{"id":"troubleshooting.already-a-copy-on-drive-cleanup","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/already-a-copy-on-drive-cleanup","category":{"id":"troubleshooting","title":"Troubleshooting & messages"},"subcategory":{"id":"undo-and-restore","title":"Undo, move back and Recycle Vault"},"question":"Why does an app move say there is already a copy on the drive?","alt_questions":["there's already a copy on nvme run the orphaned-relocation cleanup","already a copy on the external drive storage studio","leftover copy blocks move","orphaned relocation cleanup"],"short_answer":"A leftover copy from an earlier unfinished app move is already on the drive. Run Verify Setup, discard unfinished moves on the app moves row, then try again.","answer_markdown":"A copy of the app is already sitting on your drive — usually left behind by an earlier app move that didn't finish. Storage Studio won't overwrite it automatically, because it can't be certain which copy you want.\n\n### What to do\n1. Run **Verify Setup** from the **More** menu.\n2. On the app moves row, choose **Discard unfinished moves**. This removes partial copies Storage Studio itself left behind; your apps in Applications are untouched.\n3. Try the move again.","answer_html":"

A copy of the app is already sitting on your drive — usually left behind by an earlier app move that didn't finish. Storage Studio won't overwrite it automatically, because it can't be certain which copy you want.

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### What to do 1. Run Verify Setup from the More menu. 2. On the app moves row, choose Discard unfinished moves. This removes partial copies Storage Studio itself left behind; your apps in Applications are untouched. 3. Try the move again.

","answer_text":"A copy of the app is already sitting on your drive — usually left behind by an earlier app move that didn't finish. Storage Studio won't overwrite it automatically, because it can't be certain which copy you want.\n\nWhat to do\n1. Run Verify Setup from the More menu.\n2. On the app moves row, choose Discard unfinished moves. This removes partial copies Storage Studio itself left behind; your apps in Applications are untouched.\n3. Try the move again.","tags":["leftover copy","clean-up","move"],"related":[{"id":"troubleshooting.clear-records-of-unfinished-moves","question":"What does \"Discard unfinished moves\" do in Verify Setup?","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/clear-records-of-unfinished-moves"},{"id":"troubleshooting.something-else-now-exists-at-original-place","question":"Why won't Storage Studio move something back when something else is already at its original place?","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/something-else-now-exists-at-original-place"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Why does an app move say there is already a copy on the drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"A leftover copy from an earlier unfinished app move is already on the drive. Run Verify Setup, discard unfinished moves on the app moves row, then try again.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Troubleshooting & messages","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/"},{"name":"Why does an app move say there is already a copy on the drive?","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/already-a-copy-on-drive-cleanup"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/already-a-copy-on-drive-cleanup","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why does an app move say there is already a copy on the drive?","alternateName":["there's already a copy on nvme run the orphaned-relocation cleanup","already a copy on the external drive storage studio","leftover copy blocks move","orphaned relocation cleanup"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A copy of the app is already sitting on your drive — usually left behind by an earlier app move that didn't finish. Storage Studio won't overwrite it automatically, because it can't be certain which copy you want.\n\nWhat to do\n1. Run Verify Setup from the More menu.\n2. On the app moves row, choose Discard unfinished moves. This removes partial copies Storage Studio itself left behind; your apps in Applications are untouched.\n3. Try the move again.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/already-a-copy-on-drive-cleanup"}}]},"fragment":"
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Troubleshooting & messages · Undo, move back and Recycle Vault

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Why does an app move say there is already a copy on the drive?

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Short answer: A leftover copy from an earlier unfinished app move is already on the drive. Run Verify Setup, discard unfinished moves on the app moves row, then try again.

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A copy of the app is already sitting on your drive — usually left behind by an earlier app move that didn't finish. Storage Studio won't overwrite it automatically, because it can't be certain which copy you want.

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### What to do 1. Run Verify Setup from the More menu. 2. On the app moves row, choose Discard unfinished moves. This removes partial copies Storage Studio itself left behind; your apps in Applications are untouched. 3. Try the move again.

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