How do I move the Applications folder?

[carmv]

I just installed OS X 10.1 after getting a bigger hard drive. I've created a separate partition for Applications. How can I move OS X's Applications folder permanently into this partition (besides drag and drop which just copies the folder)? I want all my applications to launch from this specific partition. How much of a hassle will it be to accomplish this?

Thanks for your help. I've been lurking around these boards for about a month now (ever since we got OS X but have been waiting for the new HD) and it seems to be a very helpful place around here.

~Carm

[Securion]

If you can copy something you must be able to delete something?
Press the "delete" button after you have copied the files?
But I dont know, I dont have a Mac yet...
Im still stuck with my PC shit... Grr.

But posts like this one makes me wonder... How stupid does Apple think their users are?

"Not stupid enough to buy a PC" would be a killer answer here... anyone...?

[carmv]

but copying the folder to the other partition and deleting the old folder won't set all references to the old folder over to the new one. i want to know if it's possible to move the Applications folder as well as all the references to it (such as the button for Applications in the Finder), or would I have to change them manually.

Thanks,

~Carm

[ksignorini]

I think you will have problems if you move the Applications folder. I believe that OS X requires it to reside at: /Applications and that having it at, say: /Volumes/AnotherPartition/Applications might confuse some of the built-in utilities. I think this is the one place where OS X just needs to have apps in a certain location.

I might be way off here.

Anyone else?

Kent!

[chenly]

You don't want to move the /Applications folder. If you're fortunate enough to have a separate partition, tell UNIX to use that as a dedicated swap file partition; this WILL speed up your machine, which I assume is your intent in wanting to move the /Applications folder, which will NOT speed up a UNIX system.

[simX]

It is true that moving the Applications folder will cause some trouble, but you can always leave a symbolic link behind so that the system knows to go to the new location. Here's how to do this. Note that a symoblic link is VERY, VERY different from a Mac alias, and a Mac alias usually doesn't work in situations like these.

1: Copy your Applications folder to its new location.

2: Open up the Terminal. Now type "ln -s ", without the quotes, but with the trailing space.

3: Go back to the Finder, and find the place where you put the new Applications folder. This is where you are going to install new applications. Drag that folder to the Terminal window you made. The UNIX path to your new applications folder should have been inputed into the Terminal.

4: Type " /Applications" without the quotes, but with the first space.

Your Terminal should have something like this ready to execute:
ln -s /Volumes/HAL9000/Applications /Applications. If your command looks like this, you can proceed to the next step.

5. Just press return, and let your command execute. You should now have a UNIX symbolic link named "Applications" at the root level of your OS X partition. If you double click it, it should take you to your new Applications folder. Software Update and most other processes will most likely follow this symbolic link to the new place.

6. If you want to make it invisible, just grab ResEdit or something to make it invisible. Note that if you put a "." in front of the name it will make the alias invisible, but then because the name is different, Software Update and other such utilities will probably not be able to find the Applications folder – so in this case ResEdit is the recommended way to make it invisible.

[carmv]

thank you so much, simx! i'll give it a try.

~Carm

[dricci]

I was thinking about doing something like this next time I reformat my hard drive. Please let us know if it works!