---
title: "The Preferences window"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window
category: "Settings"
tags: ["settings", "preferences", "getting started"]
summary: "Storage Studio's settings window has twelve pages in a sidebar — Interface, Services, Quiet Hours, Rules, Notifications, License, Junk Yard, Shortcuts, Permissions, Connections, Advanced and Consent & Legal. Open it with Settings… or ⌘, and changes apply straight away."
updated: 2026-10-01T05:37:14.000Z
---

# The Preferences window

Storage Studio's settings window has twelve pages in a sidebar — Interface, Services, Quiet Hours, Rules, Notifications, License, Junk Yard, Shortcuts, Permissions, Connections, Advanced and Consent & Legal. Open it with Settings… or ⌘, and changes apply straight away.

The Preferences window is where you change how Storage Studio behaves. It's titled **Storage Studio — Settings**, and a sidebar on the left lists its twelve pages, so every section is one click away. Most changes apply as soon as you make them — there's no Save button.

## Opening it

- Press **⌘,** while Storage Studio is in front.
- Choose **Settings…** from **More** in the Storage Studio window or the Advanced popover.
- Right-click the menu bar icon and choose **Settings…**.

If your licence isn't active, the window shows only the **License** page until it's sorted; the other pages come back as soon as it is.

## The pages

```mermaid
%% caption: The twelve pages of the Preferences window
mindmap
  root((Settings))
    How it looks
      Interface
      Shortcuts
      Notifications
    How it works
      Services
      Quiet Hours
      Rules
      Junk Yard
    Your Mac and account
      Permissions
      License
      Connections
    Behind the scenes
      Advanced
      Consent and Legal
```

*Mind map — The twelve pages of the Preferences window. Outline:*

- Settings
  - How it looks
    - Interface
    - Shortcuts
    - Notifications
  - How it works
    - Services
    - Quiet Hours
    - Rules
    - Junk Yard
  - Your Mac and account
    - Permissions
    - License
    - Connections
  - Behind the scenes
    - Advanced
    - Consent and Legal

| Page | What it's for |
|---|---|
| **Interface** | Choose the Intelligence window or the Advanced popover, Apple Intelligence, and the Dock icon. |
| **Services** | Live status of every background service, with a traffic-light dot for each. |
| **Quiet Hours** | When Storage Studio's automatic nightly work is allowed to run. |
| **Rules** | Your folder rules and Auto Rules, and what Free Up Space includes. |
| **Notifications** | Banners after successful runs, and sharing diagnostic logs with support. |
| **License** | Your trial or licence, plan and updates. |
| **Junk Yard** | Switch the Junk Yard on, and how it captures and clears scraps. |
| **Shortcuts** | Every global keyboard shortcut in one place. |
| **Permissions** | Whether Full Disk Access and notifications are allowed. |
| **Connections** | Let an AI assistant on this Mac read your storage status. |
| **Advanced** | Start at login, Demo Mode, cleanup-rule options, Full Disk Access help, the self-backup of your settings and version details. |
| **Consent & Legal** | The terms you accepted, the documents, and withdrawing consent. |

## Where to read more

- [Interface settings](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/interface-settings)
- [The Services pane](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/services-pane)
- [Quiet Hours](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/quiet-hours)
- [Auto Rules](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/auto-rules) and [Rules: moving folders automatically](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/rules-and-automatic-moves)
- [Sharing diagnostic logs with support](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/sharing-diagnostic-logs) and [notifications](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/learning-center-and-notifications)
- [The License pane](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-license-pane)
- [The Junk Yard](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/junk-yard)
- [Changing keyboard shortcuts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/shortcuts-pane)
- [The permissions Storage Studio asks for](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/permissions-storage-studio-asks-for) and [Full Disk Access](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/full-disk-access)
- [Letting another AI assistant read your storage](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/ai-access)
- [Starting Storage Studio at login](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/start-at-login), [Demo Mode](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/demo-mode) and [Backing up Storage Studio's own settings](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/self-backup-of-settings)
- [Legal documents and your consent choices](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/legal-documents-and-consent)

## What links here

- [Changing keyboard shortcuts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/shortcuts-pane)
- [Interface settings](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/interface-settings)
- [Letting another AI assistant read your storage](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/ai-access)
- [Quiet Hours](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/quiet-hours)
- [Show in Dock](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/show-apps-in-dock)
- [Starting Storage Studio at login](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/start-at-login)
- [The License pane](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-license-pane)
- [The Services pane](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/services-pane)
- [The menu bar icon and popover](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-menu-bar-icon-and-popover)