{"id":"moving-folders.what-is-the-shortcut-left-behind-after-a-move","url":"/faq/moving-folders/what-is-the-shortcut-left-behind-after-a-move","category":{"id":"moving-folders","title":"Moving folders"},"subcategory":{"id":"basics","title":"How moving folders works"},"question":"What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves behind after a move?","alt_questions":["What is the link left in the original folder?","Why are my files now shortcuts?","What does the little arrow on moved files mean?","Is the shortcut an alias?","How do apps still find files after Storage Studio moves them?","storage studio symbolic link explained","What is the link Storage Studio creates?","What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves where a moved item used to be?","What is the link left behind after moving a folder?","Why is there a shortcut in my folder after Storage Studio moved it?","What does Storage Studio put in place of a moved folder?","storage studio shortcut original location","What is the arrow icon left after a move to the external drive?","How does Storage Studio keep things working after moving them?"],"short_answer":"It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so files open from the same place while the drive is connected, and the link itself uses almost no space.","answer_markdown":"It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so a file opens exactly where it did before — the data just lives on the external drive now.\n\nA link takes up almost no space, which is why moving a large folder frees nearly all of its size. Because the link sits at the same path as the original file, anything that refers to that path — a project, a script, a recent-files list — keeps working while the drive is connected.\n\nIf the drive is unplugged, the links have nothing to point to until you reconnect it. See [what happens when the drive is unplugged](/faq/external-drives/).","answer_html":"

It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so a file opens exactly where it did before — the data just lives on the external drive now.

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A link takes up almost no space, which is why moving a large folder frees nearly all of its size. Because the link sits at the same path as the original file, anything that refers to that path — a project, a script, a recent-files list — keeps working while the drive is connected.

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If the drive is unplugged, the links have nothing to point to until you reconnect it. See what happens when the drive is unplugged.

","answer_text":"It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so a file opens exactly where it did before — the data just lives on the external drive now.\n\nA link takes up almost no space, which is why moving a large folder frees nearly all of its size. Because the link sits at the same path as the original file, anything that refers to that path — a project, a script, a recent-files list — keeps working while the drive is connected.\n\nIf the drive is unplugged, the links have nothing to point to until you reconnect it. See what happens when the drive is unplugged.","tags":["shortcut","link","moving folders","symlink","moved files"],"related":[{"id":"moving-folders.what-happens-when-storage-studio-moves-a-folder","question":"What actually happens when Storage Studio moves a folder to my external drive?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/what-happens-when-storage-studio-moves-a-folder"},{"id":"moving-folders.can-i-move-back-a-folder-if-the-drive-is-unplugged","question":"Can I move a folder back while the fast drive is unplugged?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/can-i-move-back-a-folder-if-the-drive-is-unplugged"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves behind after a move? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so files open from the same place while the drive is connected, and the link itself uses almost no space.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Moving folders","path":"/faq/moving-folders/"},{"name":"What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves behind after a move?","path":"/faq/moving-folders/what-is-the-shortcut-left-behind-after-a-move"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/what-is-the-shortcut-left-behind-after-a-move","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves behind after a move?","alternateName":["What is the link left in the original folder?","Why are my files now shortcuts?","What does the little arrow on moved files mean?","Is the shortcut an alias?","How do apps still find files after Storage Studio moves them?","storage studio symbolic link explained","What is the link Storage Studio creates?","What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves where a moved item used to be?","What is the link left behind after moving a folder?","Why is there a shortcut in my folder after Storage Studio moved it?","What does Storage Studio put in place of a moved folder?","storage studio shortcut original location","What is the arrow icon left after a move to the external drive?","How does Storage Studio keep things working after moving them?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so a file opens exactly where it did before — the data just lives on the external drive now.\n\nA link takes up almost no space, which is why moving a large folder frees nearly all of its size. Because the link sits at the same path as the original file, anything that refers to that path — a project, a script, a recent-files list — keeps working while the drive is connected.\n\nIf the drive is unplugged, the links have nothing to point to until you reconnect it. See what happens when the drive is unplugged.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/what-is-the-shortcut-left-behind-after-a-move"}}]},"fragment":"
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Moving folders · How moving folders works

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What is the shortcut Storage Studio leaves behind after a move?

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Short answer: It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so files open from the same place while the drive is connected, and the link itself uses almost no space.

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It's a small link at the original location that points to the file's new home on your fast drive. Apps and macOS follow it automatically, so a file opens exactly where it did before — the data just lives on the external drive now.

\n

A link takes up almost no space, which is why moving a large folder frees nearly all of its size. Because the link sits at the same path as the original file, anything that refers to that path — a project, a script, a recent-files list — keeps working while the drive is connected.

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If the drive is unplugged, the links have nothing to point to until you reconnect it. See what happens when the drive is unplugged.

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