Help · Mac storage
How to keep your Music library on an external drive.
If you have a large collection of your own music files, they can take a lot of room. Apple's Music app can keep its media files on an external drive. Apple recommends leaving the Music folder where it is if you can, so do this only if you need the space.
Back up first, and keep the original files until you've checked everything plays from the drive. Songs streamed or downloaded from Apple Music don't need moving; they can be removed and downloaded again.
The simple way: free space without moving
If most of your library is Apple Music downloads or purchases, remove the downloads instead: select songs or albums, Control-click and choose Remove Download. They stay in your library and stream or download again when you want them.
Keep your own music files on a drive
These are Apple's settings. They change where files are kept, without moving the library database itself:
- Connect the drive (APFS or Mac OS Extended is best), and make a folder on it for your music.
- Open Music and choose Music › Settings › Files.
- Next to Media Location (called Music Media folder location on older macOS), click Change… and choose the folder on the drive. New imports now go there; existing files stay where they were.
- To copy your existing files to the new location, choose File › Library › Organise Library, tick Consolidate files and click OK. This copies them; the originals stay on your Mac.
- Play a selection of songs, including old ones. When you're sure they all play from the drive, you can remove the original files from
~/Music/Music/Mediato free the space. Be certain first; deleting them is permanent once you empty the Trash.
Moving the whole library
Music can open a library stored anywhere: hold ⌥ while opening Music, click Choose Library, and pick the library on the drive. Apple documents switching libraries this way, but doesn't publish full steps for moving one. Copy (not move) the whole Music folder from your home folder to the drive with Music quit, then choose it this way. Keep the original until you've checked it.
Living with it
- Connect the drive before opening Music, or songs show as missing (an exclamation mark) until you reconnect.
- Include the drive in your backups.
See how much your music really uses.
Pangalin Space Manager measures your Music folder piece by piece. It points to Music's own settings for the Music library (with an Open Music button and Apple's guide), and never moves the library itself. Other music software folders that are safe to move, such as some DJ and sample libraries, it can move to an external drive with a shortcut left behind.
Free to scan · first 5 GB freed free, then $25 a year · 14-day full refund · Notarised by Apple