Mac out of storage? Apple now lets you install apps on external drives

With macOS Sequoia, apps that are bigger than 1GB in size can be installed directly on an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD)

Apple has reportedly made several changes to the Mac App Store for the latest macOS Sequoia beta version, allowing users to install large apps directly on external storage.

According to a report by 9To5Mac, the latest macOS 15.1 developer beta 3 lets users install apps larger than 1GB on an external disk of their choice.

The report indicates that the latest developer beta of macOS Sequoia includes a new option within App Store settings that, when enabled, automatically downloads apps greater than 1GB to a connected external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD). However, smaller apps will still be installed on the Mac’s internal storage.

This is not the only change Apple is making to the Mac App Store with macOS Sequoia. With the previous beta version of the latest operating system for Macs, Apple lowered the storage space requirement for installing an app.

In the release notes for macOS Sequoia 15 Beta 8, Apple stated, “the App Store no longer needs twice the space free for an initial app download and install. The free space requirement will now be the final install size of the app, plus a small buffer.”

Previously, to install an app with a file size of 1GB, users needed at least 2GB of free space on their Macs. However, with macOS Sequoia, the storage requirement for the same will be significantly lower.

macOS Sequoia is expected to roll out with iOS 18 in September. Like the iPhone platform update, Apple has separated the macOS Sequoia beta cycle for version 15 and 15.1. macOS Sequoia version 15 is set to debut in September and the version 15.1 on later dates.