---
id: troubleshooting.files-removed-by-another-app-before-copy-finished
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/files-removed-by-another-app-before-copy-finished
category: "Troubleshooting & messages"
subcategory: "Moves and copies that didn't finish"
question: "Why does it say some files were removed by another app before the copy finished?"
alt_questions:
  - "some files were removed by another app before the copy finished"
  - "files vanished during copy"
  - "move incomplete files disappeared"
  - "files deleted while moving storage studio"
short_answer: "Another app deleted some files mid-copy (common with caches). Nothing was lost — run the move again, or clear busy caches instead of moving them."
tags: ["files vanished", "cache", "move"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/files-changed-while-being-copied", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/copy-didnt-match-the-original-move-stopped"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Why does it say some files were removed by another app before the copy finished?

While Storage Studio was copying the folder, another app deleted some of the files in it — common for caches and temporary files that apps clean up on their own. Nothing was lost: the files that vanished were removed by that app, not by Storage Studio, and your original is safe.

### What to do
- Simply run the move again; it will copy what's there now.
- If the folder is a cache that changes constantly, it may not be worth moving — clearing it with Free Up Space is often the better option.

See [freeing up space](https://storagestudio.us/faq/freeing-space/).