{"id":"troubleshooting.app-started-writing-while-deciding","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/app-started-writing-while-deciding","category":{"id":"troubleshooting","title":"Troubleshooting & messages"},"subcategory":{"id":"apps-messages","title":"Moving, offloading and restoring apps"},"question":"What does \"An app started writing to this while you were deciding, so it was left alone\" mean?","alt_questions":["an app started writing to this while you were deciding","something started using this while you were deciding so it was left alone","item skipped started being used","review sheet item left alone"],"short_answer":"An app began using the item between listing and acting, so Storage Studio left it alone. Run the action again after the app finishes or is closed.","answer_markdown":"Storage Studio checks each item when it lists it **and again** right before it acts. Between those two moments an app started using this one, so acting on it now could disrupt that app. It was left alone.\n\nOnce the app has finished — or after you quit it — run the action again.","answer_html":"<p>Storage Studio checks each item when it lists it <strong>and again</strong> right before it acts. Between those two moments an app started using this one, so acting on it now could disrupt that app. It was left alone.</p>\n<p>Once the app has finished — or after you quit it — run the action again.</p>","answer_text":"Storage Studio checks each item when it lists it and again right before it acts. Between those two moments an app started using this one, so acting on it now could disrupt that app. It was left alone.\n\nOnce the app has finished — or after you quit it — run the action again.","tags":["in use","safety"],"related":[{"id":"troubleshooting.sign-ins-not-just-cached-files-left-alone","question":"Why was an app folder left alone because it held sign-ins rather than cached files?","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/sign-ins-not-just-cached-files-left-alone"},{"id":"troubleshooting.left-alone-couldnt-confirm","question":"Why does a clean-up say some items were \"left alone\"?","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/left-alone-couldnt-confirm"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What does \"An app started writing to this while you were deciding, so it was left alone\" mean? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"An app began using the item between listing and acting, so Storage Studio left it alone. Run the action again after the app finishes or is closed.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Troubleshooting & messages","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/"},{"name":"What does \"An app started writing to this while you were deciding, so it was left alone\" mean?","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/app-started-writing-while-deciding"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/app-started-writing-while-deciding","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does \"An app started writing to this while you were deciding, so it was left alone\" mean?","alternateName":["an app started writing to this while you were deciding","something started using this while you were deciding so it was left alone","item skipped started being used","review sheet item left alone"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Storage Studio checks each item when it lists it and again right before it acts. Between those two moments an app started using this one, so acting on it now could disrupt that app. It was left alone.\n\nOnce the app has finished — or after you quit it — run the action again.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/app-started-writing-while-deciding"}}]},"fragment":"<div class=\"wrap fl-wrap\"><div class=\"fl-layout\"><aside class=\"fl-side\" aria-label=\"FAQ topics\"><details open><summary>All topics</summary><ul class=\"fl-tree\"><li><a href=\"/faq/getting-started/\">Getting started</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/freeing-space/\">Freeing up space</a> <span>182</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/moving-folders/\">Moving folders</a> <span>144</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/apps/\">Apps</a> <span>146</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/external-drives/\">External drives</a> <span>169</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/finder-location/\">Finding things in Finder</a> <span>70</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/cloud-accounts/\">Cloud accounts</a> <span>158</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/icloud/\">iCloud &amp; iCloud Photos</a> <span>168</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/data-transfers/\">Data Transfers</a> <span>119</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/backups/\">Backups &amp; restore points</a> <span>126</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/delta-drive/\">Delta Drive, Delta Trust &amp; My Drive</a> <span>125</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/bridge-devices/\">Bridge &amp; your devices</a> <span>111</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/duplicates/\">Duplicate files</a> <span>74</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/junk-yard/\">Junk Yard</a> <span>113</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/tuhi-assistant/\">Tuhi, your storage assistant</a> <span>105</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/settings/\">Settings &amp; keep-time</a> <span>88</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/performance-battery/\">Performance &amp; battery</a> <span>62</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/privacy-safety/\">Privacy &amp; safety</a> <span>85</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/licensing-payments/\">Licensing &amp; payments</a> <span>131</span></li><li class=\"fl-open\"><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/\" aria-current=\"true\">Troubleshooting &amp; messages</a> <span>180</span><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#moves-and-copies\">Moves and copies that didn&#39;t finish</a> <span>33</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#drive-messages\">Drive connection and drive messages</a> <span>12</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#permissions\">Permissions and Full Disk Access</a> <span>5</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#background-service\">Background service, pauses and self-healing</a> <span>12</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#space-messages\">Free space and clean-up messages</a> <span>19</span></li><li class=\"fl-on\"><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#apps-messages\">Moving, offloading and restoring apps</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#undo-and-restore\">Undo, move back and Recycle Vault</a> <span>20</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#cloud-and-transfers\">Cloud accounts and transfers</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#backup-messages\">Backup messages</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#delta-messages\">Delta Drive and Delta Trust messages</a> <span>18</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#licence-messages\">Licence, trial and sign-in messages</a> <span>13</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#update-messages\">Updates and installing</a> <span>7</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#device-messages\">Bridge and device messages</a> <span>2</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#app-behaviour\">Storage Studio itself</a> <span>9</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#getting-help\">Getting help</a> <span>3</span></li></ul></li><li><a href=\"/faq/comparisons/\">Comparisons &amp; alternatives</a> <span>75</span></li><li><a href=\"/faq/mac-storage-basics/\">Mac storage basics</a> <span>315</span></li></ul></details></aside><div class=\"fl-main\"><nav class=\"fl-crumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><ol><li><a href=\"/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/\">FAQ</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/\">Troubleshooting &amp; messages</a></li><li aria-current=\"page\">What does &quot;An app started writing to this while you were deciding, so it was left alone&quot; mean?</li></ol></nav>\n<form class=\"fl-search\" action=\"/faq/search\" method=\"get\" role=\"search\" data-fl-search>\n<label class=\"fl-visually-hidden\" for=\"fl-q\">Search the FAQ</label>\n<input id=\"fl-q\" type=\"search\" name=\"q\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Search 2,816 questions…\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\">\n<button type=\"submit\">Search</button>\n<div class=\"fl-suggest\" role=\"listbox\" hidden></div>\n</form>\n<article class=\"fl-entry\">\n<p class=\"eyebrow fl-eyebrow\"><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/\">Troubleshooting &amp; messages</a> · <a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/#apps-messages\">Moving, offloading and restoring apps</a></p>\n<h1>What does &quot;An app started writing to this while you were deciding, so it was left alone&quot; mean?</h1>\n<p class=\"fl-short\"><strong>Short answer:</strong> An app began using the item between listing and acting, so Storage Studio left it alone. Run the action again after the app finishes or is closed.</p>\n<div class=\"fl-answer\"><p>Storage Studio checks each item when it lists it <strong>and again</strong> right before it acts. Between those two moments an app started using this one, so acting on it now could disrupt that app. It was left alone.</p>\n<p>Once the app has finished — or after you quit it — run the action again.</p></div>\n\n<p class=\"fl-meta\">Last reviewed <time datetime=\"2026-10-01\">October 1, 2026</time></p>\n\n<section class=\"fl-related\"><h2>Related questions</h2><ul><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/sign-ins-not-just-cached-files-left-alone\">Why was an app folder left alone because it held sign-ins rather than cached files?</a></li><li><a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/left-alone-couldnt-confirm\">Why does a clean-up say some items were &quot;left alone&quot;?</a></li></ul></section>\n<p class=\"fl-formats\">Also available as <a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/app-started-writing-while-deciding.md\">Markdown</a> and <a href=\"/faq/troubleshooting/app-started-writing-while-deciding.json\">JSON</a>.</p>\n</article></div></div></div>"}