The free trial

Storage Studio starts with a free trial that unlocks every feature. No card is required — you register with a few details, confirm your email, and you're in. The trial belongs to your Mac, so reinstalling the app doesn't start a new one.

Starting your trial

1. On first launch, the welcome screen asks for your full name, email and country. These are used to set up and support your trial, and to email you a verification code and trial reminders.
2. Choose Email me a code.
3. Under Check your email, enter the one-time code and choose the button that starts your trial. The code expires after a few minutes; Resend code sends another, and Change details goes back a step.

Code not arriving? Check your spam or promotions folder first. If it still hasn't come through, choose Start my trial without the code — your trial starts now and your email is confirmed later.

If this Mac already has an active trial, the screen says You're all set — this Mac already has an active trial and offers Continue. Already bought Storage Studio? Choose I have a licence instead.

%% caption: How a trial starts
flowchart TD
  A[Welcome screen] --> B{Already have a licence?}
  B -->|Yes| C[I have a licence]
  B -->|No| D[Enter name, email and country]
  D --> E[Email me a code]
  E --> F{Code arrived?}
  F -->|Yes| G[Enter the code and start your trial]
  F -->|No| H[Start my trial without the code]
  G --> I[Every feature unlocked]
  H --> I

What's included

Everything. The trial is not a cut-down version: Data Parking, Free Up Space, the Apps window, Data Transfers and the rest all work fully. You can also set up My Drive during a trial. Delta Trust is the exception — it needs a bought licence.

Keeping track of time

• The main window shows a banner such as "5 days left in your trial", which turns orange as the end gets close.
• The menu-bar popover's header shows a TRIAL badge with the days left.
• Near the end, the notifications bell shows "Only N days left in your free trial", and we send reminder emails to your registered address.
• The licence card at the bottom of the popover shows when your trial started and when it ends, and Preferences → License shows the days left and the end date.

The length of the trial is set by our servers and shown on the welcome screen and in the License pane, so always go by what your app says.

When it ends

When the trial ends, Storage Studio pauses its work and shows what you can do next: buy a licence, enter a licence key, coupon or onboarding code, or — where it's offered — extend your trial by confirming your email. The trial-ended screen also shows This Mac's trial: the email it was registered to, when it started and ended, and your Install ID, which is the first thing support asks for. Your moved files stay exactly where they are.

See also: Extending your trial, Buying a licence, When a trial or licence ends, Your first launch, step by step.