{"id":"moving-folders.what-are-default-and-manual-rules","url":"/faq/moving-folders/what-are-default-and-manual-rules","category":{"id":"moving-folders","title":"Moving folders"},"subcategory":{"id":"rules","title":"Rules and Auto Rules"},"question":"What's the difference between Default & Manual Rules and Auto Rules?","alt_questions":["Two sections in the rule book","My rules vs automatic rules","Which rules did I make and which did Storage Studio make?","default rules storage studio"],"short_answer":"Default & Manual Rules are the baseline for every Mac plus any rules you add, and the optimiser never changes them. Auto Rules are generated for your Mac from its apps and caches, and you can fine-tune their ages. Both live in Settings → Rules.","answer_markdown":"The rule book in **Settings → Rules** has two sections. **Default & Manual Rules** is the baseline that fits every Mac plus anything you add yourself — the optimiser never touches it. **Auto Rules** are the ones Storage Studio generated for *your* Mac from the apps and caches you actually have, where you can fine-tune how old something must be before it's cleaned.\n\nKeeping them apart means Storage Studio can keep improving its own suggestions without ever changing a rule you wrote.\n\nSee [What are Auto Rules?](/faq/moving-folders/what-are-auto-rules)","answer_html":"

The rule book in Settings → Rules has two sections. Default & Manual Rules is the baseline that fits every Mac plus anything you add yourself — the optimiser never touches it. Auto Rules are the ones Storage Studio generated for your Mac from the apps and caches you actually have, where you can fine-tune how old something must be before it's cleaned.

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Keeping them apart means Storage Studio can keep improving its own suggestions without ever changing a rule you wrote.

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See What are Auto Rules?

","answer_text":"The rule book in Settings → Rules has two sections. Default & Manual Rules is the baseline that fits every Mac plus anything you add yourself — the optimiser never touches it. Auto Rules are the ones Storage Studio generated for your Mac from the apps and caches you actually have, where you can fine-tune how old something must be before it's cleaned.\n\nKeeping them apart means Storage Studio can keep improving its own suggestions without ever changing a rule you wrote.\n\nSee What are Auto Rules?","tags":["rules","auto rules","settings"],"related":[{"id":"moving-folders.what-are-auto-rules","question":"What are Auto Rules?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/what-are-auto-rules"},{"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":"What's the difference between Default & Manual Rules and Auto Rules? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Default & Manual Rules are the baseline for every Mac plus any rules you add, and the optimiser never changes them. Auto Rules are generated for your Mac from its apps and caches, and you can fine-tune their ages. Both live in Settings → Rules.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Moving folders","path":"/faq/moving-folders/"},{"name":"What's the difference between Default & Manual Rules and Auto Rules?","path":"/faq/moving-folders/what-are-default-and-manual-rules"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/what-are-default-and-manual-rules","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What's the difference between Default & Manual Rules and Auto Rules?","alternateName":["Two sections in the rule book","My rules vs automatic rules","Which rules did I make and which did Storage Studio make?","default rules storage studio"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The rule book in Settings → Rules has two sections. Default & Manual Rules is the baseline that fits every Mac plus anything you add yourself — the optimiser never touches it. Auto Rules are the ones Storage Studio generated for your Mac from the apps and caches you actually have, where you can fine-tune how old something must be before it's cleaned.\n\nKeeping them apart means Storage Studio can keep improving its own suggestions without ever changing a rule you wrote.\n\nSee What are Auto Rules?","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/what-are-default-and-manual-rules"}}]},"fragment":"
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Moving folders · Rules and Auto Rules

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What's the difference between Default & Manual Rules and Auto Rules?

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Short answer: Default & Manual Rules are the baseline for every Mac plus any rules you add, and the optimiser never changes them. Auto Rules are generated for your Mac from its apps and caches, and you can fine-tune their ages. Both live in Settings → Rules.

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The rule book in Settings → Rules has two sections. Default & Manual Rules is the baseline that fits every Mac plus anything you add yourself — the optimiser never touches it. Auto Rules are the ones Storage Studio generated for your Mac from the apps and caches you actually have, where you can fine-tune how old something must be before it's cleaned.

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Keeping them apart means Storage Studio can keep improving its own suggestions without ever changing a rule you wrote.

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See What are Auto Rules?

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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