---
title: "The Storage Studio location is missing from Finder"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-location-is-missing
category: "Troubleshooting"
tags: ["troubleshooting", "finder", "cloud accounts"]
summary: "The Storage Studio entry under Locations in Finder appears only while Storage Studio is running and the Mounting tab's switch is on. If it's missing, check those two, use Remount / Repair, and look out for the fallback drive, which Finder doesn't list."
updated: 2026-10-01T05:41:18.000Z
---

# The Storage Studio location is missing from Finder

The Storage Studio entry under Locations in Finder appears only while Storage Studio is running and the Mounting tab's switch is on. If it's missing, check those two, use Remount / Repair, and look out for the fallback drive, which Finder doesn't list.

The **Storage Studio** entry under **Locations** in Finder's sidebar is there only while Storage Studio is running and its Finder drive is switched on. If it's missing, open Storage Studio, check the **Mounting** tab in Remotes & Accounts, and click **Remount / Repair**. On some Macs Storage Studio uses a fallback drive instead, which works the same but isn't listed under Locations.

## Likely causes

- **Storage Studio isn't running.** When you quit it, the location is removed from Finder; it comes back the next time Storage Studio opens.
- **The Finder drive is switched off** on the **Mounting** tab, or every source in it is switched off. With nothing to show, the status reads "Nothing to mount yet".
- **The drive stopped.** The status line says "The cloud drive stopped responding. Use Remount / Repair to start it again." or "No account could be reached".
- **You're on the fallback drive.** On a Mac where the Finder location can't start, Storage Studio mounts a drive instead. The Mounting tab says: "This is the fallback drive — Finder doesn't list it under Locations, so open it with the button below."
- **Finder's sidebar is hiding it** — for example the **Locations** section is collapsed.

```mermaid
%% caption: Bringing back the Storage Studio location in Finder
flowchart TD
  A[No Storage Studio under Locations in Finder] --> B{Is Storage Studio running?}
  B -->|No| C[Open Storage Studio]
  B -->|Yes| D[Open Remotes and Accounts, Mounting tab]
  C --> D
  D --> E{Is Mount everything as one Finder drive on?}
  E -->|No| F[Turn it on]
  E -->|Yes| G{Does it say this is the fallback drive?}
  G -->|Yes| H[Use Open the Drive]
  G -->|No| I[Click Remount / Repair]
```

*Flowchart — Bringing back the Storage Studio location in Finder. Outline:*

- No Storage Studio under Locations in Finder
  - leads to Is Storage Studio running?
- Is Storage Studio running?
  - No: leads to Open Storage Studio
  - Yes: leads to Open Remotes and Accounts, Mounting tab
- Open Storage Studio
  - leads to Open Remotes and Accounts, Mounting tab
- Open Remotes and Accounts, Mounting tab
  - leads to Is Mount everything as one Finder drive on?
- Is Mount everything as one Finder drive on?
  - No: leads to Turn it on
  - Yes: leads to Does it say this is the fallback drive?
- Does it say this is the fallback drive?
  - Yes: leads to Use Open the Drive
  - No: leads to Click Remount / Repair

## How to fix it

1. **Make sure Storage Studio is running.** Look for its menu bar icon, or open it from Applications.
2. **Open the Mounting tab.** Choose **Connect Accounts…** from the **More** menu (in the Advanced view, **Cloud Accounts…**), then the **Mounting** tab.
3. **Check the main switch.** **Mount everything as one Finder drive** should be on. Below it, each account, **This Mac** and each paired device has its own switch — at least one must be on. The status line should read "On — in Finder under Locations, as “Storage Studio”".
4. **Click Remount / Repair.** It rebuilds the drive; the status shows "Repairing…" and then settles.
5. **If it says you're on the fallback drive,** that's expected on some Macs — click **Open the Drive** to reach your files. See [When the location falls back to a mounted drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-the-location-falls-back-to-a-mounted-drive).
6. **Check Finder's sidebar.** Hover over **Locations** in the sidebar and make sure the section is expanded. Finder's own **Settings → Sidebar** controls which kinds of item it shows.
7. **Restart Storage Studio** from the menu bar icon's right-click menu if it still doesn't appear.

An account that can't be reached is skipped until it's back, without affecting the others — so one signed-out account doesn't remove the whole location. See [When an account needs signing in again](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-an-account-needs-signing-in-again).

See also: [The Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder) · [The Finder button in the main window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-button) · [Why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos-and-the-finder-location) · [Something's not working: start here](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting-start-here)

- **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)
- **Will opening cloud files in Finder fill up my Mac?** No. Only files you actually open are downloaded, and you choose how long they stay on your Mac once you stop using them — from not at all up to a week, 24 hours by default (and longer when the drive keeps its copies on your external drive). After that they go back to being online-only and the… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)
- **Is a locked Delta Drive folder the same as Finder's Locked checkbox?** No. Finder's own Locked checkbox (in Get Info) only stops a file being changed or deleted by accident, and anyone using your Mac can untick it — it doesn't keep anyone out. A locked Delta Drive folder does: it opens only in Storage Studio on your Mac, with your 6-digit PIN and a one-time code we… (https://storagestudio.us/faq)

## What links here

- [Large folders appear a page at a time](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/large-folders-in-finder)
- [Something's not working: start here](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/troubleshooting-start-here)
- [The Finder button in the main window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-button)
- [The Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder)
- [When the location falls back to a mounted drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-the-location-falls-back-to-a-mounted-drive)
- [Why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos-and-the-finder-location)
