{"id":"moving-folders.which-folders-are-worth-moving-to-an-external-drive","url":"/faq/moving-folders/which-folders-are-worth-moving-to-an-external-drive","category":{"id":"moving-folders","title":"Moving folders"},"subcategory":{"id":"basics","title":"How moving folders works"},"question":"Which folders are worth moving to an external drive?","alt_questions":["What should I move to my external SSD?","Best folders to offload from a MacBook","What takes the most space that I can move?","which mac folders can go on an external drive","What should I move first to free up space?","What are good candidates to relocate?"],"short_answer":"Big folders of your own that you keep but don't need on the built-in drive every minute: finished projects, video exports, old installers and large parts of Downloads or Documents. What's Using Space puts a Move to fast drive button on the safe ones.","answer_markdown":"Large folders of your own that you keep but don't need on your built-in drive all the time: finished projects, video and photo exports, audio and music libraries you've finished with, old installers, and big parts of Downloads, Desktop or Documents.\n\nThe quickest way to find them is **What's Using Space**: it measures your biggest folders and puts a **Move to fast drive** button beside the ones Storage Studio can move safely. For anything else, use **Data Parking** to pick folders yourself.\n\nApps' own data — including developer tools' data — is handled differently: Storage Studio only moves the part an app rebuilds by itself, never the settings and sign-ins around it.\n\nSee [Why won't Storage Studio move my browser's folder?](/faq/moving-folders/why-wont-storage-studio-move-my-browser-folder)","answer_html":"

Large folders of your own that you keep but don't need on your built-in drive all the time: finished projects, video and photo exports, audio and music libraries you've finished with, old installers, and big parts of Downloads, Desktop or Documents.

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The quickest way to find them is What's Using Space: it measures your biggest folders and puts a Move to fast drive button beside the ones Storage Studio can move safely. For anything else, use Data Parking to pick folders yourself.

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Apps' own data — including developer tools' data — is handled differently: Storage Studio only moves the part an app rebuilds by itself, never the settings and sign-ins around it.

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See Why won't Storage Studio move my browser's folder?

","answer_text":"Large folders of your own that you keep but don't need on your built-in drive all the time: finished projects, video and photo exports, audio and music libraries you've finished with, old installers, and big parts of Downloads, Desktop or Documents.\n\nThe quickest way to find them is What's Using Space: it measures your biggest folders and puts a Move to fast drive button beside the ones Storage Studio can move safely. For anything else, use Data Parking to pick folders yourself.\n\nApps' own data — including developer tools' data — is handled differently: Storage Studio only moves the part an app rebuilds by itself, never the settings and sign-ins around it.\n\nSee Why won't Storage Studio move my browser's folder?","tags":["moving folders","what to move","whats using space"],"related":[{"id":"moving-folders.why-wont-storage-studio-move-my-browser-folder","question":"Why won't Storage Studio move my browser's folder?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/why-wont-storage-studio-move-my-browser-folder"},{"id":"moving-folders.what-should-i-not-move-to-an-external-drive","question":"What should I not move to an external drive?","url":"/faq/moving-folders/what-should-i-not-move-to-an-external-drive"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Which folders are worth moving to an external drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Big folders of your own that you keep but don't need on the built-in drive every minute: finished projects, video exports, old installers and large parts of Downloads or Documents. What's Using Space puts a Move to fast drive button on the safe ones.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Moving folders","path":"/faq/moving-folders/"},{"name":"Which folders are worth moving to an external drive?","path":"/faq/moving-folders/which-folders-are-worth-moving-to-an-external-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/which-folders-are-worth-moving-to-an-external-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Which folders are worth moving to an external drive?","alternateName":["What should I move to my external SSD?","Best folders to offload from a MacBook","What takes the most space that I can move?","which mac folders can go on an external drive","What should I move first to free up space?","What are good candidates to relocate?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Large folders of your own that you keep but don't need on your built-in drive all the time: finished projects, video and photo exports, audio and music libraries you've finished with, old installers, and big parts of Downloads, Desktop or Documents.\n\nThe quickest way to find them is What's Using Space: it measures your biggest folders and puts a Move to fast drive button beside the ones Storage Studio can move safely. For anything else, use Data Parking to pick folders yourself.\n\nApps' own data — including developer tools' data — is handled differently: Storage Studio only moves the part an app rebuilds by itself, never the settings and sign-ins around it.\n\nSee Why won't Storage Studio move my browser's folder?","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/moving-folders/which-folders-are-worth-moving-to-an-external-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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Moving folders · How moving folders works

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Which folders are worth moving to an external drive?

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Short answer: Big folders of your own that you keep but don't need on the built-in drive every minute: finished projects, video exports, old installers and large parts of Downloads or Documents. What's Using Space puts a Move to fast drive button on the safe ones.

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Large folders of your own that you keep but don't need on your built-in drive all the time: finished projects, video and photo exports, audio and music libraries you've finished with, old installers, and big parts of Downloads, Desktop or Documents.

\n

The quickest way to find them is What's Using Space: it measures your biggest folders and puts a Move to fast drive button beside the ones Storage Studio can move safely. For anything else, use Data Parking to pick folders yourself.

\n

Apps' own data — including developer tools' data — is handled differently: Storage Studio only moves the part an app rebuilds by itself, never the settings and sign-ins around it.

\n

See Why won't Storage Studio move my browser's folder?

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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