{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "Parking a folder in a cloud account",
  "slug": "parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account.md",
  "category": "Data Parking & moving folders",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-parking-and-moving-folders/",
  "tags": [
    "data parking",
    "cloud accounts",
    "moving folders",
    "free up space"
  ],
  "summary": "Data Parking can move folders into a connected cloud account instead of an external drive. Each item is uploaded and then removed from your Mac; Relocate isn't available, and the account keeps only the file details it supports.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:18:06.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:33:40.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Before you start",
      "id": "before-you-start"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Step by step",
      "id": "step-by-step"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "How it differs from a drive",
      "id": "how-it-differs-from-a-drive"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Cloud folders on this Mac",
      "id": "cloud-folders-on-this-mac"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Send here",
      "id": "send-here"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "cloud-accounts",
      "label": "Cloud accounts",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-data-parking-window",
      "label": "A tour of the Data Parking window",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-data-parking-window"
    },
    {
      "slug": "data-transfers",
      "label": "Data Transfers",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers"
    },
    {
      "slug": "what-a-move-keeps",
      "label": "What a move keeps",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-a-move-keeps"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-storage-studio-location-in-finder",
      "label": "the Storage Studio location in Finder",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder"
    },
    {
      "slug": "moving-folders-safely",
      "label": "Moving folders safely",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-folders-safely"
    },
    {
      "slug": "a-transfer-failed",
      "label": "A transfer failed",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-transfer-failed"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-online-only-file",
      "label": "Online-only file",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "the-data-parking-window",
      "title": "A tour of the Data Parking window",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-data-parking-window"
    },
    {
      "slug": "cloud-accounts",
      "title": "Cloud accounts",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts"
    },
    {
      "slug": "move-merge-or-relocate",
      "title": "Move, Merge or Relocate: which to choose",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/move-merge-or-relocate"
    },
    {
      "slug": "moving-folders-safely",
      "title": "Moving folders safely",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-folders-safely"
    },
    {
      "slug": "what-a-move-keeps",
      "title": "What a move keeps",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-a-move-keeps"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "Parking a folder in a cloud account",
      "outline": "- Pick the account in the right pane\n  - leads to Pair matching folders\n- Pair matching folders\n  - leads to Move or Merge\n- Move or Merge\n  - leads to Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job\n- Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job\n  - leads to Upload finished?\n- Upload finished?\n  - Yes: leads to That item is removed from your Mac\n  - No: leads to It stays on your Mac - Retry in Data Transfers\n",
      "source": "%% caption: Parking a folder in a cloud account\nflowchart LR\n  A[Pick the account in the right pane] --> B[Pair matching folders]\n  B --> C[Move or Merge]\n  C --> D[Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job]\n  D --> E{Upload finished?}\n  E -->|Yes| F[That item is removed from your Mac]\n  E -->|No| G[It stays on your Mac - Retry in Data Transfers]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [
    {
      "alt": "The Data Parking window with the right pane showing a connected cloud account and the destination menu open on the Connected accounts section",
      "caption": "Choosing a cloud account as the destination"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Can I see all my cloud accounts in Finder on a Mac?",
      "answer": "Yes. Storage Studio adds a \"Storage Studio\" location to Finder's sidebar, with each connected cloud account and paired device as a folder inside, and a Finder button in the app's main window opens it. Files stay in the cloud until you open them. Folders you have visited open straight away and…",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq"
    }
  ],
  "text": "You don't need an external drive to park a folder. In Data Parking , the right pane can show one of your connected cloud accounts, and Move or Merge uploads the folder there and then removes it from your Mac. Before you start Connect the account first in Cloud accounts . Accounts appear in Data Parking once they're connected; Manage cloud accounts… in the destination menu takes you there. Step by step Open Data Parking from the More menu. On the right pane, click the destination button and choose your account under Connected accounts . The pane opens at the top of the account. Storage Studio also makes a folder there named after this Mac, to keep your parked folders together. Open matching folders on both sides — the panes pair only when the folder names are the same — and click Pair . See A tour of the Data Parking window . Tick what you want to park on the left and press Move or Merge . Each ticked item becomes its own upload in Data Transfers . As each one finishes, it disappears from the left pane. Parking a folder in a cloud account Flowchart outline: Parking a folder in a cloud account Pick the account in the right pane leads to Pair matching folders Pair matching folders leads to Move or Merge Move or Merge leads to Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job leads to Upload finished? Upload finished? Yes: leads to That item is removed from your Mac No: leads to It stays on your Mac - Retry in Data Transfers How it differs from a drive External drive Cloud account Relocate, leaving shortcuts Available Not available Same name already there Move replaces it, Merge combines Both combine, keeping the newer copy of each file What each file keeps Dates, permissions, tags and more What the provider supports Speed Your drive's speed Your internet connection Where the files are afterwards On the drive, ready to open In the account, not on your Mac No Relocate. A cloud account can't hold the shortcuts Relocate leaves behind, so Data Parking says so and asks you to use Move or Merge . Move and Merge both combine. Where a file already exists in the account, the newer of the two copies is kept. What's kept. Most providers keep each file's modified date; only some keep its created date, and Mac-specific details such as Finder tags or the Locked flag generally aren't kept. Compare What a move keeps for drives. Your Mac's copy is removed after each item finishes uploading. If an upload fails, Data Parking shows Couldn't transfer with the reason, the item stays on your Mac, and the job stays in Data Transfers so you can click Retry once the connection is back. Getting it back means downloading it — use the ← buttons in Data Parking, or browse the account through the Storage Studio location in Finder . Cloud folders on this Mac The destination menu also lists Folders on this Mac — cloud folders that macOS already shows in Finder, such as iCloud Drive or a provider app's folder. These behave like a folder on a drive: Data Parking moves into them with the same careful copy and check. Whether the files then stay downloaded on your Mac is up to that provider's own app, so check its settings if the point is to free space. Send here Send here works with cloud accounts too, without pairing. If you choose a Move option, a note reminds you that each item is removed from your Mac after it finishes uploading, and to check Data Transfers before assuming the move completed. See also: Moving folders safely , A transfer failed , Online-only file . Common questions Can I see all my cloud accounts in Finder on a Mac? Yes. Storage Studio adds a \"Storage Studio\" location to Finder's sidebar, with each connected cloud account and paired device as a folder inside, and a Finder button in the app's main window opens it. Files stay in the cloud until you open them. Folders you have visited open straight away and…",
  "markdown": "You don't need an external drive to park a folder. In **Data Parking**, the right pane can show one of your connected cloud accounts, and **Move** or **Merge** uploads the folder there and then removes it from your Mac.\n\n## Before you start\n\nConnect the account first in [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts). Accounts appear in Data Parking once they're connected; **Manage cloud accounts…** in the destination menu takes you there.\n\n## Step by step\n\n1. Open **Data Parking** from the **More** menu.\n2. On the right pane, click the **destination** button and choose your account under **Connected accounts**. The pane opens at the top of the account. Storage Studio also makes a folder there named after this Mac, to keep your parked folders together.\n3. Open matching folders on both sides — the panes pair only when the folder names are the same — and click **Pair**. See [A tour of the Data Parking window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-data-parking-window).\n4. Tick what you want to park on the left and press **Move** or **Merge**.\n5. Each ticked item becomes its own upload in [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers). As each one finishes, it disappears from the left pane.\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: Parking a folder in a cloud account\nflowchart LR\n  A[Pick the account in the right pane] --> B[Pair matching folders]\n  B --> C[Move or Merge]\n  C --> D[Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job]\n  D --> E{Upload finished?}\n  E -->|Yes| F[That item is removed from your Mac]\n  E -->|No| G[It stays on your Mac - Retry in Data Transfers]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — Parking a folder in a cloud account. Outline:*\n\n- Pick the account in the right pane\n  - leads to Pair matching folders\n- Pair matching folders\n  - leads to Move or Merge\n- Move or Merge\n  - leads to Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job\n- Each item uploads as a Data Transfers job\n  - leads to Upload finished?\n- Upload finished?\n  - Yes: leads to That item is removed from your Mac\n  - No: leads to It stays on your Mac - Retry in Data Transfers\n\n## How it differs from a drive\n\n| | External drive | Cloud account |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Relocate, leaving shortcuts | Available | Not available |\n| Same name already there | Move replaces it, Merge combines | Both combine, keeping the newer copy of each file |\n| What each file keeps | Dates, permissions, tags and more | What the provider supports |\n| Speed | Your drive's speed | Your internet connection |\n| Where the files are afterwards | On the drive, ready to open | In the account, not on your Mac |\n\n- **No Relocate.** A cloud account can't hold the shortcuts Relocate leaves behind, so Data Parking says so and asks you to use **Move** or **Merge**.\n- **Move and Merge both combine.** Where a file already exists in the account, the newer of the two copies is kept.\n- **What's kept.** Most providers keep each file's modified date; only some keep its created date, and Mac-specific details such as Finder tags or the Locked flag generally aren't kept. Compare [What a move keeps](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-a-move-keeps) for drives.\n- **Your Mac's copy is removed after each item finishes uploading.** If an upload fails, Data Parking shows **Couldn't transfer** with the reason, the item stays on your Mac, and the job stays in Data Transfers so you can click **Retry** once the connection is back.\n- **Getting it back** means downloading it — use the **←** buttons in Data Parking, or browse the account through [the Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder).\n\n## Cloud folders on this Mac\n\nThe destination menu also lists **Folders on this Mac** — cloud folders that macOS already shows in Finder, such as iCloud Drive or a provider app's folder. These behave like a folder on a drive: Data Parking moves into them with the same careful copy and check. Whether the files then stay downloaded on your Mac is up to that provider's own app, so check its settings if the point is to free space.\n\n## Send here\n\n**Send here** works with cloud accounts too, without pairing. If you choose a Move option, a note reminds you that each item is removed from your Mac after it finishes uploading, and to check Data Transfers before assuming the move completed.\n\nSee also: [Moving folders safely](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-folders-safely), [A transfer failed](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-transfer-failed), [Online-only file](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file).\n\n- **Can I see all my cloud accounts in Finder on a Mac?** Yes. Storage Studio adds a \"Storage Studio\" location to Finder's sidebar, with each connected cloud account and paired device as a folder inside, and a Finder button in the app's main window opens it. Files stay in the cloud until you open them. Folders you have visited open straight away and… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)\n"
}