{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "Online-only file",
  "slug": "glossary-online-only-file",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file.md",
  "category": "Glossary",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary/",
  "tags": [
    "glossary",
    "cloud accounts",
    "finder"
  ],
  "summary": "An online-only file lives in a cloud account, with only a placeholder on your Mac. It still shows in Finder and downloads when you open it.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:16:35.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:35:46.000Z",
  "headings": [],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "the-storage-studio-location-in-finder",
      "label": "Storage Studio location in Finder",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder"
    },
    {
      "slug": "keep-opened-files-on-this-mac",
      "label": "Keep opened files on this Mac",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keep-opened-files-on-this-mac"
    },
    {
      "slug": "optimise-cloud-storage-locally",
      "label": "Optimise Cloud Storage Locally",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/optimise-cloud-storage-locally"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "glossary-built-in-disk",
      "title": "Built-in disk",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-built-in-disk"
    },
    {
      "slug": "keep-opened-files-on-this-mac",
      "title": "Keep opened files on this Mac",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keep-opened-files-on-this-mac"
    },
    {
      "slug": "compared-with-remove-download",
      "title": "Keep opened files versus iCloud's Remove Download",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-remove-download"
    },
    {
      "slug": "optimise-cloud-storage-locally",
      "title": "Optimise Cloud Storage Locally",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/optimise-cloud-storage-locally"
    },
    {
      "slug": "parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account",
      "title": "Parking a folder in a cloud account",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account"
    },
    {
      "slug": "compared-with-optimise-mac-storage",
      "title": "Storage Studio and Optimise Mac Storage",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-optimise-mac-storage"
    },
    {
      "slug": "compared-with-macos-storage-settings",
      "title": "Storage Studio and macOS Storage settings",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-macos-storage-settings"
    },
    {
      "slug": "compared-with-icloud-drive",
      "title": "Storage Studio's cloud accounts and iCloud Drive",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-icloud-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-storage-studio-location-in-finder",
      "title": "The Storage Studio location in Finder",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder"
    },
    {
      "slug": "delta-drive-badges",
      "title": "What the Delta Drive badges mean",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive-badges"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [],
  "faqs": [],
  "text": "An online-only file is one whose contents live in a cloud account, with only a small placeholder on your Mac. It still appears in Finder with its name and size, but takes almost no space until you open it — then it downloads. Finder marks online-only items with a small cloud icon. Opening one needs an internet connection the first time, so keep files you need offline downloaded. In Storage Studio: Files in the Storage Studio location in Finder are online-only until you open them. Keep opened files on this Mac decides how long an opened file stays downloaded — 24 hours unless you change it. Optimize Cloud Storage… in the More menu turns files that are already downloaded in a cloud folder on your Mac back into online-only files, skipping any file that's open. See also: Keep opened files on this Mac · Optimise Cloud Storage Locally",
  "markdown": "An **online-only file** is one whose contents live in a cloud account, with only a small placeholder on your Mac. It still appears in Finder with its name and size, but takes almost no space until you open it — then it downloads. Finder marks online-only items with a small cloud icon.\n\nOpening one needs an internet connection the first time, so keep files you need offline downloaded.\n\nIn Storage Studio:\n\n- Files in the [Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder) are online-only until you open them. **Keep opened files on this Mac** decides how long an opened file stays downloaded — 24 hours unless you change it.\n- **Optimize Cloud Storage…** in the More menu turns files that are already downloaded in a cloud folder on your Mac back into online-only files, skipping any file that's open.\n\nSee also: [Keep opened files on this Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keep-opened-files-on-this-mac) · [Optimise Cloud Storage Locally](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/optimise-cloud-storage-locally)\n"
}