Repointing user directories is easier than it seems. Move your user directories to the other drive at the root level, rather than nested inside a Users folder.This will serve as an emergency account in case something goes wrong with the other drive. Create a new administrator account on the drive that has your system on it.If you have an existing Mac and want to shift user files to a higher-capacity drive:.Follow the instructions below to point your user’s directory location to the other drive.Copy your user directories to the other drive.When complete, create a new account with the same name and details as the user account or accounts you want to host on the other, higher-capacity drive.
Use Migration Assistant to move everything from your old Mac, Time Machine backup, or clone to your new Mac except your user files.Set up a new account on your new Mac as a placeholder, which will also act as a backup administrator account in case anything goes wrong with the other drive.If you’re upgrading to a new Mac, and you can’t migrate your entire existing Mac to the system volume’s capacity as described above:.How you start this split depends on where you’re starting from: USB 3.0 or 3.1 will be fast enough for user files with an hard drive or hybrid drive, as well as for an SSD for the system drive. For an hard drive, try to get a 7200-rpm drive. Check around for options for external drives, as prices can vary by large factors.