<p><strong>Assumptions:</strong>  </p>

<ul>
<li><p>Your current folder for your bitcoin data is here:
"~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin" or here
"/Users//Library/Application Support/Bitcoin"</p></li>
<li><p>Your current folder for your bitcoin-qt application is here:
/Applications/Bitcoin-qt.app</p></li>
<li><p>You have an external drive named "My Passport" and your Finder,
Preferences setting are set to display Devices.  Select Finder,
Preferences and tick the box to the left of External disks.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>To do this on a MAC running OSX 10.9 follow these instructions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Open Finder.</p></li>
<li><p>In Finder, using the Finder menu bar, select: Go, Go To Folder... , and type <code>~/Library</code> and press the RETURN key.</p></li>
<li><p>In Finder, navigate to the "Application Support" folder.  You will see the Bitcoin directory.</p></li>
<li><p>In Finder, select, or highlight, this folder, then select: Edit, Copy "Bitcoin" from menu bar.</p></li>
<li><p>In Finder, navigate to your external drive "My Passport". </p></li>
<li><p>In Finder, create a folder called "Applications" on your "My Passport" external drive (see step "3" above after connecting external drive, if necessary).</p></li>
<li><p>In Finder, navigate to the newly created "Applications" directory.</p></li>
<li><p>In Finder, select edit and paste item to start copying the "Bitcoin" directory to your external drive's "/Volumes/My Passport/Applications/" folder.</p></li>
<li><p>Once this completes and both the "~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin" and "/Volumes/My Passport/Applications/Bitcoin" folders are identical.  Rename the Bitcoin directory in  "~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin" to  "~/Library/Application Support/BitcoinOLD".  </p></li>
<li><p>Launch Terminal from LaunchPad, Utilities or from Applications in Finder.</p></li>
<li><p>At the Terminal prompt type: <code>cd ~/Library/Application\ Support</code> Yes, that "\" slash is necessary.</p></li>
<li><p>Type: <code>ls -laf</code>, and insure that the Bitcoin directory is now called BitcoinOLD.</p></li>
<li><p>Type: <code>ln -s /Volumes/My\ Passport/Applications/Bitcoin/ ./Bitcoin</code>.  this command actually creates a symbolic link to your external drive.   Yes, that slash "\" just after the "My" is necessary to account for the space in "My Passport".</p></li>
<li><p>Launch Bitcoin-qt from Applications in Finder and let the "Reindexing blocks on disk.." process complete.  It should not be downloading anything until this completes and then will download only those blocks since your last synchronize to the Bitcoin network.</p></li>
<li><p>Once this completes, delete the BitcoinOLD folder using finder. "~/Library/Application Support/BitcoinOLD".</p></li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-24T02:36:02.937Z
2014-02-03T09:00:12.227Z
2014-02-03T09:00:12.227Z
duncwa
<p>You could set <code>datadir</code> in your <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Running_Bitcoin#Bitcoin.conf_Configuration_File" rel="nofollow">bitcoin.conf</a> to a location on an external drive. You'll still need to keep the Application Support folder there to have <code>bitcoin.conf</code> in it. </p>

<p><em>N.b. I have not tried this.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-19T04:07:01.713Z
"All command-line options (except for -datadir and -conf) may be specified in a configuration file, and all configuration file options may also be specified on the command line. Command-line options override values set in the configuration file." https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Running_Bitcoin#Bitcoin.conf_Configuration_File
Mitar
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-24T16:17:35.457Z
@Colin, Why do you say *"N.B."* instead of *"Note:"*?
Pacerier
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-26T17:11:34.963Z
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene
Colin Dean
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-05-30T22:33:23.640Z
Thanks to your link, I finally found out why this:
http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/8837/how-to-make-bitcoin-qt-or-other-client-run-off-of-a-flash-drive-mac

didn't work for me...After I copied and renamed my original bit coin-qt app, it worked exactly it was intended to.
thomin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-05-30T21:39:08.943Z
2013-05-30T21:39:08.943Z
Colin Dean
<p>As of version 0.9 (not yet released, but a release candidate exists), you'll be able to choose the data location on first startup.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-03T13:16:31.350Z
2014-02-03T13:16:31.350Z
Pieter Wuille
<p>I'd like to put all my Bitcoin data on an external drive instead of having it on my hard drive, as it's taking too much space on my laptop.</p>

<p>I did find an answer on this page regarding how to create a standalone application out of <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin-Qt" rel="nofollow">Bitcoin-Qt</a>, but somehow that doesn't work for me. It doesn't seem to do anything different.</p>

<p>How can I move my Bitcoin data? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-02T11:11:58.327Z
You can also use an online wallet like blockchain.info. That will take up zero space on your hard drive.
jobukkit
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-01T12:41:26.880Z
Asking about how to change the default storage location has been posted many, many times. The future canonical question is probably *[Bitcoin-Qt setup: Change block-chain file location, settings? documentation?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/9259)*. Possible duplicate of *[Bitcoin-Qt setup: Change block-chain file location, settings? documentation?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/9259)*.
Peter Mortensen
<mac><library>
How to move Bitcoin data from Application Support on an external drive [Mac]
thomin
# How to move Bitcoin data from Application Support on an external drive [Mac]

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-05-30)

I'd like to put all my Bitcoin data on an external drive instead of having it on my hard drive, as it's taking too much space on my laptop.

I did find an answer on this page regarding how to create a standalone application out of [Bitcoin-Qt](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin-Qt), but somehow that doesn't work for me. It doesn't seem to do anything different.

How can I move my Bitcoin data?

**Tags:** mac, library

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You can also use an online wallet like blockchain.info. That will take up zero space on your hard drive.  
> **username_2**: Asking about how to change the default storage location has been posted many, many times. The future canonical question is probably *[Bitcoin-Qt setup: Change block-chain file location, settings? documentation?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/9259)*. Possible duplicate of *[Bitcoin-Qt setup: Change block-chain file location, settings? documentation?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/9259)*.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-01-24. Score: 6

**Assumptions:**

* Your current folder for your bitcoin data is here:
  "~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin" or here
  "/Users//Library/Application Support/Bitcoin"
* Your current folder for your bitcoin-qt application is here:
  /Applications/Bitcoin-qt.app
* You have an external drive named "My Passport" and your Finder,
  Preferences setting are set to display Devices. Select Finder,
  Preferences and tick the box to the left of External disks.

To do this on a MAC running OSX 10.9 follow these instructions:

1. Open Finder.
2. In Finder, using the Finder menu bar, select: Go, Go To Folder... , and type `~/Library` and press the RETURN key.
3. In Finder, navigate to the "Application Support" folder. You will see the Bitcoin directory.
4. In Finder, select, or highlight, this folder, then select: Edit, Copy "Bitcoin" from menu bar.
5. In Finder, navigate to your external drive "My Passport".
6. In Finder, create a folder called "Applications" on your "My Passport" external drive (see step "3" above after connecting external drive, if necessary).
7. In Finder, navigate to the newly created "Applications" directory.
8. In Finder, select edit and paste item to start copying the "Bitcoin" directory to your external drive's "/Volumes/My Passport/Applications/" folder.
9. Once this completes and both the "~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin" and "/Volumes/My Passport/Applications/Bitcoin" folders are identical. Rename the Bitcoin directory in "~/Library/Application Support/Bitcoin" to "~/Library/Application Support/BitcoinOLD".
10. Launch Terminal from LaunchPad, Utilities or from Applications in Finder.
11. At the Terminal prompt type: `cd ~/Library/Application\ Support` Yes, that "\" slash is necessary.
12. Type: `ls -laf`, and insure that the Bitcoin directory is now called BitcoinOLD.
13. Type: `ln -s /Volumes/My\ Passport/Applications/Bitcoin/ ./Bitcoin`. this command actually creates a symbolic link to your external drive. Yes, that slash "\" just after the "My" is necessary to account for the space in "My Passport".
14. Launch Bitcoin-qt from Applications in Finder and let the "Reindexing blocks on disk.." process complete. It should not be downloading anything until this completes and then will download only those blocks since your last synchronize to the Bitcoin network.
15. Once this completes, delete the BitcoinOLD folder using finder. "~/Library/Application Support/BitcoinOLD".


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2013-05-30. Score: 1

You could set `datadir` in your [bitcoin.conf](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Running_Bitcoin#Bitcoin.conf_Configuration_File) to a location on an external drive. You'll still need to keep the Application Support folder there to have `bitcoin.conf` in it.

*N.b. I have not tried this.*

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks to your link, I finally found out why this: http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/8837/how-to-make-bitcoin-qt-or-other-client-run-off-of-a-flash-drive-mac  didn't work for me...After I copied and renamed my original bit coin-qt app, it worked exactly it was intended to.  
> **username_5**: "All command-line options (except for -datadir and -conf) may be specified in a configuration file, and all configuration file options may also be specified on the command line. Command-line options override values set in the configuration file." https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Running_Bitcoin#Bitcoin.conf_Configuration_File  
> **username_6**: @username_4, Why do you say *"N.B."* instead of *"Note:"*?  
> **username_4**: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2014-02-03. Score: 1

As of version 0.9 (not yet released, but a release candidate exists), you'll be able to choose the data location on first startup.


---

