I understand that I may install the apps on a flash drive only if they don't need an installer by copying and pasting already installed ones on the external flash drive.
But how do I know if the already installed ones needed an installed one or not?
Which apps typically need an installer?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15
In general, it's large and complicated programs that use a standalone installer; nothing gotten from the Mac App Store will.
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However, a thumb drive is not an ideal choice for running apps. That is best done on your internal drive. I would not even trust them for long term storage of backups - they are not known to be all that reliable. If it needs to be external, then at least get a quality external hard drive.
So do the ones that don't need installer can be copied and pasted on the flash drive to use?
Yes.
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I agree. But they are hard to carry when you are on the go. May I install my apps on an external hard drive then?
Sure you can, just remember: any app that is CPU/processor intensive is best run from the device that actually has the processor (your Mac) rather than from a hard drive that has to communicate with the processor through a cable. That is old time advice, but I don't think the process has changed in that regard.
Running apps you already installed from a thumb drive?
