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What does "Connect an external drive to do more" mean on the Home screen?

Short answer: No external drive is set up or connected, so moving big apps and files isn't available yet — clearing caches still works. Plug in a drive and set it up from More → Set Up / Choose External Drive….

It means no external drive is set up or connected, so the features that move things off your Mac aren't available yet. As the banner says, you can still clear caches and free space without one.

To unlock moving big apps and files:

  1. Plug in an external drive — an SSD is best.
  2. If it's your first, set it up from More → Set Up / Choose External Drive….
  3. If it's already set up but unplugged, just reconnect it; Storage Studio notices on its own.

The banner goes away once the drive is ready.

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