{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "The drive isn't recognised as set up",
  "slug": "drive-says-not-set-up",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/drive-says-not-set-up",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/drive-says-not-set-up.md",
  "category": "Troubleshooting",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting/",
  "tags": [
    "troubleshooting",
    "external drive",
    "setup"
  ],
  "summary": "If Storage Studio asks you to connect an external drive, or says a drive is the wrong disk, it hasn't found the drive it prepared. Plug the drive in, or choose and prepare it again with Set Up / Choose External Drive.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:15:18.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:37:52.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "What you might see",
      "id": "what-you-might-see"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Likely causes",
      "id": "likely-causes"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "How to fix it",
      "id": "how-to-fix-it"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Is anything lost?",
      "id": "is-anything-lost"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "the-setup-wizard",
      "label": "The Setup Wizard",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-setup-wizard"
    },
    {
      "slug": "transfer-drive-and-backup-drive",
      "label": "Switching to a new drive",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/transfer-drive-and-backup-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "setting-up-your-drive",
      "label": "Setting up your drive",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/setting-up-your-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "when-your-drive-is-disconnected",
      "label": "When your drive is disconnected",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-drive-is-disconnected"
    },
    {
      "slug": "checking-your-drive",
      "label": "Checking your drive's health and setup",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/checking-your-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "troubleshooting-start-here",
      "label": "Something's not working: start here",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting-start-here"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "checking-your-drive",
      "title": "Checking your drive's health and setup",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/checking-your-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "setting-up-your-drive",
      "title": "Setting up your drive",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/setting-up-your-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "troubleshooting-start-here",
      "title": "Something's not working: start here",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting-start-here"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-setup-wizard",
      "title": "The Setup Wizard",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-setup-wizard"
    },
    {
      "slug": "when-your-drive-is-disconnected",
      "title": "When your drive is disconnected",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-drive-is-disconnected"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "Getting Storage Studio to recognise your drive",
      "outline": "- Storage Studio asks for an external drive\n  - leads to Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder?\n- Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder?\n  - No: leads to Plug it in and wait for it to appear\n  - Yes: leads to Open Set Up / Choose External Drive\n- Plug it in and wait for it to appear\n  - leads to Banner gone?\n- Banner gone?\n  - Yes: leads to Done\n  - No: leads to Open Set Up / Choose External Drive\n- Open Set Up / Choose External Drive\n  - leads to Select the drive, then click Use This Drive\n- Select the drive, then click Use This Drive\n  - leads to Is ready message shown?\n- Is ready message shown?\n  - Yes: leads to Done\n  - No: leads to Run Set Up / Reinstall from the More menu\n",
      "source": "%% caption: Getting Storage Studio to recognise your drive\nflowchart TD\n  A[Storage Studio asks for an external drive] --> B{Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder?}\n  B -->|No| C[Plug it in and wait for it to appear]\n  C --> D{Banner gone?}\n  D -->|Yes| E[Done]\n  B -->|Yes| F[Open Set Up / Choose External Drive]\n  D -->|No| F\n  F --> G[Select the drive, then click Use This Drive]\n  G --> H{Is ready message shown?}\n  H -->|Yes| E\n  H -->|No| I[Run Set Up / Reinstall from the More menu]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [
    {
      "alt": "The Home screen showing the banner \"Connect an external drive to do more\" with its Set Up… and Reinstall… buttons",
      "caption": "The Home banner when no prepared drive is found"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [],
  "text": "Storage Studio needs to recognise your external drive as the one it prepared before it can move apps and folders there. If it doesn't — because the drive isn't plugged in, a different drive is connected, or the setup step was skipped — the Home screen asks you to connect a drive. Choosing the drive again with Set Up / Choose External Drive… prepares it and puts things right. What you might see On the Home screen: Connect an external drive to do more — \"Moving big apps and files needs a fast external drive. You can still clear caches without one.\" — with Set Up… and Reinstall… buttons. In the health line: \"Your external drive isn't connected.\" In the Advanced view: \"External drive disconnected\", \"Wrong disk at …\", or Mounted but marker missing on the drive row. Likely causes The drive isn't connected , or hasn't finished appearing after you plugged it in. A different drive is connected. Storage Studio leaves a small marker on the drive it prepares, and it only treats a drive carrying that marker as yours. Another drive at the same place reads as \"Wrong disk at …\". Setup didn't finish , or was skipped, so the drive was never prepared. The drive was reformatted or replaced , so the marker is gone. Getting Storage Studio to recognise your drive Flowchart outline: Getting Storage Studio to recognise your drive Storage Studio asks for an external drive leads to Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder? Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder? No: leads to Plug it in and wait for it to appear Yes: leads to Open Set Up / Choose External Drive Plug it in and wait for it to appear leads to Banner gone? Banner gone? Yes: leads to Done No: leads to Open Set Up / Choose External Drive Open Set Up / Choose External Drive leads to Select the drive, then click Use This Drive Select the drive, then click Use This Drive leads to Is ready message shown? Is ready message shown? Yes: leads to Done No: leads to Run Set Up / Reinstall from the More menu How to fix it Plug the drive in and wait until it shows in Finder. If it's already connected, try Remount Drive in the More menu. Choose the drive again. Click Set Up… on the Home banner, or choose Set Up / Choose External Drive… in the More menu. In Choose External Drive , select your drive and click Use This Drive . If the list says \"No external drives mounted.\", plug the drive in and click the rescan button next to the title. Read the result. Storage Studio points itself at the drive and prepares it. When it works you'll see \"“…” is ready — Storage Studio is set up on this drive.\" If you see \"Drive selected, but setup didn't finish: …\", the reason follows the colon. Re-run setup if it still isn't recognised: click Reinstall… on the Home banner, or choose Set Up / Reinstall… in the More menu. It reinstalls the background service and prepares the drive again. See The Setup Wizard . Check the result with Verify Setup… in the More menu. Is anything lost? No. Preparing a drive adds Storage Studio's own folder and marker; it doesn't erase what's already on the drive. If you're moving to a brand-new drive, use Transfer to a New Drive… instead so your moved apps and folders come with you — see Switching to a new drive . You can still use the parts of Storage Studio that don't need a drive, such as clearing caches, while you sort this out. See also: Setting up your drive · When your drive is disconnected · Checking your drive's health and setup · Something's not working: start here",
  "markdown": "Storage Studio needs to recognise your external drive as the one it prepared before it can move apps and folders there. If it doesn't — because the drive isn't plugged in, a different drive is connected, or the setup step was skipped — the Home screen asks you to connect a drive. Choosing the drive again with **Set Up / Choose External Drive…** prepares it and puts things right.\n\n## What you might see\n\n- On the Home screen: **Connect an external drive to do more** — \"Moving big apps and files needs a fast external drive. You can still clear caches without one.\" — with **Set Up…** and **Reinstall…** buttons.\n- In the health line: \"Your external drive isn't connected.\"\n- In the Advanced view: \"External drive disconnected\", \"Wrong disk at …\", or **Mounted but marker missing** on the drive row.\n\n## Likely causes\n\n- **The drive isn't connected**, or hasn't finished appearing after you plugged it in.\n- **A different drive is connected.** Storage Studio leaves a small marker on the drive it prepares, and it only treats a drive carrying that marker as yours. Another drive at the same place reads as \"Wrong disk at …\".\n- **Setup didn't finish**, or was skipped, so the drive was never prepared.\n- **The drive was reformatted or replaced**, so the marker is gone.\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: Getting Storage Studio to recognise your drive\nflowchart TD\n  A[Storage Studio asks for an external drive] --> B{Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder?}\n  B -->|No| C[Plug it in and wait for it to appear]\n  C --> D{Banner gone?}\n  D -->|Yes| E[Done]\n  B -->|Yes| F[Open Set Up / Choose External Drive]\n  D -->|No| F\n  F --> G[Select the drive, then click Use This Drive]\n  G --> H{Is ready message shown?}\n  H -->|Yes| E\n  H -->|No| I[Run Set Up / Reinstall from the More menu]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — Getting Storage Studio to recognise your drive. Outline:*\n\n- Storage Studio asks for an external drive\n  - leads to Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder?\n- Is the drive plugged in and showing in Finder?\n  - No: leads to Plug it in and wait for it to appear\n  - Yes: leads to Open Set Up / Choose External Drive\n- Plug it in and wait for it to appear\n  - leads to Banner gone?\n- Banner gone?\n  - Yes: leads to Done\n  - No: leads to Open Set Up / Choose External Drive\n- Open Set Up / Choose External Drive\n  - leads to Select the drive, then click Use This Drive\n- Select the drive, then click Use This Drive\n  - leads to Is ready message shown?\n- Is ready message shown?\n  - Yes: leads to Done\n  - No: leads to Run Set Up / Reinstall from the More menu\n\n## How to fix it\n\n1. **Plug the drive in** and wait until it shows in Finder. If it's already connected, try **Remount Drive** in the **More** menu.\n2. **Choose the drive again.** Click **Set Up…** on the Home banner, or choose **Set Up / Choose External Drive…** in the **More** menu. In **Choose External Drive**, select your drive and click **Use This Drive**. If the list says \"No external drives mounted.\", plug the drive in and click the rescan button next to the title.\n3. **Read the result.** Storage Studio points itself at the drive and prepares it. When it works you'll see \"“…” is ready — Storage Studio is set up on this drive.\" If you see \"Drive selected, but setup didn't finish: …\", the reason follows the colon.\n4. **Re-run setup** if it still isn't recognised: click **Reinstall…** on the Home banner, or choose **Set Up / Reinstall…** in the **More** menu. It reinstalls the background service and prepares the drive again. See [The Setup Wizard](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-setup-wizard).\n5. **Check the result** with **Verify Setup…** in the **More** menu.\n\n## Is anything lost?\n\nNo. Preparing a drive adds Storage Studio's own folder and marker; it doesn't erase what's already on the drive. If you're moving to a brand-new drive, use **Transfer to a New Drive…** instead so your moved apps and folders come with you — see [Switching to a new drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/transfer-drive-and-backup-drive).\n\nYou can still use the parts of Storage Studio that don't need a drive, such as clearing caches, while you sort this out.\n\nSee also: [Setting up your drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/setting-up-your-drive) · [When your drive is disconnected](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-drive-is-disconnected) · [Checking your drive's health and setup](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/checking-your-drive) · [Something's not working: start here](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting-start-here)\n"
}