Performance & battery · Why background work waits or pauses
Why did my Bridge devices disconnect when I chose Minimum mode?
Short answer: Minimum mode deliberately stops Bridge sharing; it starts again for paired devices when you choose another mode. Automatic pauses under heavy load keep Bridge connections open.
Because Minimum — core only deliberately stops device sharing along with the other non-essential services. When you leave Minimum, Bridge starts up again for devices you've already paired.
A busy Mac on its own doesn't do this: when Storage Studio pauses itself automatically under heavy load (Survival), it keeps live Bridge connections open so a brief spike doesn't drop them.
To reconnect, pick Automatic (or any mode other than Minimum) in the Storage Profile's performance menu. More about Bridge in Bridge & devices.