{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "What a move keeps",
  "slug": "what-a-move-keeps",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-a-move-keeps",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-a-move-keeps.md",
  "category": "Data Parking & moving folders",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-parking-and-moving-folders/",
  "tags": [
    "data parking",
    "moving folders",
    "external drive",
    "glossary"
  ],
  "summary": "A folder move between your Mac and an external drive keeps contents, names, created and modified dates, permissions, Finder tags, Locked and hidden flags, hard links, sparse files and shortcuts. Access lists are kept where the drive supports them; file ownership is not kept.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:20:07.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:32:36.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "What a move keeps",
      "id": "what-a-move-keeps"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Why some things depend on the drive",
      "id": "why-some-things-depend-on-the-drive"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Why ownership isn't kept",
      "id": "why-ownership-isn-t-kept"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Moves that keep less",
      "id": "moves-that-keep-less"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "glossary-extended-attributes",
      "label": "extended attributes",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-extended-attributes"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-finder-tags",
      "label": "Finder tags",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-finder-tags"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-locked-flag",
      "label": "Locked flag",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-locked-flag"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-hard-link",
      "label": "hard link",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-hard-link"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-sparse-file",
      "label": "sparse file",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-sparse-file"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-shortcut",
      "label": "shortcut",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-shortcut"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-access-list",
      "label": "access list",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-access-list"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-file-ownership",
      "label": "file ownership",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-file-ownership"
    },
    {
      "slug": "exfat-drives",
      "label": "What to know about exFAT drives",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/exfat-drives"
    },
    {
      "slug": "file-ownership-on-external-drives",
      "label": "File ownership on external drives",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/file-ownership-on-external-drives"
    },
    {
      "slug": "storage-inspector",
      "label": "Storage Inspector",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-inspector"
    },
    {
      "slug": "parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account",
      "label": "Parking a folder in a cloud account",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account"
    },
    {
      "slug": "data-transfers",
      "label": "Data Transfers",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers"
    },
    {
      "slug": "offloading-an-app",
      "label": "Offloading and restoring an app",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/offloading-an-app"
    },
    {
      "slug": "how-copies-are-checked",
      "label": "How copies are checked",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/how-copies-are-checked"
    },
    {
      "slug": "drive-formats",
      "label": "Drive formats",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/drive-formats"
    },
    {
      "slug": "moving-folders-safely",
      "label": "Moving folders safely",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-folders-safely"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "a-move-failed",
      "title": "A folder move failed or was cancelled",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-move-failed"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-access-list",
      "title": "Access list (ACL)",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-access-list"
    },
    {
      "slug": "data-transfers",
      "title": "Data Transfers",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers"
    },
    {
      "slug": "drive-formats",
      "title": "Drive formats: APFS, Mac OS Extended and exFAT",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/drive-formats"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-extended-attributes",
      "title": "Extended attributes",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-extended-attributes"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-file-ownership",
      "title": "File ownership",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-file-ownership"
    },
    {
      "slug": "file-ownership-on-external-drives",
      "title": "File ownership on external drives",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/file-ownership-on-external-drives"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-finder-tags",
      "title": "Finder tags",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-finder-tags"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-hard-link",
      "title": "Hard link",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-hard-link"
    },
    {
      "slug": "how-storage-studio-keeps-you-safe",
      "title": "How Storage Studio keeps every change reversible",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/how-storage-studio-keeps-you-safe"
    },
    {
      "slug": "how-copies-are-checked",
      "title": "How copies are checked: Fast, Thorough or Off",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/how-copies-are-checked"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-locked-flag",
      "title": "Locked flag",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-locked-flag"
    },
    {
      "slug": "move-merge-or-relocate",
      "title": "Move, Merge or Relocate: which to choose",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/move-merge-or-relocate"
    },
    {
      "slug": "moving-folders-safely",
      "title": "Moving folders safely",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-folders-safely"
    },
    {
      "slug": "compared-with-dragging-in-finder",
      "title": "Moving with Storage Studio versus dragging in Finder",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/compared-with-dragging-in-finder"
    },
    {
      "slug": "offloading-an-app",
      "title": "Offloading and restoring an app",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/offloading-an-app"
    },
    {
      "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": "glossary-sparse-file",
      "title": "Sparse file",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-sparse-file"
    },
    {
      "slug": "transfer-drive-and-backup-drive",
      "title": "Switching to a new drive: Transfer Drive and Backup Drive",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/transfer-drive-and-backup-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "exfat-drives",
      "title": "What to know about exFAT drives",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/exfat-drives"
    },
    {
      "slug": "full-disk-access",
      "title": "Why Storage Studio asks for Full Disk Access",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/full-disk-access"
    },
    {
      "slug": "glossary-exfat",
      "title": "exFAT",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-exfat"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "How the drive affects what a move can keep",
      "outline": "- Start a move to the drive\n  - leads to Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied\n- Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied\n  - leads to Can the drive hold access lists?\n- Can the drive hold access lists?\n  - Yes: leads to Access lists are copied too\n  - No: leads to Access lists are skipped so the move can finish\n- Access lists are copied too\n  - leads to The copy is checked\n- Access lists are skipped so the move can finish\n  - leads to The copy is checked\n- The copy is checked\n  - leads to Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them\n- Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them\n  - leads to The original is removed or replaced by shortcuts\n",
      "source": "%% caption: How the drive affects what a move can keep\nflowchart TD\n  A[Start a move to the drive] --> B[Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied]\n  B --> C{Can the drive hold access lists?}\n  C -->|Yes| D[Access lists are copied too]\n  C -->|No| E[Access lists are skipped so the move can finish]\n  D --> F[The copy is checked]\n  E --> F\n  F --> G[Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them]\n  G --> H[The original is removed or replaced by shortcuts]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [],
  "faqs": [],
  "text": "When you Move , Merge or Relocate a folder between your Mac's built-in disk and an external drive, Storage Studio keeps far more than the files' contents. Here is exactly what comes across, what depends on the drive, and what doesn't. What a move keeps What Kept? File contents and names, including hidden files Yes Modified date Yes Created date Yes Permissions, including whether a file can run as a program Yes Finder tags and other extended attributes Yes Finder's Locked flag and the hidden flag Yes, where the drive can hold them Hard links — several names for one file Yes, within what you move Sparse files — big files that are mostly empty Yes, they don't grow on the drive Shortcuts inside the folder Yes, they stay shortcuts Access lists — extra per-person sharing permissions Only where the drive supports them File ownership — which user account a file belongs to No Terms in this table: extended attributes , Finder tags , Locked flag , hard link , sparse file , shortcut , access list , file ownership . Why some things depend on the drive Access lists. Storage Studio checks the destination drive before each copy. If the drive can hold access lists, they're copied. If it can't — exFAT is the usual case — they're left out on purpose, because insisting on them would make the whole move fail. Everyday files rarely carry an access list, so this seldom matters. Locked and hidden flags. These are copied onto the checked copy just before the original is removed, and the original is unlocked so it can be removed. On a drive that can't hold a flag, that one flag is skipped and the move still finishes. exFAT drives can't hold several things a Mac relies on. If you plan to keep folders on a drive long term, see What to know about exFAT drives . Why ownership isn't kept On your Mac, every file belongs to a user account. External drives usually have ignore ownership switched on by macOS, so the drive shows every file as belonging to whoever is using the Mac, and ownership written there isn't remembered. Storage Studio also runs as you, not as an administrator, so it can't hand a file to another account. In practice this is invisible: the folders you move are your own files, and they come back as yours. If you share a Mac and move a folder that belongs to someone else, it comes back belonging to you. More in File ownership on external drives . How the drive affects what a move can keep Flowchart outline: How the drive affects what a move can keep Start a move to the drive leads to Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied leads to Can the drive hold access lists? Can the drive hold access lists? Yes: leads to Access lists are copied too No: leads to Access lists are skipped so the move can finish Access lists are copied too leads to The copy is checked Access lists are skipped so the move can finish leads to The copy is checked The copy is checked leads to Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them leads to The original is removed or replaced by shortcuts Moves that keep less The list above is for folder moves between your Mac and a drive — Move , Merge and Relocate in Data Parking, and moves from Storage Inspector . Other ways of moving things keep less: Cloud accounts keep what each provider supports. Most keep the modified date; few keep anything Mac-specific. See Parking a folder in a cloud account . Send here and Data Transfers use the transfer engine. Between your Mac and a drive it keeps dates and permissions, but not everything listed above. Offloading an app packs it into an archive on your drive; see Offloading and restoring an app . See also: How copies are checked , Drive formats , Moving folders safely . More answers are in the Storage Studio FAQ .",
  "markdown": "When you **Move**, **Merge** or **Relocate** a folder between your Mac's built-in disk and an external drive, Storage Studio keeps far more than the files' contents. Here is exactly what comes across, what depends on the drive, and what doesn't.\n\n## What a move keeps\n\n| What | Kept? |\n| --- | --- |\n| File contents and names, including hidden files | Yes |\n| Modified date | Yes |\n| Created date | Yes |\n| Permissions, including whether a file can run as a program | Yes |\n| Finder tags and other extended attributes | Yes |\n| Finder's Locked flag and the hidden flag | Yes, where the drive can hold them |\n| Hard links — several names for one file | Yes, within what you move |\n| Sparse files — big files that are mostly empty | Yes, they don't grow on the drive |\n| Shortcuts inside the folder | Yes, they stay shortcuts |\n| Access lists — extra per-person sharing permissions | Only where the drive supports them |\n| File ownership — which user account a file belongs to | No |\n\nTerms in this table: [extended attributes](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-extended-attributes), [Finder tags](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-finder-tags), [Locked flag](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-locked-flag), [hard link](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-hard-link), [sparse file](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-sparse-file), [shortcut](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-shortcut), [access list](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-access-list), [file ownership](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/glossary-file-ownership).\n\n## Why some things depend on the drive\n\n**Access lists.** Storage Studio checks the destination drive before each copy. If the drive can hold access lists, they're copied. If it can't — exFAT is the usual case — they're left out on purpose, because insisting on them would make the whole move fail. Everyday files rarely carry an access list, so this seldom matters.\n\n**Locked and hidden flags.** These are copied onto the checked copy just before the original is removed, and the original is unlocked so it can be removed. On a drive that can't hold a flag, that one flag is skipped and the move still finishes.\n\n**exFAT drives** can't hold several things a Mac relies on. If you plan to keep folders on a drive long term, see [What to know about exFAT drives](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/exfat-drives).\n\n## Why ownership isn't kept\n\nOn your Mac, every file belongs to a user account. External drives usually have **ignore ownership** switched on by macOS, so the drive shows every file as belonging to whoever is using the Mac, and ownership written there isn't remembered. Storage Studio also runs as you, not as an administrator, so it can't hand a file to another account.\n\nIn practice this is invisible: the folders you move are your own files, and they come back as yours. If you share a Mac and move a folder that belongs to someone else, it comes back belonging to you. More in [File ownership on external drives](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/file-ownership-on-external-drives).\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: How the drive affects what a move can keep\nflowchart TD\n  A[Start a move to the drive] --> B[Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied]\n  B --> C{Can the drive hold access lists?}\n  C -->|Yes| D[Access lists are copied too]\n  C -->|No| E[Access lists are skipped so the move can finish]\n  D --> F[The copy is checked]\n  E --> F\n  F --> G[Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them]\n  G --> H[The original is removed or replaced by shortcuts]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — How the drive affects what a move can keep. Outline:*\n\n- Start a move to the drive\n  - leads to Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied\n- Contents, names, dates, permissions, tags, links and sparse files are copied\n  - leads to Can the drive hold access lists?\n- Can the drive hold access lists?\n  - Yes: leads to Access lists are copied too\n  - No: leads to Access lists are skipped so the move can finish\n- Access lists are copied too\n  - leads to The copy is checked\n- Access lists are skipped so the move can finish\n  - leads to The copy is checked\n- The copy is checked\n  - leads to Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them\n- Locked and hidden flags are copied where the drive can hold them\n  - leads to The original is removed or replaced by shortcuts\n\n## Moves that keep less\n\nThe list above is for folder moves between your Mac and a drive — **Move**, **Merge** and **Relocate** in Data Parking, and moves from [Storage Inspector](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-inspector). Other ways of moving things keep less:\n\n- **Cloud accounts** keep what each provider supports. Most keep the modified date; few keep anything Mac-specific. See [Parking a folder in a cloud account](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/parking-a-folder-in-a-cloud-account).\n- **Send here** and [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers) use the transfer engine. Between your Mac and a drive it keeps dates and permissions, but not everything listed above.\n- **Offloading an app** packs it into an archive on your drive; see [Offloading and restoring an app](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/offloading-an-app).\n\nSee also: [How copies are checked](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/how-copies-are-checked), [Drive formats](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/drive-formats), [Moving folders safely](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-folders-safely).\n\nMore answers: https://storagestudio.us/faq\n"
}