TL;DR
Sure.
Set up a brand new OS on a clear partition on a secondary drive (i.e. the exterior SSD), then copy the functions from the previous Functions folder to the Functions folder on the brand new set up.
Drag and drop set up
Most functions (if not all) that are put in by merely dragging and dropping might be copied to any folder (be that on one other, exterior disk or the inner disk) and run from there – test it your self.
Seeing as exterior onerous disks are handled as directories, by the OS, as soon as they’re mounted, this implies you’ll be able to run the Software from nearly wherever that’s at the moment mounted.
Notes:
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In the event you run an utility from a non-standard location, i.e. a listing apart from the Functions folder, chances are you’ll discover that some functions could moan and pop up a dialog stating that they need to be run from the present “official” Functions folder of the at the moment operating OS, however often that may be ignored.
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In the event you improve your OS to a later model, chances are you’ll discover that some functions cease working, as a result of incompatabilities – even when you’ll be able to efficiently copy them over to your new set up. For instance, in the event you moved from Mojave (or earlier) to Catalina (or later), you’ll discover that the 32 bit variations of functions not work, as Catalina dropped assist for 32 bit functions.
Set up from package deal
Nevertheless, functions put in utilizing a package deal (i.e. by opening a .pkg file) cannot be simply moved or copied1, and it’s best to re-install these accurately (utilizing the package deal) on the brand new OS drive.
Footnote
1 It is because packages often set up varied (and presumably quite a few) recordsdata in a number of locations and with out rigorously inspecting the set up log file, it’s a ache to maneuver all the particular person recordsdata of their disparate locations, to the corresponding location on the brand new set up.
