Local Entry
Final Cut Pro/Applications
External Library
Final Cut Pro.app63.8 GB moved out
The middle Stub Portal is only a 4 KB entry. The app that takes space lives in the external library.
AppPorts
Reclaim your Mac Storage
Easily migrate bulky apps to external storage while keeping the local launch experience seamless. Smart Linking · Safe & Reliable · Restore Anytime
For website demonstration only. It may not reflect the current app UI or interaction logic, and app icons may change as vendors update them.
why AppPorts
Entry on your Mac, app on the drive.
Launching does not change. The full app moves to an external library while a tiny launch entry stays local.
Stub Portal
Entry on your Mac, app on the drive.
Open it from Finder, Launchpad, or the App Menu as usual. Stub Portal forwards the launch to the full app in the external library.
Move the heavy parts out.
App bundles, data directories, and tool folders can be managed separately. When you want the app back on the Mac, restore it.
External library
App bundles
Move large apps such as Final Cut Pro, IDEs, and browsers into an external app library.
~/Library
Data directories
Caches, configs, models, and Application Support can be handled separately from the app.
/Volumes/...
External library
Keep a clear app-library structure on the external drive instead of memorizing paths.
Restore
Restore locally
When you no longer want to depend on the drive, move the app and entry back to the Mac.
Update guard
Update guard
Lock the entry when needed so app updaters do not overwrite the migrated state.
Link check
Orphan link check
If external files are deleted or moved, see which local entries need cleanup.
how it works
Move it out, bring it back.
The flow stays small: inspect the app, choose an external library, create the entry, then keep launching it as usual.
01
/ApplicationsPick an app
Start from the local app list and check size, state, and whether it is already migrated.
02
External libraryChoose a library
Select the app library on an external drive. AppPorts handles the destination and space checks.
03
Stub PortalCreate the entry
After the full app moves out, a light Stub Portal stays on the Mac.
04
Restore readyLaunch / restore
Finder, Launchpad, and the App Menu still open it. Restore it locally when needed.
not symlink
Not a regular symlink.
The point is not only moving files. It is what macOS sees after the move.
A symlink is useful for a temporary path jump. AppPorts is closer to giving an external app a local entry: the system surface stays clean, and the state remains manageable.
Finder icon
AppPorts
Normal app icon, no alias arrow
Traditional symlink
Usually shows alias or shortcut hints
Launchpad / App Menu
AppPorts
Indexed as a local entry
Traditional symlink
Can disappear or fail menu discovery
Auto updates
AppPorts
Can protect the migrated entry
Traditional symlink
Updaters may rewrite the path directly
State and restore
AppPorts
Knows what moved and can restore it
Traditional symlink
Just a link, with little state
Make room on your Mac
Free and open source. Apps can live in an external library while their launch entries stay where macOS expects them.
macOS 12.0+SwiftUIApache 2.020+ Languages