{ "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1", "title": "The Storage Studio location in Finder", "slug": "the-storage-studio-location-in-finder", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder", "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder.md", "category": "The Finder location", "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-location/", "tags": [ "finder", "cloud accounts", "locations" ], "summary": "Storage Studio adds a Storage Studio entry under Locations in Finder's sidebar, with a folder for each connected cloud account, your external drive's Home folder and your paired devices. Files download only when you open them.", "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:19:49.000Z", "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:37:28.000Z", "headings": [ { "level": 2, "text": "What you see there", "id": "what-you-see-there" }, { "level": 2, "text": "What you can do", "id": "what-you-can-do" }, { "level": 2, "text": "Turning it on or off", "id": "turning-it-on-or-off" }, { "level": 2, "text": "Big folders and thumbnails", "id": "big-folders-and-thumbnails" }, { "level": 2, "text": "If the location can't start", "id": "if-the-location-can-t-start" } ], "links_out": [ { "slug": "glossary-online-only-file", "label": "online-only", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file" }, { "slug": "cloud-accounts", "label": "Cloud accounts", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts" }, { "slug": "the-home-folder-in-finder", "label": "The Home folder in the Finder location", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-folder-in-finder" }, { "slug": "bridge-devices", "label": "Bridge: connecting another device", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bridge-devices" }, { "slug": "icloud-photos-of-another-apple-id", "label": "iCloud Photos of another Apple ID", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/icloud-photos-of-another-apple-id" }, { "slug": "google-photos-and-the-finder-location", "label": "Why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos-and-the-finder-location" }, { "slug": "keep-opened-files-on-this-mac", "label": "Keep opened files on this Mac", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keep-opened-files-on-this-mac" }, { "slug": "the-finder-button", "label": "The Finder button in the main window", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-button" }, { "slug": "large-folders-in-finder", "label": "Large folders appear a page at a time", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/large-folders-in-finder" }, { "slug": "thumbnails-in-finder", "label": "Thumbnails, and why some accounts show plain icons", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/thumbnails-in-finder" }, { "slug": "when-the-location-falls-back-to-a-mounted-drive", "label": "When the location falls back to a mounted drive", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-the-location-falls-back-to-a-mounted-drive" }, { "slug": "the-finder-location-is-missing", "label": "The Storage Studio location is missing from Finder", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-location-is-missing" }, { "slug": "data-transfers", "label": "Data Transfers", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers" }, { "slug": "compared-with-icloud-drive", "label": "Storage Studio's cloud accounts and iCloud Drive", "exists": true, "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-icloud-drive" } ], "links_in": [ { "slug": "bridge-devices", "title": "Bridge: connecting another device", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bridge-devices" }, { "slug": "cloud-accounts", "title": "Cloud accounts", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts" }, { "slug": "connecting-box", "title": "Connecting Box", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-box" }, { "slug": "connecting-dropbox", "title": "Connecting Dropbox", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-dropbox" }, { "slug": "connecting-google-drive", "title": "Connecting Google Drive", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-google-drive" }, { "slug": "connecting-onedrive", "title": "Connecting OneDrive, including work and school accounts", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-onedrive" }, { "slug": "google-photos", "title": "Google Photos: what's possible and the Takeout route", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos" }, { "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": "compared-with-remove-download", "title": "Keep opened files versus iCloud's Remove Download", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-remove-download" }, { "slug": "large-folders-in-finder", "title": "Large folders appear a page at a time", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/large-folders-in-finder" }, { "slug": "ai-access", "title": "Letting another AI assistant read your storage", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/ai-access" }, { "slug": "glossary-online-only-file", "title": "Online-only file", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file" }, { "slug": "parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account", "title": "Parking a folder in a cloud account", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account" }, { "slug": "s3-compatible-storage", "title": "S3-compatible storage", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/s3-compatible-storage" }, { "slug": "compared-with-optimise-mac-storage", "title": "Storage Studio and Optimise Mac Storage", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-optimise-mac-storage" }, { "slug": "compared-with-icloud-drive", "title": "Storage Studio's cloud accounts and iCloud Drive", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-icloud-drive" }, { "slug": "the-finder-button", "title": "The Finder button in the main window", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-button" }, { "slug": "the-home-folder-in-finder", "title": "The Home folder in the Finder location", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-folder-in-finder" }, { "slug": "the-finder-location-is-missing", "title": "The Storage Studio location is missing from Finder", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-location-is-missing" }, { "slug": "thumbnails-in-finder", "title": "Thumbnails, and why some accounts show plain icons", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/thumbnails-in-finder" }, { "slug": "when-the-location-falls-back-to-a-mounted-drive", "title": "When the location falls back to a mounted drive", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-the-location-falls-back-to-a-mounted-drive" }, { "slug": "google-photos-and-the-finder-location", "title": "Why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos-and-the-finder-location" }, { "slug": "icloud-drive-for-another-apple-id", "title": "iCloud Drive for another Apple ID", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/icloud-drive-for-another-apple-id" }, { "slug": "icloud-photos-of-another-apple-id", "title": "iCloud Photos of another Apple ID", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/icloud-photos-of-another-apple-id" } ], "diagrams": [ { "kind": "flowchart", "caption": "How a file in the Storage Studio location opens", "outline": "- You open a file in the Storage Studio location\n - leads to Is it already on this Mac?\n- Is it already on this Mac?\n - Yes: leads to It opens straight away\n - No: leads to Storage Studio downloads it from the account\n- It opens straight away\n - leads to You stop using it\n- Storage Studio downloads it from the account\n - leads to It opens straight away\n- You stop using it\n - leads to After the time you chose, it goes back to online-only\n", "source": "%% caption: How a file in the Storage Studio location opens\nflowchart TD\n A[You open a file in the Storage Studio location] --> B{Is it already on this Mac?}\n B -->|Yes| C[It opens straight away]\n B -->|No| D[Storage Studio downloads it from the account]\n D --> C\n C --> E[You stop using it]\n E --> F[After the time you chose, it goes back to online-only]" } ], "images": [], "screenshots_pending": [ { "alt": "A Finder window in Demo Mode with Storage Studio selected under Locations in the sidebar, showing two cloud account folders, a Home folder and one device folder", "caption": "The Storage Studio location in Finder's sidebar" }, { "alt": "The Remotes & Accounts window on the Mounting tab in Demo Mode, with Mount everything as one Finder drive turned on, the status line showing On, and the Cloud accounts, This Mac and Devices groups each with switches", "caption": "The Mounting tab" } ], "faqs": [ { "question": "Can I see all my cloud accounts in Finder on a Mac?", "answer": "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…", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq" }, { "question": "Will opening cloud files in Finder fill up my Mac?", "answer": "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…", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq" }, { "question": "Is a locked Delta Drive folder the same as Finder's Locked checkbox?", "answer": "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…", "url": "https://storagestudio.us/faq" } ], "text": "Storage Studio adds a Storage Studio entry to the Locations section of Finder's sidebar. Inside it, each of your connected cloud accounts, your external drive's Home folder and each paired device appears as a folder. You browse and work with them like any other folder in Finder. Files show as online-only until you open them, and then download on demand. What you see there One folder per cloud account you've connected in Storage Studio. See Cloud accounts . Home — the Storage Studio folder on your external drive. Some folders in it are protected. See The Home folder in the Finder location . One folder per paired device , named after the device. See Bridge: connecting another device . A Photos folder for each extra Apple ID you've connected, next to its iCloud Drive folder. It's read-only, and the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums never appear. See iCloud Photos of another Apple ID . Google Photos accounts aren't included. See Why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location . What you can do In your account and device folders you can open, edit, rename, move and delete files and folders, and the changes are sent to the account. The top-level folders themselves (one per account or device) can't be renamed or deleted from Finder, but you can add files into them. If you move or rename something onto a name that's already taken, the change is refused rather than the existing item being replaced. How a file in the Storage Studio location opens Flowchart outline: How a file in the Storage Studio location opens You open a file in the Storage Studio location leads to Is it already on this Mac? Is it already on this Mac? Yes: leads to It opens straight away No: leads to Storage Studio downloads it from the account It opens straight away leads to You stop using it Storage Studio downloads it from the account leads to It opens straight away You stop using it leads to After the time you chose, it goes back to online-only How long an opened file stays on your Mac is up to you. See Keep opened files on this Mac . Turning it on or off It's on by default. To change it, open Remotes & Accounts ( Connect Accounts… in the More menu, or Cloud Accounts… in the popover) and choose the Mounting tab: Mount everything as one Finder drive turns the whole location on or off. Under Cloud accounts , This Mac and Devices , each source has its own switch, so you choose what appears. An account that can't be reached is marked unavailable and skipped until it's back, without disturbing the others. When everything is working, the status line says On — in Finder under Locations, as “Storage Studio” . The Finder button at the top of the main window opens the location directly. See The Finder button in the main window . When you quit Storage Studio, the location disappears from Finder. It comes back when you open the app again. Big folders and thumbnails A large folder is handed to Finder a page at a time, and a folder you've visited before opens straight away from its saved listing. See Large folders appear a page at a time . Pictures, videos and documents show thumbnails on accounts where that costs you nothing. See Thumbnails, and why some accounts show plain icons . If the location can't start On the rare Mac where the location can't start, Storage Studio falls back to a mounted drive so your files stay reachable. That drive isn't in the sidebar, so the Mounting tab says when you're on it and offers Open the Drive . See When the location falls back to a mounted drive . If the location is missing altogether, see The Storage Studio location is missing from Finder . See also: Cloud accounts · Data Transfers · Storage Studio's cloud accounts and iCloud Drive Common questions 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… 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… 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…", "markdown": "Storage Studio adds a **Storage Studio** entry to the **Locations** section of Finder's sidebar. Inside it, each of your connected cloud accounts, your external drive's **Home** folder and each paired device appears as a folder. You browse and work with them like any other folder in Finder. Files show as [online-only](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-online-only-file) until you open them, and then download on demand.\n\n## What you see there\n\n- **One folder per cloud account** you've connected in Storage Studio. See [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts).\n- **Home** — the Storage Studio folder on your external drive. Some folders in it are protected. See [The Home folder in the Finder location](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-home-folder-in-finder).\n- **One folder per paired device**, named after the device. See [Bridge: connecting another device](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bridge-devices).\n- **A Photos folder** for each extra Apple ID you've connected, next to its iCloud Drive folder. It's read-only, and the **Hidden** and **Recently Deleted** albums never appear. See [iCloud Photos of another Apple ID](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/icloud-photos-of-another-apple-id).\n\nGoogle Photos accounts aren't included. See [Why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos-and-the-finder-location).\n\n## What you can do\n\nIn your account and device folders you can open, edit, rename, move and delete files and folders, and the changes are sent to the account. The top-level folders themselves (one per account or device) can't be renamed or deleted from Finder, but you can add files into them. If you move or rename something onto a name that's already taken, the change is refused rather than the existing item being replaced.\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: How a file in the Storage Studio location opens\nflowchart TD\n A[You open a file in the Storage Studio location] --> B{Is it already on this Mac?}\n B -->|Yes| C[It opens straight away]\n B -->|No| D[Storage Studio downloads it from the account]\n D --> C\n C --> E[You stop using it]\n E --> F[After the time you chose, it goes back to online-only]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — How a file in the Storage Studio location opens. Outline:*\n\n- You open a file in the Storage Studio location\n - leads to Is it already on this Mac?\n- Is it already on this Mac?\n - Yes: leads to It opens straight away\n - No: leads to Storage Studio downloads it from the account\n- It opens straight away\n - leads to You stop using it\n- Storage Studio downloads it from the account\n - leads to It opens straight away\n- You stop using it\n - leads to After the time you chose, it goes back to online-only\n\nHow long an opened file stays on your Mac is up to you. See [Keep opened files on this Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/keep-opened-files-on-this-mac).\n\n## Turning it on or off\n\nIt's on by default. To change it, open **Remotes & Accounts** (**Connect Accounts…** in the More menu, or **Cloud Accounts…** in the popover) and choose the **Mounting** tab:\n\n- **Mount everything as one Finder drive** turns the whole location on or off.\n- Under **Cloud accounts**, **This Mac** and **Devices**, each source has its own switch, so you choose what appears. An account that can't be reached is marked **unavailable** and skipped until it's back, without disturbing the others.\n- When everything is working, the status line says **On — in Finder under Locations, as “Storage Studio”**.\n\nThe **Finder** button at the top of the main window opens the location directly. See [The Finder button in the main window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-button).\n\nWhen you quit Storage Studio, the location disappears from Finder. It comes back when you open the app again.\n\n## Big folders and thumbnails\n\nA large folder is handed to Finder a page at a time, and a folder you've visited before opens straight away from its saved listing. See [Large folders appear a page at a time](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/large-folders-in-finder). Pictures, videos and documents show thumbnails on accounts where that costs you nothing. See [Thumbnails, and why some accounts show plain icons](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/thumbnails-in-finder).\n\n## If the location can't start\n\nOn the rare Mac where the location can't start, Storage Studio falls back to a mounted drive so your files stay reachable. That drive isn't in the sidebar, so the **Mounting** tab says when you're on it and offers **Open the Drive**. See [When the location falls back to a mounted drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/when-the-location-falls-back-to-a-mounted-drive). If the location is missing altogether, see [The Storage Studio location is missing from Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-finder-location-is-missing).\n\nSee also: [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts) · [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers) · [Storage Studio's cloud accounts and iCloud Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-icloud-drive)\n\n- **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)\n- **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)\n- **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)\n" }