---
id: getting-started.what-happens-to-my-files-if-i-uninstall
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/getting-started/what-happens-to-my-files-if-i-uninstall
category: "Getting started"
subcategory: "Quitting, restarting and uninstalling"
question: "What happens to my moved files if I uninstall Storage Studio?"
alt_questions:
  - "Do I lose files when I uninstall Storage Studio?"
  - "Uninstall Storage Studio without losing data"
  - "Are my files deleted when removing Storage Studio?"
  - "Get my folders back before uninstalling"
  - "Files left on the external drive after uninstall"
  - "What happens to my moved files if I uninstall or stop paying for Storage Studio?"
  - "Will I lose my files if my subscription ends?"
  - "Are my files held hostage if I stop using Storage Studio?"
  - "storage studio cancel what happens to files"
  - "Do relocated folders still work after uninstalling?"
  - "Does Storage Studio lock my files?"
short_answer: "Nothing is deleted. Moved files stay on your external drive unless you ask the uninstaller to revert them, and Reset Storage Studio puts everything back on your Mac before it removes anything."
tags: ["uninstall", "files", "safety", "subscription"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/getting-started/how-do-i-uninstall-storage-studio", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/getting-started/what-is-reset-storage-studio"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What happens to my moved files if I uninstall Storage Studio?

Nothing is deleted. Uninstalling never removes your files — anything Storage Studio moved to your external drive stays there.

You choose whether to bring things back:

- Tick **Revert relocated folders** in the uninstaller to bring moved folders back to your Mac where it can; anything it can't put back stays safely on the drive for you to copy back any time.
- **Reset Storage Studio…** puts everything it moved back on your Mac *first*, before removing anything.

If you skip both, moved items stay on the drive and the shortcuts on your Mac keep pointing to them while the drive is connected.