Xcode on external drive

Hello

On Nov 11, 2025 I upgraded Xcode to 17B100

I found instructions to install it on an external drive because the old way of doing it (install to /Applications and move it to the desired location) didn't work.

I downloaded the dmg, moved it to the external drive and the install worked

I now have a usable Xcode sitting on my external drive

The problem is, there are no simulators and the normal method of downloading them does not work.

How do I install simulators (preferably on my external drive) for use by my externally installed Xcode (same drive)?

I downloaded the dmg, moved it to the external drive and the install worked

Where are you downloading this DMG from? The official download is an XIP file, not a DMG.

I found instructions to install it on an external drive because the old way of doing it (install to /Applications and move it to the desired location) didn't work.

The problem is, there are no simulators and the normal method of downloading them does not work.

For both of these, are there specific error messages?

— Ed Ford,  DTS Engineer

Xcode on external drive
 
 
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