macOS 15.1 adds the option to download apps directly to an external drive

With macOS Sequoia, announced at WWDC 2024 and currently available in beta to users, Apple has relaxed the storage requirements for downloading apps from the Mac App Store. With the latest beta of macOS 15.1, users now also get the ability to download apps directly to an external drive.

Further changes in the Mac App Store with macOS 15

As noted by 9to5MacmacOS 15.1 beta 3, released to developers on Wednesday, adds a new switch to the Mac App Store preferences. When enabled, the system will automatically download and install apps larger than 1GB on an external hard drive of the user’s choice.

For apps smaller than 1GB, macOS will continue to install them on the Mac’s internal drive, but that’s still good news for users whose Macs are running low on storage.

Additionally, with macOS Sequoia, the Mac App Store no longer requires twice the available storage space relative to the size of the app. Previously, if you wanted to install a 2GB app, your Mac had to have at least 4GB of free storage space for the Mac App Store to begin downloading it.

Starting with macOS 15, the App Store no longer requires twice as much free space for the initial download and installation of an app. The free space required is now equal to the final installation size of the app plus a small buffer. Developers should consider this change in any messaging they have about size requirements.

These changes will certainly please some users, especially those with 128GB and 256GB Macs.

macOS Sequoia will be released next month. However, macOS 15.1 is not expected to be released until late October.

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