I have run our of space on my iMac HD (SSD) on a M1 24" 2021 with 2.45 GB HD and 16 GB of ram. I have moved all of the files off except the Applications, Library, System and Users. I get a message that the disc is full and it will not let me open an app. I have a remote SSD attached and wondered if I can move any apps to that drive and access them from the SSD?
iMac (M1, 2021)
Have all your backups successfully transferred to external media? Lots of storage can be taken up by the hidden APFS snapshots used by backup software including Apple's own Time Machine. Normally these APFS snapshots are automatically deleted after a day to a week once the backup has been successfully transferred, but sometimes one or more snapshots may be retained for a longer time....sometimes this can be controlled in the backup software.
You can the information in the following Apple article to view & delete APFS snapshots. One thing this article does not explain clearly is you must first click on the "Data" volume in the left pane of Disk Utility before you will see the option on the "View" menu on the menu bar for "Show APFS Snapshots".
View APFS snapshots in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
FYI, if the backup snapshot hasn't been transferred yet, then you may find your files may not be fully backed up.
Have all your backups successfully transferred to external media? Lots of storage can be taken up by the hidden APFS snapshots used by backup software including Apple's own Time Machine. Normally these APFS snapshots are automatically deleted after a day to a week once the backup has been successfully transferred, but sometimes one or more snapshots may be retained for a longer time....sometimes this can be controlled in the backup software.
You can the information in the following Apple article to view & delete APFS snapshots. One thing this article does not explain clearly is you must first click on the "Data" volume in the left pane of Disk Utility before you will see the option on the "View" menu on the menu bar for "Show APFS Snapshots".
View APFS snapshots in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
FYI, if the backup snapshot hasn't been transferred yet, then you may find your files may not be fully backed up.
I might suggest that you get a larger external SSD, clone your internal to that and run from that clone from now on. It would solve most of your issues.
The biggest taker of space is your Home Folder.
Read this article...
https://www.lifewire.com/move-macs-home-folder-new-location-2260157
Using apps on remote SSD
