{"id":"troubleshooting.simulation-nothing-removed","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/simulation-nothing-removed","category":{"id":"troubleshooting","title":"Troubleshooting & messages"},"subcategory":{"id":"space-messages","title":"Free space and clean-up messages"},"question":"What does \"You stopped this. Nothing was removed — this is a simulation\" mean?","alt_questions":["nothing was removed this is a simulation","nothing was moved this is a simulation","dry run storage studio stopped","is free up space preview real"],"short_answer":"It was a preview that only shows what would happen, so stopping it changed nothing — no files were removed or moved.","answer_markdown":"You were running a preview (a simulation) that only works out what **would** happen. Stopping it changes nothing — no files were removed or moved, because a simulation never touches files.\n\nRun it for real when you're happy with what it showed.","answer_html":"

You were running a preview (a simulation) that only works out what would happen. Stopping it changes nothing — no files were removed or moved, because a simulation never touches files.

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Run it for real when you're happy with what it showed.

","answer_text":"You were running a preview (a simulation) that only works out what would happen. Stopping it changes nothing — no files were removed or moved, because a simulation never touches files.\n\nRun it for real when you're happy with what it showed.","tags":["preview","simulation"],"related":[{"id":"troubleshooting.you-stopped-a-clear-up-part-way","question":"What happens if I stop a clear-up part-way through?","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/you-stopped-a-clear-up-part-way"},{"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 \"You stopped this. Nothing was removed — this is a simulation\" mean? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"It was a preview that only shows what would happen, so stopping it changed nothing — no files were removed or moved.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Troubleshooting & messages","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/"},{"name":"What does \"You stopped this. Nothing was removed — this is a simulation\" mean?","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/simulation-nothing-removed"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/simulation-nothing-removed","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does \"You stopped this. Nothing was removed — this is a simulation\" mean?","alternateName":["nothing was removed this is a simulation","nothing was moved this is a simulation","dry run storage studio stopped","is free up space preview real"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"You were running a preview (a simulation) that only works out what would happen. Stopping it changes nothing — no files were removed or moved, because a simulation never touches files.\n\nRun it for real when you're happy with what it showed.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/simulation-nothing-removed"}}]},"fragment":"
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Troubleshooting & messages · Free space and clean-up messages

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What does "You stopped this. Nothing was removed — this is a simulation" mean?

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Short answer: It was a preview that only shows what would happen, so stopping it changed nothing — no files were removed or moved.

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You were running a preview (a simulation) that only works out what would happen. Stopping it changes nothing — no files were removed or moved, because a simulation never touches files.

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Run it for real when you're happy with what it showed.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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"}