Mac mini + TerraMaster DAS: How to Build a 100TB Personal Cloud and Media Library

If you chose a Mac mini as your desktop or home workstation, that was a smart decision. It is compact, quiet, and Apple’s M-series chips handle 4K media streaming, light video work, and background tasks with ease.

Then comes Apple’s storage premium.

Upgrading a base Mac mini from 256GB to 2TB can easily cost hundreds of dollars. Even after paying that price, 2TB can fill up quickly once you start collecting 4K files, high-bitrate movies, or system backups.

The good news is that your Mac mini already has enough computing power. If you are wondering why a Direct-Attached Storage (DAS) setup is the most cost-effective path forward, check out our comprehensive guide on choosing the best external storage for Mac and PC setups: Mac mini External Storage: How to Add 100TB+ Storage with TerraMaster DAS.

By pairing your computer with a dedicated Mac mini external storage solution—such as a multi-bay USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) enclosure from the TerraMaster DAS Series (like the popular 4-bay D4-320)—you can bypass Apple’s upgrade costs and build a high-speed local backup, 4K media server, and private cloud.

Note: TerraMaster DAS enclosures are empty enclosures only. Hard drives are not included. You need to purchase and install your own HDDs or SSDs.

Below is a practical step-by-step setup guide.

Phase 1: Hardware Connection and macOS Formatting

1. Connection Use a high-quality 10Gbps USB-C cable (the original cable is fine) and connect the TerraMaster DAS directly to a Thunderbolt / USB4 port on the back of the Mac mini. Avoid cheap unpowered USB hubs whenever possible, or you may not reach full bandwidth. With a direct connection, multiple SSDs or a well-configured multi-drive setup can often approach around 1,000 MB/s in real-world transfers.

2. Drive formatting Power on the DAS and open Disk Utility.

• For a pure Mac environment: format each drive (or volume) as APFS. APFS is best optimized for Apple silicon, supports snapshots, and is the recommended format for Time Machine on modern macOS.
• If you occasionally need to move a single drive to a Windows PC: choose ExFAT.

Example partition plan (independent disks — the D4-320 does not support hardware RAID):

Phase 2: Automatic Local Backups with Time Machine

1. Open System Settings → General → Time Machine.
2. Click Add Backup Disk and select the dedicated backup drive or volume on the TerraMaster DAS.
3. Turn on automatic backup.

The D4-320 supports intelligent drive sleep and will try to follow the Mac’s power state. In real-world use, some users—especially on M-series Macs—may see more frequent drive sleep/wake cycles. If that happens, enable the macOS options that prevent automatic sleep when the display is off, and prevent automatic sleep when using the power adapter with the display off.

Phase 3: Build a Local 4K Media Library (Plex or Jellyfin)

1. Install Plex Media Server or Jellyfin on the Mac mini.
2. In the server settings, add a media library (Movies, TV Shows, etc.) and point the path to the corresponding folder on the TerraMaster DAS (for example, /Volumes/Media_Library/Movies).
3. In Plex, go to Settings → Server → Transcoder and enable available hardware acceleration.

An M-series Mac mini can easily play multiple 4K streams directly. With hardware acceleration enabled, it can typically handle 2–3 simultaneous 4K HDR transcodes stably (depending on the files and client devices). Power consumption stays low, and the system remains quiet.

Phase 4: Remote File Access (Personal Cloud via Mac mini)

Important: The D4-320 is a USB DAS enclosure and has no built-in network functions. It does not connect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet on its own. All file sharing and remote access are handled by the Mac mini. The DAS only provides local storage over USB; the Mac mini shares those folders over the network.

As long as the Mac mini is powered on and the DAS is connected, other devices can access the files through the Mac mini.

Option A – Local network access (simplest) Go to System Settings → General → Sharing and turn on File Sharing. Add the folders stored on the TerraMaster DAS (mounted on the Mac mini) to the shared list. Other Apple devices on the same network can access them through the Files app or Finder using:

smb://your-Mac-mini-name.local

Option B – Secure remote access with Tailscale (recommended)

1. Install the free Tailscale app on the Mac mini and on your iPhone / iPad / MacBook.
2. Sign in with the same account.
3. From anywhere, open the Files app (or Finder) and connect using the Mac mini’s Tailscale IP to access the shared folders (including data stored on the DAS) over an encrypted connection—no router port forwarding required.

Because remote access runs through the Mac mini, keep the Mac mini awake when you need access from other devices. If the Mac mini sleeps or powers off, remote access to the DAS data will stop until the Mac mini is available again.

Maintenance Tips for Mac mini Users

• If you want services to keep running after the screen turns off: go to System Settings → Energy (or, on some versions, Battery → Options) and enable Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off. On some macOS versions, this option may also appear under Displays → Advanced.
• Place the DAS in a well-ventilated open area. The intelligent cooling fan stays very quiet under normal load.
• Regularly check drive health with Disk Utility or a third-party SMART tool.

Summary

Combining a Mac mini with a multi-bay TerraMaster DAS gives you:

• Up to 100TB+ of high-speed local storage over a 10Gbps connection
• Automated, low-friction Time Machine protection
• A quiet, low-power 4K media streaming station
• Seamless encrypted remote access for mobile devices that need reliable external storage for Mac (via the Mac mini)

If you are still comparing hardware options or want to see how DAS fits among other desktop setups, read our main article on selecting the ideal external storage device for Mac and Windows Mini PC: Mac mini External Storage: How to Add 100TB+ Storage with TerraMaster DAS.

Ready to expand your workstation? Explore the full TerraMaster DAS Series and build your high-capacity storage setup today.