---
id: moving-folders.can-i-open-moved-files-on-another-computer
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/can-i-open-moved-files-on-another-computer
category: "Moving folders"
subcategory: "How moving folders works"
question: "Can I open my moved files on another computer by plugging in the drive?"
alt_questions:
  - "Use the fast drive on a different Mac"
  - "Access relocated files from another Mac"
  - "Open moved folders on a friend's computer"
  - "read the external drive on Windows"
  - "Can I open the files on my fast drive from another computer?"
  - "Read Storage Studio drive on another Mac"
  - "Are files on the fast drive in a special format?"
  - "Can I access moved files without Storage Studio?"
  - "open external drive files on another mac"
  - "Is my data locked into Storage Studio?"
  - "Plug fast drive into a friend's Mac"
short_answer: "Yes, the files themselves — they're ordinary files in your Mac's folder on the drive — but the links that show them in their original places exist only on your own Mac. Avoid moving or renaming them from another computer, or your links break."
tags: ["another computer", "fast drive", "links", "portability", "finder", "no lock-in"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/can-i-rename-or-reorganise-moved-files-on-the-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/can-several-macs-share-one-drive-for-moved-folders"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Can I open my moved files on another computer by plugging in the drive?

You can browse and open the files themselves — they're ordinary files in your Mac's folder on the drive — but the links that make them appear in their original places only exist on the Mac they came from. On another Mac, open the drive in Finder and go into the folder named after your Mac.

A Mac-formatted drive can't be read by Windows without extra software. And edit with care: changing or moving things on the drive from another computer can break the links on your own Mac.

See [Can I rename or reorganise moved files on the drive?](https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/can-i-rename-or-reorganise-moved-files-on-the-drive)