Troubleshooting

A quick way to find the right fix. Check the two screens that explain most problems — Settings → Services and Background Activity — then follow the symptom to its own article.

If automatic moves never take anything from Documents, Desktop or Downloads, check Full Disk Access first, then the rule's age, the hard floor and whether you've opened the files recently. Preview the next run to see exactly what it would do.

If Storage Studio says its file-moving, cloud transfer or backup engine is missing, that copy of the app is incomplete. Download it again, replace the app, then use the check-again button on the banner.

Storage Studio's background service does the routine work while the app is closed. If it shows as stopped or not responding, restart it from Settings → Services; if it still won't start, restart your Mac.

Copy, paste, cut, select all and undo work in every Storage Studio text box, even with no Dock icon. If one doesn't, update to the latest version. A few confirmations for actions that can't be undone refuse pasting on purpose.

The My Drive setup code goes to the email your Storage Studio trial or licence is registered to, lasts 15 minutes and works only on the Mac that asked for it. Check your junk folder, use only the newest code, and wait an hour if you've hit a limit.

If you can't see Storage Studio's menu bar icon, the menu bar is probably full or the icon is behind the camera notch. Opening Storage Studio again from Applications brings it forward, and you can add a Dock icon as a second way in.

If Storage Studio asks you to connect an external drive, or says a drive is the wrong disk, it hasn't found the drive it prepared. Plug the drive in, or choose and prepare it again with Set Up / Choose External Drive.

If ejecting your drive fails with "Files still in use", an app still has something on the drive open. Find out which one from the Activity Log, quit it or move it off the drive, and eject again.

A preview of the next automatic run lists what would move before anything happens. If it shows files you want to keep where they are, raise the rule's age or the floor in Settings → Rules, then preview again.

A Storage Studio download from storagestudio.us is signed and notarised by Apple and opens normally. If macOS refuses it, download it again rather than overriding the warning — and on an Intel Mac, use version 4.17.1.

When nothing seems to be happening, Settings → Services shows which part needs attention and Background Activity shows each background job. Check for paused automatic actions and a disconnected drive, then restart Storage Studio if needed.

If you signed in to an account but Remotes & Accounts shows "No accounts yet", Storage Studio may simply have been unable to read the list at that moment. Refresh it, check for a missing-engine banner, and restart Storage Studio before adding the account again.

When a transfer in Data Transfers shows Failed, select it to read what happened in plain English, fix what the message points to, then use Run again or Sync again — only what didn't arrive is sent.

When a move in Data Parking fails or you cancel it, your original stays where it was — Storage Studio removes it only after the copy has been checked. Read the line under the move, fix what it points to, and start the move again.

An app you moved to your external drive runs from that drive, so it won't open while the drive is disconnected. Reconnect the drive, check the Apps window for a reinstalled or missing app, or move the app back to your Mac.

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.

If the Junk Yard's edge strip won't open or copies stop arriving, check the Junk Yard switches in Settings, the Capturing switch in the Junk Yard itself, and whether Performance is set to Minimum. You can always open it from the main window or its shortcut.

After a move your Mac may keep the freed space for a while in local snapshots, and some removed files may still be in the Trash or the Recycle Vault. The space comes back on its own, or you can release it sooner.

macOS ties Full Disk Access to the exact copy of the app it was given to, so an update, a repair or a second copy of Storage Studio can leave the switch looking on while it no longer counts. Switch it off and on again, then click Re-check.

If your external drive is unplugged mid-move, the original stays where it was and the move waits. Plug the same drive back in and it carries on by itself, copying only what's left.

If two devices won't link with Bridge, check that both are running and awake, then check the network itself — if the two devices can't see each other in any way, the network is the problem. Then re-pair or connect from the other side.

Adding iCloud Drive for another Apple ID needs Advanced Data Protection off and Access iCloud Data on the Web on, plus Apple's verification code. Apple asks for a new code about once a month — use Sign in again when it does.

When a backup set didn't run, its card in Data Backup says why — usually a condition you set, such as only on power or outside working hours, a destination that isn't connected, or a passphrase it needs. Back up now always starts one straight away.