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Amiable_partner3d4d
Participant
Oct 30, 2026 5:38 AM UTC
Question

What is the best external disk for storage on Mac?

Hardware question! My disk cache is full, so I’m looking for an SSD/HDD with max 1TB worth of storage that I can use to put my cache on. I’m completely new to After Effects so it would be nice to get as much space as needed so I don’t have to upgrade later on. I only want to do 1-2 min video edits on my Mac, so I’ll probably transfer to a PC one day for more complex projects. Lastly, I know I might only need 100GB for a cache and I’ve read that AE should be on a separate disk from it, so if anybody has advice for on if 2 separate disks is better (one for cache, one for AE), that would also be helpful!

Specs: MacBook Pro 2023, macOS Sonoma, AE 2026 version 26.5.0, 424 GB of 494 GB used on the default Mac drive (with AE installed already).

I haven’t seen anybody ask about storage just for small projects, so I wanted to see if anybody knows! (Appreciate any help I can get)

    4 replies

    Szalam
    Community Expert
    SzalamCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Nov 1, 2026 3:47 PM UTC

    If you’re referring to AE’s cache that you can set in the preferences, you shouldn’t need an extra drive for it. Your cache should be dynamically adapted as you work. Old things will be tossed and new stuff added to it automatically. Cache is not usually something you need to maintain over a long period of time. I normally keep my cache around 100-200 GB and I frequently flush it for various reasons. 

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    Amiable_partner3d4dAuthor
    Participant
    Nov 3, 2026 4:19 AM UTC

    Unfortunately, I don’t have enough room for the cache on my current computer because of the above problem:

    424 GB of 494 GB used on the default Mac drive (with AE installed already).

    But I would like to use After Effects in the time it would take to clear half of that storage, so I’m looking for alternate options.

    (My AE currently says: “Your disk cache folder is on a drive that does not have enough available space to safely store the full amount specified in your preferences (30 GB). Please make more space available or go to Disk preferences to change the folder or maximum disk cache size.”)

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    ToolfarmJP
    Community Expert
    ToolfarmJPCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Oct 30, 2026 11:05 AM UTC

    What port are you going to connect a SSD with? You need to choose the thunderbolt 4 connection if you expect the fast access.

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      Amiable_partner3d4dAuthor
      Participant
      Oct 30, 2026 9:42 PM UTC

      I have the 14-inch M3 Pro, so yes! I’ll use the Thunderbolt 4 connection.

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