Can I move the WeChat app to an external drive to free up space on my MacBook Pro?

In general it's not recommended to keep apps outside of the Applications folder in Finder.

However, for self contained Apps it's possible to simply copy the App file from their Applications Folder in Finder to any other folder or even an external drive. You can drag and drop it onto the external drive while holding down the command key to move it.

If it is storing data like chats somewhere else, then you would need to find out wether the location of those chats can be moved elsewhere. Contact the App developer for more help with their Apps.

I think you are being pointed in the right direction, but I offer some clarification on what I think you are seeing.

Moving the app would not free up much space.

If you are looking at the Application section of the Storage display, that shows the app size and its data. Moving the app won't move the data. The data will remain in your home folder.

You would have to ask the developer's of WeChat how to move the data store to an external disk which is what Phil0124 has already noted.

What you show there is just the application file, not the entire chat history. The size shown is not wrong, it's just the size of the app package which would not include your entire chat history.

Moving the App file from the Applications folder, will very likely not take with it all your chats. As I have been trying to get across: The chat history is likely stored somewhere else, not inside the actual app file. This is why you need to find out where the chat history is stored and if the files can be moved

Unless somebody here uses weChat, it's going to be hard to be able to test this. I do strongly suggest you contact the app developer and ask them how to move the chat history for their App to another computer.

https://help.wechat.com/oshelpcenter

I agree that apps should normally be placed in the Applications folder. You could install an operating system on the external drive, then you could install any desired apps there very easily. Or, to clear up needed space, why not just copy files onto the external drive and then they could be deleted from your Mac's HD, clearing up the needed space. Easily done.

stylinexpat wrote:

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If one installed an OS on an external drive would it then be separate from internal one then basically running two Operating Systems..?

Yes.

I previously had my iTunes backup synced to an external storage device but after last OS upgrade iTunes could not find and sync library. I plan on buying new MacBook Air as well and want to make sure that I can still easily migrate or access when I buy new MacBook Air. Will this be a problem then?

The iTunes Library can be consolidated and portable, meaning you can just move the Folder anywhere you want to, and point iTunes or the new Music App to the location of the iTunesLibrary.itl file on an external drive and it should just load it into itself. This makes it easy to store and backup your iTunes library regardless of operating. system and updates.

For third party apps like weChat, you will need to find out how they store their data and if it can be relocated.

With that said, installing a secondary OS on an external drive, is an option, but you will be limited to what the Mac its connected to can run. You cannot boot into an OS version that is older than what the Mac original came with.

It's not a simple task, and can be cumbersome in the long wrong.

If you just need to move data out to an external drive, an entire operating system may be unnecessary.

It's good that you have a plan. I have some things to keep in mind.

• When moving your data, apps and preferences to the new computer you will use Migration Assistant. It is easy to use.
• Some people here advocate installing their apps on the new computer with a clean download instead of transferring them. That way the apps are the latest versions and they work with the new OS as they should.
• When you initially set up the external drive to transfer your files to, keep in mind that it must be formatted to work with the new computer's operating system or it cannot be accessed. Will that format work with your current computer?
• The Apple apps that are installed with an OS will not be transferred by Migration Assistant as they are already installed in the new computer.