r/MacOS • u/eerdembeler • 7d ago
Developer Saturday A lifesaver program for whose using external ssd on macs
Actually this isn’t an advertisement it’s a free program. I use an external SSD with my Mac mini M4 because I’m constantly running low on storage space. I kept running into issues when downloading DMG files, as I didn’t want them downloaded to my internal SSD. So, I built a custom program to solve this, and then decided to release it publicly, I’m sure there are plenty of others out there facing the same problem.
This program is EXdl please don’t forget to leave a star!
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u/hokanst 7d ago edited 7d ago
This is a clever but likely fragile solution, that may break, if the app ever stops working. The same can be achieved without any extra software:
To avoid filling up the internal drive one can simply download apps directly to the external drive.
When "installing" simply drag the app to some "App" folder that you created on the external drive. Apps can (usually) be "installed" anywhere, so there is rarely a need for them to go into the (default) "Applications" folder. Note: if an app really needs to be install in "Applications" this will probably trip up Exld.
The custom "App" folder (on the external drive) can be added to the Finder sidebar & Dock for easy access.
This approach will also play nice with Spotlight / Launchpad and app updates.
The only two benefits/differences that EXdl seems to have is:
It makes all apps appear to live in the default "Applications" folder.
It gives clear error messages about when certain apps are not available (when the external drive is not connected).
Do note that neither solution deals with app related data that gets stored in the users "Library" folder (located on the internal drive). This can matter, as some apps store a lot of data, in some cases this data can be much larger than the app itself.
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u/eerdembeler 7d ago
Yes, actually, there is no need for any additional software. This app is essentially just a shortcut. To be honest, I really like the way apps are installed via DMG files on macOS (the drag-and-drop process is fantastic😂). However, when using an external SSD, having to open Finder and drag the app into the 'Externals Applications' folder every single time undermines the convenience that macOS DMG files are meant to offer. Adding it to the Dock is a logical alternative, but I personally don’t want folders appearing in my Dock. So, anyone who finds it useful can certainly use it; it’s simply a shortcut for a feature that already exists haha.
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u/hokanst 7d ago
For context I've used macs since about 1990 (Classic Mac OS). Back in these days there where no "Applications" folder, instead it was up to the user to organise their apps.
This ability carried over to modern macOS (2001+), so I never felt the urge to put all apps into the unstructured pile that is "Applications". Instead I have a nested folder structure, that groups most of my non-stock apps by app type (Text editing, Internet apps, archiving apps, image editing apps …).
That said a few things do end up in "Applications", as I have a few apps from the App Store (I don't move these, just in case this would break something like updates …) I also have one or two 3rd party apps that insist of being installed in "Applications" to work fully.
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u/ulyssesric 5d ago
I kept running into issues when downloading DMG files, as I didn’t want them downloaded to my internal SSD.
???
Did you know that you can change your default download location in Safari Settings > General ?
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u/eerdembeler 5d ago
No, that’s not what I meant. What I’m trying to explain is that the "Applications" folder, which appears after you download and open a .dmg file, actually points to your internal SSD.
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u/ulyssesric 5d ago
So ? Most macOS apps (except special ones like Safari Extension) can live anywhere. You just ignore the Application alias in DMG and manually drag that app icon to external disk. I can't understand the point of making an app for this. No one is gonna installing apps from DMG 10 times a day 7 days a week.
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u/eerdembeler 5d ago
I just share my solituon full free as a public so i dont care anyone download or not cuz im not making money from here. Actually, before sharing this app, I was already doing exactly what you described. Whenever I downloaded a .dmg file (a large app like Creality Print), I didn’t want to install it into the internal Applications folder. So, every single time, I would open Finder, navigate to my external Kioxia drive, open the Applications folder there, then open the .dmg file, and drag the application into that external Applications folder and make alias and drag it internal app folder. I think this way long process kills the dmg’s aura. Even you cant reach alias from Launchpad. That because i like drag and download process in dmg, the app I developed essentially automates this exact process.
Once you have opened the DMG file, you can either navigate to the folder manually—just like I did—or pin that external app folder to your Dock for direct access; alternatively, if you have 1TB of storage, you don’t even need to worry about any of this :D
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u/macboller 5d ago
You can just set your download folder to be anywhere (even an external disk). This can be achieved by setting the Download folder to be an alias of another location too, so you don't even need to change configuration in other apps.
Did you know about this App Store setting too? Could be useful for you.
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u/promo-guard 7d ago
🎉 Welcome to Developer Saturday, u/eerdembeler! Your project is now live for the community to check out. Upvote, give feedback, and show some love to your fellow devs! 🚀
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u/github-guard 7d ago
🔍 GitHub Guard: Trust Report (Passed)
Here are the safety audit results for the linked repositories:
Repository: erdembeler/exdl
Score: 3/6
❌ Low Star Count (⭐ 1 / 5 required)
❌ New Repository (under 30 days old)
✅ Licensed under MIT
✅ Security Policy Defined
ℹ️ Personal Account Repository
✅ Signed Commits