{"id":"moving-folders.how-do-i-preview-what-rules-will-move","url":"/faq/moving-folders/how-do-i-preview-what-rules-will-move","category":{"id":"moving-folders","title":"Moving folders"},"subcategory":{"id":"rules","title":"Rules and Auto Rules"},"question":"How do I preview what my rules will move before they run?","alt_questions":["Dry Run in Storage Studio","What will tonight's run do?","Run preview in the Rules window","Test my rules without moving anything","storage studio dry run","Preview Next Run"],"short_answer":"Click Dry Run in the menu bar popover, or Run preview in the Rules window. It lists exactly what your rules would move or clean, with sizes, without changing anything.","answer_markdown":"Click **Dry Run** in the menu bar popover, or open the **Rules** window and click **Run preview** in its bottom pane. You'll see exactly which items the rules would touch, their sizes, and whether each would be moved or cleaned. Nothing is changed.\n\nIt's the safe way to check a rule change before it takes effect. If the preview shows something you don't want moved, adjust the rule in **Settings → Rules** and run the preview again.\n\nSee [Dry run shows files I don't want moved](/faq/troubleshooting/dry-run-shows-files-i-dont-want-moved)","answer_html":"<p>Click <strong>Dry Run</strong> in the menu bar popover, or open the <strong>Rules</strong> window and click <strong>Run preview</strong> in its bottom pane. You&#39;ll see exactly which items the rules would touch, their sizes, and whether each would be moved or cleaned. Nothing is changed.</p>\n<p>It&#39;s the safe way to check a rule change before it takes effect. If the preview shows something you don&#39;t want moved, adjust the rule in <strong>Settings → Rules</strong> and run the preview again.</p>\n<p>See <a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/dry-run-shows-files-i-dont-want-moved\">Dry run shows files I don&#39;t want moved</a></p>","answer_text":"Click Dry Run in the menu bar popover, or open the Rules window and click Run preview in its bottom pane. You'll see exactly which items the rules would touch, their sizes, and whether each would be moved or cleaned. Nothing is changed.\n\nIt's the safe way to check a rule change before it takes effect. If the preview shows something you don't want moved, adjust the rule in Settings → Rules and run the preview again.\n\nSee Dry run shows files I don't want moved","tags":["dry run","preview","rules"],"related":[{"id":"troubleshooting.dry-run-shows-files-i-dont-want-moved","question":"The rule preview shows files I don't want moved — what should I change?","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/dry-run-shows-files-i-dont-want-moved"},{"id":"moving-folders.what-are-move-rules","question":"What are move rules in Storage Studio?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/what-are-move-rules"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"How do I preview what my rules will move before they run? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Click Dry Run in the menu bar popover, or Run preview in the Rules window. It lists exactly what your rules would move or clean, with sizes, without changing anything.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Moving folders","path":"/faq/moving-folders/"},{"name":"How do I preview what my rules will move before they run?","path":"/faq/moving-folders/how-do-i-preview-what-rules-will-move"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/how-do-i-preview-what-rules-will-move","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I preview what my rules will move before they run?","alternateName":["Dry Run in Storage Studio","What will tonight's run do?","Run preview in the Rules window","Test my rules without moving anything","storage studio dry run","Preview Next Run"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Click Dry Run in the menu bar popover, or open the Rules window and click Run preview in its bottom pane. You'll see exactly which items the rules would touch, their sizes, and whether each would be moved or cleaned. Nothing is changed.\n\nIt's the safe way to check a rule change before it takes effect. If the preview shows something you don't want moved, adjust the rule in Settings → Rules and run the preview again.\n\nSee Dry run shows files I don't want moved","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/how-do-i-preview-what-rules-will-move"}}]},"fragment":"<div class=\"wrap fl-wrap\"><div class=\"fl-layout\"><aside class=\"fl-side\" aria-label=\"FAQ topics\"><details open><summary>All topics</summary><ul class=\"fl-tree\"><li><a href=\"/faq/getting-started/\">Getting started</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/freeing-space/\">Freeing up space</a> <span>182</span></li><li class=\"fl-open\"><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/\" aria-current=\"true\">Moving folders</a> <span>144</span><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#basics\">How moving folders works</a> <span>24</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#data-parking\">Data Parking (the two-pane mover)</a> <span>37</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#whats-using-space-moves\">Moving from What&#39;s Using Space</a> <span>3</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#moving-back\">Moving folders back</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#safety-verification\">Safety and verification</a> <span>11</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#folders-in-use\">Folders an app is using</a> <span>7</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#drive-and-interruptions\">Drive disconnects and interrupted moves</a> <span>5</span></li><li class=\"fl-on\"><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#rules\">Rules and Auto Rules</a> <span>18</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#specific-folders\">Moving specific folders</a> <span>14</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#cloud-destinations\">Moving folders to a cloud account</a> <span>6</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#messages-and-problems\">Messages and problems</a> <span>10</span></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"/faq/apps/\">Apps</a> <span>146</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/external-drives/\">External drives</a> <span>169</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/finder-location/\">Finding things in Finder</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/cloud-accounts/\">Cloud accounts</a> <span>158</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/icloud/\">iCloud &amp; iCloud Photos</a> <span>168</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/data-transfers/\">Data Transfers</a> <span>119</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/backups/\">Backups &amp; restore points</a> <span>126</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/delta-drive/\">Delta Drive, Delta Trust &amp; My Drive</a> <span>125</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/bridge-devices/\">Bridge &amp; your devices</a> <span>111</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/\">Duplicate files</a> <span>74</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/junk-yard/\">Junk Yard</a> <span>113</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/tuhi-assistant/\">Tuhi, your storage assistant</a> <span>105</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/settings/\">Settings &amp; keep-time</a> <span>88</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/performance-battery/\">Performance &amp; battery</a> <span>62</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/privacy-safety/\">Privacy &amp; safety</a> <span>85</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/licensing-payments/\">Licensing &amp; payments</a> <span>131</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/\">Troubleshooting &amp; messages</a> <span>180</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/comparisons/\">Comparisons &amp; alternatives</a> <span>75</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/\">Mac storage basics</a> <span>315</span></li></ul></details></aside><div class=\"fl-main\"><nav class=\"fl-crumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><ol><li><a href=\"/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/\">FAQ</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/\">Moving folders</a></li><li aria-current=\"page\">How do I preview what my rules will move before they run?</li></ol></nav>\n<form class=\"fl-search\" action=\"/faq/search\" method=\"get\" role=\"search\" data-fl-search>\n<label class=\"fl-visually-hidden\" for=\"fl-q\">Search the FAQ</label>\n<input id=\"fl-q\" type=\"search\" name=\"q\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Search 2,816 questions…\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\">\n<button type=\"submit\">Search</button>\n<div class=\"fl-suggest\" role=\"listbox\" hidden></div>\n</form>\n<article class=\"fl-entry\">\n<p class=\"eyebrow fl-eyebrow\"><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/\">Moving folders</a> · <a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/#rules\">Rules and Auto Rules</a></p>\n<h1>How do I preview what my rules will move before they run?</h1>\n<p class=\"fl-short\"><strong>Short answer:</strong> Click Dry Run in the menu bar popover, or Run preview in the Rules window. It lists exactly what your rules would move or clean, with sizes, without changing anything.</p>\n<div class=\"fl-answer\"><p>Click <strong>Dry Run</strong> in the menu bar popover, or open the <strong>Rules</strong> window and click <strong>Run preview</strong> in its bottom pane. You&#39;ll see exactly which items the rules would touch, their sizes, and whether each would be moved or cleaned. Nothing is changed.</p>\n<p>It&#39;s the safe way to check a rule change before it takes effect. If the preview shows something you don&#39;t want moved, adjust the rule in <strong>Settings → Rules</strong> and run the preview again.</p>\n<p>See <a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/dry-run-shows-files-i-dont-want-moved\">Dry run shows files I don&#39;t want moved</a></p></div>\n\n<p class=\"fl-meta\">Last reviewed <time datetime=\"2026-10-01\">October 1, 2026</time></p>\n\n<section class=\"fl-related\"><h2>Related questions</h2><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/dry-run-shows-files-i-dont-want-moved\">The rule preview shows files I don&#39;t want moved — what should I change?</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/what-are-move-rules\">What are move rules in Storage Studio?</a></li></ul></section>\n<p class=\"fl-formats\">Also available as <a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/how-do-i-preview-what-rules-will-move.md\">Markdown</a> and <a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/how-do-i-preview-what-rules-will-move.json\">JSON</a>.</p>\n</article></div></div></div>"}