Mac Mini docks add more ports and storage — get more out of your headless server, AI machine, or Apple workstation

What happened

Whether you're one of the many people who rushed on the M4 Mac Mini this year or grabbed the M6 or M5 Pro Mac Mini that released last month, you're bound to eventually want to consider more storage, more ports, or both. You can't upgrade the storage (it's soldered on the M6, and on M4 you need specialty NAND that will void the warranty and isn't easy to come by), so using external storage is all there is.

Keep in mind these won't work in older Mac Minis, which had a different chassis. Many of them are molded to fit directly beneath Apple's popular mini PC. Apple is a software and consumer electronics company based in Cupertino.

And while the Mac Mini is fairly generous with five USB-C (24-pin reversible connector that supersedes all previous USB connectors) ports, there are no legacy USB-A (a class of legacy USB connectors that predated USB-C (“A” indicating the host end)) ports or an SD Card slot like on the Mac Studio . For Prime Day , there are a handful of docks specifically designed for Apple's Mac Mini that will give you more ports, including options with SSD slots to allow for more storage in a compact footprint.