M4 vs M4 Pro: why the storage module is different
Apple sells two Mac Minis from 2024 that look identical from the outside: the base M4 and the M4 Pro. Their storage modules are not the same part. Our current module fits the base M4 only, and a module for the M4 Pro is in development.
Check which Mac Mini you have
- Click the Apple menu in the top left and choose About This Mac.
- Read the Chip line. It says Apple M4 or Apple M4 Pro.
- Base M4: our module fits. M4 Pro: wait for the Pro version and do not order the current module.
To confirm the year, hold the Option key, open the Apple menu and choose System Information. Under Hardware, a Mac mini (2024) shows the model identifier Mac16,10 or Mac16,11. Apple lists both under the same model, so the identifier does not separate the M4 from the M4 Pro; the Chip line in About This Mac is the check that counts. The two machines look the same on the outside, so use the software, not the case.
Why one module does not fit both
The M4 Pro logic board is laid out differently from the base M4 board, and the storage module that goes with it is a different part with a different footprint. A base-M4 module does not fit the Pro board, and forcing it risks the connector on the board itself, which costs far more than any SSD.
Designing for the Pro means a new board layout, new firmware validation and a full round of testing in real machines. That is the work in progress now. We do not sell a Pro module before it has been through that.
When the Pro version arrives
We do not publish a date until the tests are done. Leave your email on the M4 Pro page and you get one message when it goes on sale, nothing else.
Capacities and pricing follow the same idea as the base M4 module: a fraction of Apple's upgrade price, the tools included, the same kind of guide.
Related questions
- I ordered the base-M4 module but I have an M4 Pro. What now?
- Do not open the Mac Mini. Email [email protected] with your order number. Unopened, the module falls under the 14-day right of withdrawal, so you get your money back; see the returns page.
- Will the M4 Pro version use the same installation steps?
- Largely, yes: bottom cover, inner plate, fan, module, then a DFU restore. The guide gets a Pro section with its own photos before that module ships.
- Will the base-M4 module work in a Mac Studio, iMac or MacBook?
- No. This module exists for the Mac Mini M4 (2024) only. Other Macs have their storage soldered to the board or use yet another module.
Ready to upgrade?
More guides
- Is the Mac Mini M4 SSD upgradeable?Yes, and this is the first Mac Mini in years where that is true. What the swap involves before you order.
- DFU restore with Apple Configurator, step by stepThe part of the upgrade that happens on a second Mac. Exact steps, the black-screen moment, and the fixes when nothing appears.
- Which Mac Mini models are compatible?One model fits. The rest do not, and here is why, year by year.
- What is in the box, and the 2-year guaranteeThe module, the tools, the plain packaging, and what happens if something is wrong.
- Mac Mini M4 as a home server: why storage runs out firstLow idle power, quiet, and small enough to disappear on a shelf. What a home server actually stores, and why the base 256GB is gone before the real job starts.
- Running local AI models on a Mac Mini M4: the storage mathMemory decides which model you can run; storage decides how many you keep, plus the caches that grow beside them. Sourced download sizes and a computed storage budget for 256GB, 512GB and 2TB.
- A remote AI coding setup on a Mac Mini M4 with Tailscale, mosh and herdrTailscale connects the two machines without port forwarding, mosh keeps the shell alive across sleep and Wi-Fi changes, and herdr keeps AI coding agents running between sessions. Setup steps, honest caveats, and a computed storage budget.