{"id":"apps.which-apps-should-i-move-to-an-external-drive","url":"/faq/apps/which-apps-should-i-move-to-an-external-drive","category":{"id":"apps","title":"Apps"},"subcategory":{"id":"choosing-apps","title":"Choosing which apps to move"},"question":"Which apps should I move to an external drive?","alt_questions":["Best apps to move off my Mac","What apps are good to relocate?","Which apps to put on external SSD","Should I move games and creative apps?","Good candidates for moving"],"short_answer":"Large apps you open occasionally with a Safe or Caveat badge — creative tools, games, specialist software. Sort the Internal tab by Size and filter by Older than to find them.","answer_markdown":"The best candidates are **large apps you open occasionally** and that show a **Safe** or **Caveat** badge — big creative tools, games, specialist or seasonal software. They free the most space and you rarely notice them running from the drive.\n\nTo find them, sort the Internal tab by **Size** and use the **Older than** filter. Keep on your built-in drive the apps you use all day, apps that must run without the drive, and apps that update constantly. See [apps to keep](/faq/apps/which-apps-should-i-keep-on-the-internal-drive).","answer_html":"

The best candidates are large apps you open occasionally and that show a Safe or Caveat badge — big creative tools, games, specialist or seasonal software. They free the most space and you rarely notice them running from the drive.

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To find them, sort the Internal tab by Size and use the Older than filter. Keep on your built-in drive the apps you use all day, apps that must run without the drive, and apps that update constantly. See apps to keep.

","answer_text":"The best candidates are large apps you open occasionally and that show a Safe or Caveat badge — big creative tools, games, specialist or seasonal software. They free the most space and you rarely notice them running from the drive.\n\nTo find them, sort the Internal tab by Size and use the Older than filter. Keep on your built-in drive the apps you use all day, apps that must run without the drive, and apps that update constantly. See apps to keep.","tags":["choosing apps","free up space"],"related":[{"id":"apps.which-apps-should-i-keep-on-the-internal-drive","question":"Which apps are better left on my Mac's built-in drive?","url":"/faq/apps/which-apps-should-i-keep-on-the-internal-drive"},{"id":"apps.how-do-i-find-my-biggest-apps","question":"How do I find which apps take the most space on my Mac?","url":"/faq/apps/how-do-i-find-my-biggest-apps"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Which apps should I move to an external drive? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Large apps you open occasionally with a Safe or Caveat badge — creative tools, games, specialist software. Sort the Internal tab by Size and filter by Older than to find them.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Apps","path":"/faq/apps/"},{"name":"Which apps should I move to an external drive?","path":"/faq/apps/which-apps-should-i-move-to-an-external-drive"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/which-apps-should-i-move-to-an-external-drive","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Which apps should I move to an external drive?","alternateName":["Best apps to move off my Mac","What apps are good to relocate?","Which apps to put on external SSD","Should I move games and creative apps?","Good candidates for moving"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The best candidates are large apps you open occasionally and that show a Safe or Caveat badge — big creative tools, games, specialist or seasonal software. They free the most space and you rarely notice them running from the drive.\n\nTo find them, sort the Internal tab by Size and use the Older than filter. Keep on your built-in drive the apps you use all day, apps that must run without the drive, and apps that update constantly. See apps to keep.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/apps/which-apps-should-i-move-to-an-external-drive"}}]},"fragment":"
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Apps · Choosing which apps to move

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Which apps should I move to an external drive?

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Short answer: Large apps you open occasionally with a Safe or Caveat badge — creative tools, games, specialist software. Sort the Internal tab by Size and filter by Older than to find them.

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The best candidates are large apps you open occasionally and that show a Safe or Caveat badge — big creative tools, games, specialist or seasonal software. They free the most space and you rarely notice them running from the drive.

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To find them, sort the Internal tab by Size and use the Older than filter. Keep on your built-in drive the apps you use all day, apps that must run without the drive, and apps that update constantly. See apps to keep.

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Last reviewed

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Related questions

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