Over time, your Mac may experience a slowdown, prompting the need to explore methods to enhance its speed. Fortunately, one effective solution is the use of an external SSD, which can serve as a top option to achieve this objective.
Utilizing an external SSD as a startup disk not only boosts performance but also provides the convenience of storing frequently accessed files on it. Ultimately, this approach not only enhances your device’s overall performance but also helps declutter it from potential excess files.
How can you prepare your Mac before you add an external SSD?
A maintenance check and some comprehensive changes can help you quite a bit. The idea here is that you want to integrate an external SSD when your device has already gone through some maintenance. You don’t need to do very complex tasks here. For example, you should do things like cleaning up your desktop and downloads folder.
You can also empty the trash bin, sometimes it can be full of unnecessary clutter that keeps space on your device. And yes, it also makes a lot of sense to remove old applications. Emptying the trash is not that complicated, nor is it to remove apps. It can be time-consuming, but you can use a Mac cleanup tool to achieve that.
Adding the external SSD to your Mac
Now that you know why you need to have an external SSD, the best thing you can do is to figure out how to install it properly. Here are some steps you want to consider!
- Once you buy the SSD, let it accommodate to the room temperature a little bit. Connect it to your Mac and then go to the Disk Utility to format it. Not every external SSD will need that, but it’s a great idea to prepare your device the best way you can. Formatting so you can start with a clean slate is always the right way to go.
- Now you can start transferring files to it. Starting a file transfer is simple, you go to the Finder and browse the various folders and files. All you have to do is drag and drop the files you want and transfer them over.
- Make sure that you properly organize your files, otherwise, it can be difficult to narrow down where every file is going and what changes you might need to make.
- After you finalize the transfer, all you have to do is click Eject.
Now you know how to do it and it’s a very seamless process. An external SSD can help you store stuff that you rarely use, and by deleting that from your Mac, you will speed up your device and boost performance.
Nevertheless, It’s a great idea to use an external SSD because transfer speeds are extremely fast, and they can always provide amazing value for money. We highly recommend using an external SSD if you can, since you can always transfer your files back without waiting a lot of time!