Why You Should Store Files Outside Your Mac Mini Home Folder on an External Drive

If you’ve moved your Mac Mini’s home folder to an external hard drive to free up internal storage, you might think you’re done optimizing. But here’s a critical detail: where you store files like Adobe Creative Cloud syncs, Google Drive, or even your Applications folder matters. Keeping them outside your home folder—preferably at the root of your external drive—can save you from a confusing macOS bug and keep your system running smoothly. In this guide, I’ll explain why this matters, how to set it up, and the pros and cons of this approach, all tailored for 2025’s macOS quirks and beginner-friendly clarity.

The Problem: macOS Misreads Your Storage

When you set your home folder to an external drive, macOS does something odd: it counts files inside that home folder as part of your internal SSD’s storage (Macintosh HD). This bug shows up in System Settings > General > Storage, where the displayed usage can look wildly off. For example, if your external home folder has 140GB of documents and 214GB of apps, macOS might report your 256GB internal SSD as nearly full—even though those files live on the external drive.

I tested this myself. My external drive (named “earliamdapter_ex”) hosts my home folder (“liam_m4macmini_ex”), and I stuffed it with 347GB of video projects and games in the Downloads folder. Disk Utility correctly showed my internal SSD using just 35GB, but System Settings claimed 245GB was used, with documents and apps taking up 140GB and 214GB, respectively. Clicking the “i” (info) icon revealed the files were on the external drive, yet macOS still tallied them under Macintosh HD. Confusing, right?

This miscalculation happens because macOS treats the home folder as an extension of the internal drive, regardless of its physical location. If files like Creative Cloud syncs or Google Drive folders live inside your home folder, they get caught in this glitch, making it hard to trust the storage overview.

The Fix: Store Files Outside the Home Folder

To avoid this, keep large file syncs and apps outside your external home folder—ideally at the root of the drive or in a separate folder. Here’s how:

1. Set Up Sync Folders:
   • For Adobe Creative Cloud:
     • Open the Creative Cloud app, click your profile icon (top-right), and go to Preferences > Creative Cloud Files.
     • Change the sync location from the default (Documents, inside your home folder) to a new folder at the root of your external drive, like “CreativeCloud_ex.” Files will automatically migrate.
   • For Google Drive:
     • Open Google Drive settings, and redirect the sync folder from Documents to a root-level folder like “GoogleDrive_ex.”
   • Why? Default settings dump these syncs into your home folder’s Documents directory, triggering the bug.
2. Manage Applications:
   • Use the App Store’s “Download Large Apps to External Drive” feature (macOS Sequoia 15.1+). It creates an “Applications” folder at the root of your external drive—not inside your home folder.
   • For third-party apps (e.g., Blender, Adobe suite), install them to this root-level “Applications” folder. In Adobe Creative Cloud, set the install location under Preferences > Apps.
3. Verify Your Setup:
   • Check Disk Utility (Finder > Applications > Utilities) for accurate storage stats. Unlike System Settings, it correctly separates internal and external usage.
   • Tools like iStatistica Pro also show true remaining capacity, bypassing macOS’s glitch.

Pro Tip: Label folders with “_ex” (e.g., “CreativeCloud_ex”) to remind yourself they’re on the external drive. It’s a small trick that keeps things clear.

Why This Matters

Keeping files outside your home folder doesn’t just dodge the storage bug—it optimizes your Mac Mini’s performance. Here’s why:

• Accurate Monitoring: Disk Utility and third-party apps give you a true picture of your internal SSD’s health, critical for Apple Silicon Macs that rely on free space for memory swapping.
• Maximized Internal Space: My setup, with 200GB+ of apps and syncs on the external drive, left my internal SSD at just 30-50GB used. That’s 180GB free on a 256GB model—plenty for smooth operation.
• Speed Boost: A fast NVMe SSD (like my 7000 MB/s drive) hit 2900 MB/s write and 3000 MB/s read via Thunderbolt 4. That’s 30% faster than the internal SSD, making app launches and file transfers snappy.

For creative pros or gamers, this is huge. Video editing in Premiere Pro or running Death Stranding feels seamless, and GPU-heavy tasks don’t crash from low disk space—a problem I’ve hit before.

Pros of This Setup

1. Massive Space Savings: Offload hundreds of gigabytes—apps, iCloud, Google Drive—to a cheap 2TB external SSD (around $150) instead of upgrading your Mac Mini’s internal storage for $400+.
2. Performance Edge: With 70-100GB free internally, Apple Silicon’s memory swapping shines, handling big projects even with modest RAM.
3. Speed: Thunderbolt 4 SSDs (up to 5000 MB/s on newer models) outpace internal drives, especially for write-heavy tasks.
4. Flexibility: Add storage as needed without cracking open your Mac Mini.

Cons to Watch Out For

1. Drive Dependency: Your external SSD is now your Mac Mini’s lifeline. Disconnecting it risks file corruption or OS instability. Always keep it plugged in or reset the home folder before unplugging.
2. macOS Bug: The storage misreporting isn’t fixed as of March 31, 2025—Apple might patch it, but for now, rely on Disk Utility.
3. Heat: High-speed SSDs (7000 MB/s+) get hot. Pair yours with a cooling pad if you’re pushing it hard.
4. Windows Incompatibility: APFS isn’t natively supported by Windows, so this drive won’t work on a PC without extra software.

Real-World Example

My setup uses a 2TB NVMe SSD in a Thunderbolt 4 enclosure. With 347GB of files (videos, games) on the external drive, my internal SSD stays at 35GB used. System Settings misreports it as 245GB, but Disk Utility and iStatistica Pro confirm the truth. Apps like Photoshop launch in seconds, and my GPU hasn’t choked since I ensured 180GB free internally. Compare that to a past crash during a 3D render when my SSD dipped below 50GB—space matters!

Final Thoughts

Storing files outside your external home folder is the secret sauce to a clutter-free, high-performing Mac Mini. It sidesteps macOS’s storage glitch, keeps your SSD lean, and leverages blazing-fast external drives. Whether you’re a newbie switching from Windows or a pro juggling iCloud and Creative Cloud, this tweak unlocks your Mac’s full potential without a pricey upgrade.