---
title: "Rules: moving folders automatically"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/rules-and-automatic-moves
category: "Freeing up space"
tags: ["rules", "external drive", "free up space", "dry run"]
summary: "Rules tell Storage Studio which files to move to your external drive, and when, without you doing it by hand. They run once a day and whenever you run Free Up Space, and you can preview exactly what they would do first."
updated: 2026-10-01T05:34:53.000Z
---

# Rules: moving folders automatically

Rules tell Storage Studio which files to move to your external drive, and when, without you doing it by hand. They run once a day and whenever you run Free Up Space, and you can preview exactly what they would do first.

**Rules** let Storage Studio move files to your external drive for you. Each rule names a folder and an age, for example *move things in Downloads that are older than 30 days*. Matching files are moved to the drive with a [shortcut](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-shortcut) left behind, so they still open from the same place. Rules run once a day on their own, and whenever you run [Free Up Space](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/free-up-space) or [Smart Care](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/smart-care).

## Where the rules live

Open **Settings** → **Rules**. Under **Default & Manual Rules**, each rule shows what it does, which folder it watches and its age, which you can change:

| Label | What the rule does |
|---|---|
| Move (by age) | Moves items in the folder that are older than the age |
| Move (large files) | Moves files that are both larger than a set size and older than the age |
| Delete | Clears items older than the age; they go to the Trash, except items already in the Trash, which are removed for good |
| Clean app caches | Clears rebuildable app caches |

The default rules move old items from Downloads, Desktop and Documents, move very large files from those folders, and move device backups that haven't been updated for about six months. Default Delete rules clear old crash reports, old Mail attachments, the preview thumbnail cache and items that have been in your Trash for more than 30 days. Rules that [Auto Rules](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/auto-rules) creates for your Mac appear in the **Auto Rules** section below.

## When rules run

- **Once a day.** If automatic tidy-ups are on (they are after setup), rules run once a day at or after the scheduled hour, by default 3 am. If your Mac was asleep then, the run happens the next time it's awake and you're not busy. It respects your [Quiet Hours](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/quiet-hours), and doesn't run while Storage Studio is paused or the drive isn't connected.
- **On demand.** More menu (•••) → **Run Moves Now**, or [Free Up Space](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/free-up-space).

## What rules will never move

```mermaid
%% caption: The checks every file passes before a rule moves it
flowchart TD
  A[File matches a rule] --> B{Changed in the last 7 days?}
  B -->|Yes| K[Kept where it is]
  B -->|No| C{Opened recently?}
  C -->|Yes| K
  C -->|No| D{In use by an app?}
  D -->|Yes| K
  D -->|No| E{In iCloud, or a cloud placeholder?}
  E -->|Yes| K
  E -->|No| F[Copied to the drive and checked]
  F --> G[Original replaced by a shortcut]
```

*Flowchart — The checks every file passes before a rule moves it. Outline:*

- File matches a rule
  - leads to Changed in the last 7 days?
- Changed in the last 7 days?
  - Yes: leads to Kept where it is
  - No: leads to Opened recently?
- Opened recently?
  - Yes: leads to Kept where it is
  - No: leads to In use by an app?
- In use by an app?
  - Yes: leads to Kept where it is
  - No: leads to In iCloud, or a cloud placeholder?
- In iCloud, or a cloud placeholder?
  - Yes: leads to Kept where it is
  - No: leads to Copied to the drive and checked
- Copied to the drive and checked
  - leads to Original replaced by a shortcut

- **The hard floor.** Nothing changed in the last 7 days is moved or deleted, whatever a rule says. You can change this under **Global overrides**, and lowering it below 7 days asks you to confirm.
- **Files you still use.** A file you've opened recently is kept even if it's old, using macOS's own record of what you open.
- **Files in use, lock files and editor scratch files** are skipped.
- **iCloud.** If your Desktop and Documents folders are kept in iCloud Drive, rules leave them alone, because moving them would fight with iCloud's own syncing.

If a rule for Documents or Desktop never seems to move anything, see [My rules don't move anything from Documents or Desktop](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/rules-dont-move-documents-or-desktop).

## Previewing a run first

To see exactly what the next run would do without changing anything, choose More menu (•••) → **Automatic Moves…**. The window shows your settings file at the top and a **Dry run preview** below. Click **Run preview**: each line says what *would* happen, such as *WOULD MOVE* or *WOULD KEEP (you've opened it recently)*. See [Dry run](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-dry-run).

## Keeping a moved folder clear: auto-sync

When you move a folder from [Storage Inspector](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-inspector), you can turn on **Keep auto-syncing new files to NVMe**. Storage Studio then checks that folder every minute and moves new files that apps write there to your drive, so the folder doesn't fill your Mac up again. It skips files that are in use, files changed in the last few seconds, very small files and hidden files.

If the same file fails to move three times, it's left alone for six hours rather than retried every minute, and you get one notice in [Job Insights](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-activity) under **Auto-sync** instead of a stream of errors. Your originals stay where they are. If a folder keeps failing, the notice suggests turning auto-sync off for it.

- **What's the best app to free up space on a Mac?** If you want space back without losing files, the best approach is "move, don't delete." Storage Studio relocates big apps and folders to an external drive (with a shortcut left in place so they still open), reclaims space macOS is holding in old snapshots, and keeps cloud files online-only — all… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)
- **How do I free up space on my Mac?** Empty the Trash, clear app caches, remove old downloads, and move large apps and folders you rarely use to an external drive. Storage Studio does all of this in one tap with Tuhi — it clears caches and rarely-used files, reclaims old local backups, and keeps cloud files online-only, previewed… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)
- **How do I get more storage on my Mac without deleting my files?** Pair your Mac with an external SSD and offload what you don't need on the startup disk. Storage Studio moves large apps, folders, and media to the external drive and leaves a shortcut in the original spot, so you reclaim space while keeping every file — nothing is deleted. (https://storagestudio.us/faq)
- **Is it safe to clear the cache on a Mac?** Yes — app caches rebuild automatically, so clearing them safely reclaims space; the only risk is deleting the wrong thing by hand. Storage Studio clears only known-safe caches and rarely-used files, shows a preview first, and never touches your personal files without asking. (https://storagestudio.us/faq)

See also: [Auto Rules](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/auto-rules) · [Reviewing, stopping and checking a clear-up](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/reviewing-a-clear-up) · [Moving folders safely](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-folders-safely) · [When your drive is disconnected](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-your-drive-is-disconnected) · [Pausing or stopping everything](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/pausing-and-stopping)

## What links here

- [A dry run shows files I don't want moved](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/dry-run-shows-unwanted-files)
- [Auto Rules](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/auto-rules)
- [Background Activity and Job Insights](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-activity)
- [Developer caches and build folders](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/developer-storage)
- [Dry run](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-dry-run)
- [Free Up Space](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/free-up-space)
- [My rules don't move anything from Documents or Desktop](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/rules-dont-move-documents-or-desktop)
- [Pausing or stopping everything](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/pausing-and-stopping)
- [Quiet Hours](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/quiet-hours)
- [Reviewing, stopping and checking a clear-up](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/reviewing-a-clear-up)
- [Starting Storage Studio at login](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/start-at-login)
- [Storage Inspector](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-inspector)
- [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window)
- [What Storage Studio does](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-storage-studio-does)
- [Where to start: pick your goal](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/where-to-start)