---
title: "Scheduling a transfer"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/transfer-schedules
category: "Data Transfers"
tags: ["data transfers", "schedule", "sync"]
summary: "Any transfer can repeat every few hours, daily, weekly or monthly. The first run starts straight away, a run is skipped if the last one is still going, and missed runs are caught up once, not once per missed time."
updated: 2026-10-01T05:33:47.000Z
---

# Scheduling a transfer

Any transfer can repeat every few hours, daily, weekly or monthly. The first run starts straight away, a run is skipped if the last one is still going, and missed runs are caught up once, not once per missed time.

Any transfer in **Data Transfers** can repeat on its own. Pick a **Schedule** when you set it up, and Storage Studio runs it again at the times you chose, sending only what changed since the last run.

## The choices

The **Schedule** section of the New Transfer sheet has five options. The controls for each appear only when you pick it.

| Option | What you set | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Manual only** | Nothing — it runs only when you start it | — |
| **Every N hours** | A number of hours, from 1 to 24 | 6 hours |
| **Daily** | A time of day | 03:00 |
| **Weekly** | A day of the week and a time | Sunday at 03:00 |
| **Monthly** | A day of the month, 1 to 31, and a time | Day 1 at 03:00 |

Times are in your Mac's local time, and minutes can be set to :00, :15, :30 or :45. For **Monthly**, a month without the day you picked — the 31st in February, for example — runs on the last day of that month instead.

While you choose, a **Next run** line underneath shows the exact date and time of the next run, so you can check it before clicking **Start Transfer**. In the transfer list, the transfer's original run shows the rule beside its name, such as "Daily at 03:00".

## How the runs happen

- **The first run starts straight away** when you click **Start Transfer**. The schedule counts on from there.
- Storage Studio checks once a minute whether a scheduled transfer is due.
- **If the previous run of the same transfer is still going** — or still waiting for your drive — the next one is skipped rather than piling up behind it.
- Each run appears under the transfer's row in the list, grouped as one entry with a run count. Click the arrow to see every run with its date and result.
- Scheduled runs work in the background at low priority so they give way to whatever you're doing. A transfer you start yourself runs at full speed.
- When your Mac is under heavy load, a run that falls due waits for a later check. Nothing is skipped — it simply starts once things settle. See [why Storage Studio works slowly on purpose](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-lazy-background-utility).
- A scheduled **Bidirectional sync** never uses the **First run for this pair** box, even if you ticked it for the first run. See [Two-way sync and the First run box](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/two-way-sync-first-run).

```mermaid
%% caption: What happens each minute for a scheduled transfer
flowchart TD
  A[The once-a-minute check] --> B{Is the next run time due?}
  B -->|No| W[Wait for the next check]
  B -->|Yes| C{Is the last run still going or waiting?}
  C -->|Yes| W
  C -->|No| D{Is the Mac under heavy load?}
  D -->|Yes| W
  D -->|No| E[Start a new run that sends only what changed]
```

*Flowchart — What happens each minute for a scheduled transfer. Outline:*

- The once-a-minute check
  - leads to Is the next run time due?
- Is the next run time due?
  - No: leads to Wait for the next check
  - Yes: leads to Is the last run still going or waiting?
- Is the last run still going or waiting?
  - Yes: leads to Wait for the next check
  - No: leads to Is the Mac under heavy load?
- Is the Mac under heavy load?
  - Yes: leads to Wait for the next check
  - No: leads to Start a new run that sends only what changed

## Missed runs

Storage Studio has to be running for a schedule to fire. If it was quit, or your Mac was off, when a run was due, it runs **once** soon after Storage Studio next opens — not once for every time it missed. The schedule then carries on from that run.

If the transfer needs your external drive and the drive isn't connected, the run waits as **Waiting for drive** and starts when you plug the drive in. More in [what happens to transfers when you restart](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/transfers-and-restarts).

## Changing or stopping a schedule

The schedule belongs to the transfer's **original run** — the oldest run in its group, which is also the one that shows the rule. There's no control for editing a schedule once it's set.

- **To stop the repeats:** click the arrow beside the transfer, select its oldest run and click **Remove**. Removing a run from the list doesn't touch any files. **Cancel** stops a run that is in progress but doesn't stop the schedule.
- **To change the timing:** set the transfer up again with the new schedule, then remove the old original run.
- **Careful with Clear completed:** it removes every finished run from the list, including original runs, so it stops those schedules too.

More answers: https://storagestudio.us/faq

See also: [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers) · [Sync again and Run again](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/sync-again) · [Trying a transfer first with Dry run](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/dry-run) · [Performance modes](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/performance-modes)

## What links here

- [Bandwidth limit and files at once](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bandwidth-and-files-at-once)
- [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers)
- [Files that change while they're being transferred](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/files-that-change-during-a-transfer)
- [Sync again and Run again](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/sync-again)
- [Trying a transfer first with Dry run](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/dry-run)
- [Two-way sync and the First run box](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/two-way-sync-first-run)
- [What happens to transfers when you restart](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/transfers-and-restarts)