Apple just made another very handy tweak to the way storage works with macOS in its latest version, Sequoia, which is still in beta testing (albeit on the cusp of launching) – and this one could be something of a lifesaver in certain scenarios.
The change is a new option in the settings for the Mac App Store whereby you can instruct macOS to automatically download and install any app, or game, which is larger than 1GB to an external drive, as opposed to the main system drive in the Mac.
As 9 to 5 Mac reports, this has happened in the freshly released beta of macOS 15.1, the third beta on this branch which is for developers only, and is the sole build that carries Apple Intelligence features. (These AI capabilities won’t debut with macOS 15 Sequoia, but rather with the 15.1 release that’ll come a little later).
It’s a useful ability to have if you have a small drive in your Mac or MacBook, as many of us do – it’s really expensive to equip a MacBook in particular with a larger SSD – or you’ve crammed all sorts of software on, and are running out of storage space.
We mentioned this is another handy tweak that macOS 15 introduces on the storage front, as it follows a previous change in a past beta whereby users no longer need to have double the storage space requirements when installing an app from the App Store. (A temporary requirement it must be noted – but still a serious stumbling block in some cases where storage space is thin on the ground).
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The new installation option is very welcome, although it’s always been the case that you can run apps from an external drive (some apps, anyway – there are others that must be installed on the system drive for various reasons). Previously, however, you’ve had to manually shift the app across after installing it on your main drive, so it’s obviously a far more convenient touch to have applications just installed on the external disk in the first place, if this is the way you want to go.
While it’s great to have this option, it’s odd that Apple has only just added it, really. Why hasn’t it been brought in before now? We can only offer a shrug of our shoulders. With Macs continually taking strides to become more proficient gaming machines – macOS 15 will help on this front, too, with Game Mode tuning to ensure faster frame rates – perhaps this has been pushed up a priority list somewhere, as it’ll certainly help when it comes to fitting beefy game folders onto an Apple device.
Just remember that apps might be quite a bit slower on an external drive, so it could well be worth buying one of the best nippy external SSDs, especially if gaming is on your to-do list with planned installations away from your Mac’s main drive.
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