---
id: moving-folders.the-original-place-is-gone
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/the-original-place-is-gone
category: "Moving folders"
subcategory: "Messages and problems"
question: "What does \"The original place is gone\" mean after a move?"
alt_questions:
  - "Nothing was left behind to point at them"
  - "Original folder missing after relocation"
  - "My files are on the drive but not on my Mac"
  - "the original place is gone storage studio"
short_answer: "The folder's original location no longer exists on your Mac — usually deleted or renamed after the move — so there's nowhere for the link. Your files are safe on the drive; move them back to recreate the folder, or rename it back first."
tags: ["message", "original missing", "links"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/what-is-a-broken-relocation", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/can-i-undo-a-folder-move"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What does "The original place is gone" mean after a move?

It means the folder's original location no longer exists on your Mac — usually because it was deleted or renamed after the move — so there's nothing there for a link to sit in. Your files are safe on the drive; only the way back to them from the old place is missing.

What to do: if you want the files back on your Mac, use the move back from What's Using Space or Data Parking, which recreates the folder. If you renamed the folder, rename it back first. If you no longer need them, you can remove them from the drive.

See [Can I undo a folder move?](https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/can-i-undo-a-folder-move)