOS won't allow a link in that spot, Storage Studio says so rather than retrying.","answer_markdown":"It finishes a move that got most of the way but left some files behind. Nothing was lost in the meantime — the files that moved are on your fast drive and the rest are still on your Mac. One click on **Put the link back** completes the rest.\n\nIf a repair genuinely isn't possible — for example because macOS won't allow a link in that particular spot — Storage Studio tells you so instead of retrying pointlessly. In that case the files stay where they are and you can decide whether to move them back with **Move back**.\n\nSee [what happens if a move fails partway](/faq/moving-folders/what-happens-if-a-move-fails-partway).","answer_html":"

It finishes a move that got most of the way but left some files behind. Nothing was lost in the meantime — the files that moved are on your fast drive and the rest are still on your Mac. One click on Put the link back completes the rest.

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If a repair genuinely isn't possible — for example because macOS won't allow a link in that particular spot — Storage Studio tells you so instead of retrying pointlessly. In that case the files stay where they are and you can decide whether to move them back with Move back.

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See what happens if a move fails partway.

","answer_text":"It finishes a move that got most of the way but left some files behind. Nothing was lost in the meantime — the files that moved are on your fast drive and the rest are still on your Mac. One click on Put the link back completes the rest.\n\nIf a repair genuinely isn't possible — for example because macOS won't allow a link in that particular spot — Storage Studio tells you so instead of retrying pointlessly. In that case the files stay where they are and you can decide whether to move them back with Move back.\n\nSee what happens if a move fails partway.","tags":["moving","repair","links"],"related":[{"id":"freeing-space.why-was-less-freed-than-expected","question":"Why did a clean-up free less space than Storage Studio predicted?","url":"/faq/freeing-space/why-was-less-freed-than-expected"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What does \"Put the link back\" mean on a half-finished move? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"It completes a move that left some files behind, in one click. Nothing was lost meanwhile. If macOS won't allow a link in that spot, Storage Studio says so rather than retrying.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Freeing up space","path":"/faq/freeing-space/"},{"name":"What does \"Put the link back\" mean on a half-finished move?","path":"/faq/freeing-space/what-is-put-the-link-back"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/freeing-space/what-is-put-the-link-back","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does \"Put the link back\" mean on a half-finished move?","alternateName":["A move only half finished","Fix a broken move Storage Studio","Put the link back button","The move stopped partway"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It finishes a move that got most of the way but left some files behind. Nothing was lost in the meantime — the files that moved are on your fast drive and the rest are still on your Mac. One click on Put the link back completes the rest.\n\nIf a repair genuinely isn't possible — for example because macOS won't allow a link in that particular spot — Storage Studio tells you so instead of retrying pointlessly. In that case the files stay where they are and you can decide whether to move them back with Move back.\n\nSee what happens if a move fails partway.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/freeing-space/what-is-put-the-link-back"}}]},"fragment":"
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Freeing up space · Free Up Space wizard and button

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What does "Put the link back" mean on a half-finished move?

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Short answer: It completes a move that left some files behind, in one click. Nothing was lost meanwhile. If macOS won't allow a link in that spot, Storage Studio says so rather than retrying.

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It finishes a move that got most of the way but left some files behind. Nothing was lost in the meantime — the files that moved are on your fast drive and the rest are still on your Mac. One click on Put the link back completes the rest.

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If a repair genuinely isn't possible — for example because macOS won't allow a link in that particular spot — Storage Studio tells you so instead of retrying pointlessly. In that case the files stay where they are and you can decide whether to move them back with Move back.

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See what happens if a move fails partway.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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