---
id: getting-started.what-happens-in-the-setup-wizard
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/getting-started/what-happens-in-the-setup-wizard
category: "Getting started"
subcategory: "The setup wizard"
question: "What does the Storage Studio setup wizard do?"
alt_questions:
  - "Storage Studio setup wizard steps"
  - "What is Storage Studio Setup?"
  - "How long does Storage Studio setup take?"
  - "Storage Studio first-time setup"
  - "What does the setup wizard change on my Mac?"
short_answer: "Four quick steps: a welcome, picking your external drive (or skipping), installing the small background service that starts at login, and a finish screen. It takes about a minute and everything can be changed later."
tags: ["setup wizard", "setup", "first launch"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/getting-started/what-does-setup-do-to-my-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/getting-started/how-do-i-re-run-the-setup-wizard"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What does the Storage Studio setup wizard do?

The setup wizard gets Storage Studio ready in about a minute, in four steps:

1. **Welcome** — a quick explanation of what the app does.
2. **Pick your external drive** — it lists connected drives so you can choose one, or skip if none is plugged in.
3. **Get everything ready** — it installs the small background service that runs scheduled tasks and starts at login, with a progress bar for each step.
4. **All set** — a pointer to the menu-bar icon and Help.

When you pick a drive, Storage Studio creates a small, tidy folder on it and marks the drive as yours, so it only ever manages the disk you chose. You can change everything later.