{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "Performance modes",
  "slug": "performance-modes",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/performance-modes",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/performance-modes.md",
  "category": "Performance & battery",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/performance-and-battery/",
  "tags": [
    "performance",
    "battery",
    "background"
  ],
  "summary": "A performance mode sets how much of your Mac's spare capacity Storage Studio may use and how lively its windows are. Automatic, the default, adjusts by itself — easing off when your Mac is busy, warm or low on battery, and pausing background work under heavy load.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:18:15.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:36:44.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Where to change it",
      "id": "where-to-change-it"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "The modes",
      "id": "the-modes"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "How Automatic decides",
      "id": "how-automatic-decides"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "What pauses",
      "id": "what-pauses"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Being told about it",
      "id": "being-told-about-it"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "a-lazy-background-utility",
      "label": "Why Storage Studio works slowly on purpose",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-lazy-background-utility"
    },
    {
      "slug": "battery-and-power",
      "label": "Battery and power",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/battery-and-power"
    },
    {
      "slug": "is-storage-studio-slowing-my-mac",
      "label": "Is Storage Studio slowing my Mac down?",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/is-storage-studio-slowing-my-mac"
    },
    {
      "slug": "storage-profile",
      "label": "Your Storage Profile",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-profile"
    },
    {
      "slug": "background-activity",
      "label": "Background Activity and Job Insights",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-activity"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "background-duplicate-scans",
      "title": "Background duplicate scans",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-duplicate-scans"
    },
    {
      "slug": "backup-schedules",
      "title": "Backup schedules and triggers",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-schedules"
    },
    {
      "slug": "backup-speed-and-power",
      "title": "Backup speed, battery and the network",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-speed-and-power"
    },
    {
      "slug": "battery-and-power",
      "title": "Battery and power",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/battery-and-power"
    },
    {
      "slug": "clipboard-capture",
      "title": "Clipboard capture, pins and how long items last",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/clipboard-capture"
    },
    {
      "slug": "during-meetings-and-calls",
      "title": "During meetings, calls and presentations",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/during-meetings-and-calls"
    },
    {
      "slug": "everything-looks-stuck",
      "title": "Everything looks stuck",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/everything-looks-stuck"
    },
    {
      "slug": "is-storage-studio-slowing-my-mac",
      "title": "Is Storage Studio slowing my Mac down?",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/is-storage-studio-slowing-my-mac"
    },
    {
      "slug": "junk-yard-shortcuts",
      "title": "Junk Yard shortcuts",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/junk-yard-shortcuts"
    },
    {
      "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": "opening-the-junk-yard",
      "title": "Opening the Junk Yard from the screen edge",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/opening-the-junk-yard"
    },
    {
      "slug": "pausing-and-stopping",
      "title": "Pausing or stopping everything",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/pausing-and-stopping"
    },
    {
      "slug": "quiet-hours",
      "title": "Quiet Hours",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/quiet-hours"
    },
    {
      "slug": "transfer-schedules",
      "title": "Scheduling a transfer",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/transfer-schedules"
    },
    {
      "slug": "the-junk-yard-wont-open",
      "title": "The Junk Yard won't open or stops capturing",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-junk-yard-wont-open"
    },
    {
      "slug": "a-lazy-background-utility",
      "title": "Why Storage Studio works slowly on purpose",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-lazy-background-utility"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "How Automatic chooses a mode",
      "outline": "- Automatic checks your Mac\n  - leads to Very hot, or almost no processor time free?\n- Very hot, or almost no processor time free?\n  - Yes: leads to Survival - background work paused\n  - No: leads to Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent?\n- Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent?\n  - Yes: leads to Light\n  - No: leads to Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free?\n- Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free?\n  - Yes: leads to Light\n  - No: leads to Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle?\n- Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle?\n  - Yes: leads to Rich\n  - No: leads to Good\n",
      "source": "%% caption: How Automatic chooses a mode\nflowchart TD\n  A[Automatic checks your Mac] --> B{Very hot, or almost no processor time free?}\n  B -->|Yes| S[Survival - background work paused]\n  B -->|No| C{Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent?}\n  C -->|Yes| L[Light]\n  C -->|No| D{Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free?}\n  D -->|Yes| L\n  D -->|No| E{Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle?}\n  E -->|Yes| R[Rich]\n  E -->|No| G[Good]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [
    {
      "alt": "The Storage Profile window with the performance menu in its header open, showing Automatic — adapts to your Mac and the other modes",
      "caption": "Choosing a performance mode in the Storage Profile"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [],
  "text": "A performance mode sets how much of your Mac's spare capacity Storage Studio may use for its background work, and how lively its windows are. The default, Automatic , adjusts by itself from moment to moment: it eases off when your Mac is busy, warm or low on battery, and pauses background work altogether under heavy load. You can also pick a mode yourself. Where to change it Open the More menu → Storage Profile… . The current mode is shown as a small menu in the window's header — for example Auto · Good . Hover it to see why Storage Studio chose that mode; click it to pick another. The modes Mode in the menu What it means Share of your Mac's free capacity background work may use Automatic — adapts to your Mac The default. Chooses Rich, Good, Light or Survival for you Depends on the mode it picks Extreme — fastest, uses more Background work finishes sooner; uses more of your Mac Up to 90% Rich — full visual effects Full effects and live graphs Up to 50% Good — balanced everyday default Full features, gentler background work Up to 30% Light — gentle on resources Animations and effects off, background work runs gently Up to 12% Minimum — core only Background services stop; only core storage work runs Up to 8% There's one more mode you never choose: Survival . Storage Studio enters it on its own when your Mac is under heavy load, pauses its background work, and leaves it again by itself. The share is always of what's free at that moment, not of your whole Mac — so when you're busy, Storage Studio uses very little. See Why Storage Studio works slowly on purpose . How Automatic decides Automatic looks again about once a minute, and straight away when your Mac's temperature changes or you switch Low Power Mode on or off. The first match wins: How Automatic chooses a mode Flowchart outline: How Automatic chooses a mode Automatic checks your Mac leads to Very hot, or almost no processor time free? Very hot, or almost no processor time free? Yes: leads to Survival - background work paused No: leads to Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent? Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent? Yes: leads to Light No: leads to Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free? Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free? Yes: leads to Light No: leads to Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle? Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle? Yes: leads to Rich No: leads to Good Rich is only chosen on a plugged-in Mac with at least 10 processor cores and 16 GB of memory, while it's mostly idle. Low Power Mode doesn't force Light. Storage Studio stays on Good, with its animations switched off and background work cut back further. Because a short burst of activity can tip Automatic into Survival, it can stay there for about a minute after things calm down, until the next check. What pauses Light Survival (automatic) Minimum (your choice) Animations and visual effects Off Off Off Storage Profile charts Shown Paused Paused Rules that move files automatically Gentle Paused Paused Scheduled transfers and automatic backups Gentle Paused Paused Background duplicate scans Gentle Paused Paused Junk Yard clipboard capture and edge curtain Running Running Paused Bridge device sharing Running Running Stopped In Survival and Minimum the Storage Profile shows \"Charts are paused in this power-saving mode.\" Things you start yourself still run in every mode — for example Back up now or Scan now in the Duplicates window. Because Minimum also stops Junk Yard capture and Bridge, choose it only when you want Storage Studio kept to its core work; switch back to Automatic — adapts to your Mac to resume everything. Being told about it Storage Studio adds a short note to its notifications so a quiet app doesn't look stuck: Storage Studio paused itself — in Survival. It resumes automatically when things settle. Running light to stay out of your way — when effects are off, with the reason, such as \"Low battery — saving power\". Performance: Automatic · Good (or whichever mode) — the rest of the time. See also: Battery and power · Is Storage Studio slowing my Mac down? · Your Storage Profile · Background Activity and Job Insights",
  "markdown": "A **performance mode** sets how much of your Mac's spare capacity Storage Studio may use for its background work, and how lively its windows are. The default, **Automatic**, adjusts by itself from moment to moment: it eases off when your Mac is busy, warm or low on battery, and pauses background work altogether under heavy load. You can also pick a mode yourself.\n\n## Where to change it\n\nOpen the **More** menu → **Storage Profile…**. The current mode is shown as a small menu in the window's header — for example **Auto · Good**. Hover it to see why Storage Studio chose that mode; click it to pick another.\n\n## The modes\n\n| Mode in the menu | What it means | Share of your Mac's free capacity background work may use |\n|---|---|---|\n| Automatic — adapts to your Mac | The default. Chooses Rich, Good, Light or Survival for you | Depends on the mode it picks |\n| Extreme — fastest, uses more | Background work finishes sooner; uses more of your Mac | Up to 90% |\n| Rich — full visual effects | Full effects and live graphs | Up to 50% |\n| Good — balanced everyday default | Full features, gentler background work | Up to 30% |\n| Light — gentle on resources | Animations and effects off, background work runs gently | Up to 12% |\n| Minimum — core only | Background services stop; only core storage work runs | Up to 8% |\n\nThere's one more mode you never choose: **Survival**. Storage Studio enters it on its own when your Mac is under heavy load, pauses its background work, and leaves it again by itself.\n\nThe share is always of what's **free** at that moment, not of your whole Mac — so when you're busy, Storage Studio uses very little. See [Why Storage Studio works slowly on purpose](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-lazy-background-utility).\n\n## How Automatic decides\n\nAutomatic looks again about once a minute, and straight away when your Mac's temperature changes or you switch Low Power Mode on or off. The first match wins:\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: How Automatic chooses a mode\nflowchart TD\n  A[Automatic checks your Mac] --> B{Very hot, or almost no processor time free?}\n  B -->|Yes| S[Survival - background work paused]\n  B -->|No| C{Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent?}\n  C -->|Yes| L[Light]\n  C -->|No| D{Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free?}\n  D -->|Yes| L\n  D -->|No| E{Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle?}\n  E -->|Yes| R[Rich]\n  E -->|No| G[Good]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — How Automatic chooses a mode. Outline:*\n\n- Automatic checks your Mac\n  - leads to Very hot, or almost no processor time free?\n- Very hot, or almost no processor time free?\n  - Yes: leads to Survival - background work paused\n  - No: leads to Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent?\n- Warming up, Reduce Motion on, or battery below 20 percent?\n  - Yes: leads to Light\n  - No: leads to Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free?\n- Mac busy, with less than a fifth of its processor free?\n  - Yes: leads to Light\n  - No: leads to Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle?\n- Plugged in, not in Low Power Mode, a high-end Mac and mostly idle?\n  - Yes: leads to Rich\n  - No: leads to Good\n\n- **Rich** is only chosen on a plugged-in Mac with at least 10 processor cores and 16 GB of memory, while it's mostly idle.\n- **Low Power Mode** doesn't force Light. Storage Studio stays on Good, with its animations switched off and background work cut back further.\n- Because a short burst of activity can tip Automatic into Survival, it can stay there for about a minute after things calm down, until the next check.\n\n## What pauses\n\n| | Light | Survival (automatic) | Minimum (your choice) |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| Animations and visual effects | Off | Off | Off |\n| Storage Profile charts | Shown | Paused | Paused |\n| Rules that move files automatically | Gentle | Paused | Paused |\n| Scheduled transfers and automatic backups | Gentle | Paused | Paused |\n| Background duplicate scans | Gentle | Paused | Paused |\n| Junk Yard clipboard capture and edge curtain | Running | Running | Paused |\n| Bridge device sharing | Running | Running | Stopped |\n\nIn Survival and Minimum the Storage Profile shows \"Charts are paused in this power-saving mode.\"\n\nThings you start yourself still run in every mode — for example **Back up now** or **Scan now** in the Duplicates window. Because Minimum also stops Junk Yard capture and Bridge, choose it only when you want Storage Studio kept to its core work; switch back to **Automatic — adapts to your Mac** to resume everything.\n\n## Being told about it\n\nStorage Studio adds a short note to its notifications so a quiet app doesn't look stuck:\n\n- **Storage Studio paused itself** — in Survival. It resumes automatically when things settle.\n- **Running light to stay out of your way** — when effects are off, with the reason, such as \"Low battery — saving power\".\n- **Performance: Automatic · Good** (or whichever mode) — the rest of the time.\n\nSee also: [Battery and power](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/battery-and-power) · [Is Storage Studio slowing my Mac down?](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/is-storage-studio-slowing-my-mac) · [Your Storage Profile](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-profile) · [Background Activity and Job Insights](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-activity)\n"
}