Softlinks/Firmlinks in Monterey

[808?]

Having finally upgraded from a 2012 Mac mini running Mojave, I have a new M1 Mini running Monterey.

The internal SSD is only 256GB, so I added an external 1TB SSD on which I hoped I could store my larger folders, Documents, Downloads, Pictures and Music.

On my old system, I had moved my "home" folder to an additional internal drive, but with the new setup I was trying to avoid this and just link the 4 main folders on the external SSD. The Pictures and Music are sorted, as the apps for each can be pointed to an external folder, it is just Documents and Downloads I needed sorted.

Having read/watched on how to create a symlink at root level using Terminal by adding details in /etc/synthetic.conf, I could not get this to work as I wanted, so someone suggested a softlink instead.

I also tried creating an alias from the external drive and dragging that into the sidebar on Finder, but it threw back an error saying I can't have two folders of the same name, even though I had removed the original default folder.

Please be gentle, I have not posted for quite some time. 😇

 

[wdhpgx]

In Dec I bought a 256mb m1 mini, and added an external ssd for space. I symlinked (softlinked) many of my (non-standard) dirs to the external drive.

I ran into problems trying to symlink some things. I forget the details with Documents, but it was like the OS kept wanting to re-create the directory on the internal drive. I eventually just put the symlink *in* Documents, rather than trying to replace Documents. I also ran into problems with trying to symlink Library to the external drive, and ended up just leaving it on the internal. Documents, Library, and Desktop I kept on the internal; and Movies, Music, Pictures, Public, and generally all my other folders I symlinked to the external. I believe I symlinked also Downloads, but then I also don't use it (I use a different folder for my safari downloads), so I can't confirm that works.

I didn't have any problems adding things to the sidebar (other than, I think, the same problem I mentioned with Documents getting re-created on the internal drive).

One other factor I should mention: I do have the internal drive encrypted with FileVault, and I believe that does increase the complexity with trying to move things to the external drive; that's in particular why I left Library on the internal drive.

I've since replaced that mini with a Studio with much larger internal drive, so it's not a configuration I actively use/maintain anymore.

Also, this was with Big Sur on the mini; I never upgraded that machine to Monterey.

 

[NoBoMac]

One other factor I should mention: I do have the internal drive encrypted with FileVault, and I believe that does increase the complexity with trying to move things to the external drive; that's in particular why I left Library on the internal drive.

FileVault shouldn't matter, as M1 Macs always encrypt and FV just adds the extra layer of requiring a user password to start the decryption process.

But, yeah, I'd leave Library on the machine to be safe, ensure smoother login. Nothing truly critical to the machine running should be there, but some startup at login items for the user might get a little picky.

 

[Mookerchief]

Surely the easiest way around your issue is to abandon the 'official' Downloads and Documents folders and simply make your own, and symlink those.
I haven't used the Documents folder for my own stuff in many, many years - largely because it gets filled up with crud and c**p from various applications, created by developers who think they have to stuff their data that should be in application support in amongst my files. (Here's looking at you, Adobe)