#Cloning mac hard drive to ssd how to
#Cloning mac hard drive to ssd install
#Cloning mac hard drive to ssd Pc

The registered version of SuperDuper is also a great backup program, which we use regularly.Ĭarbon Copy Cloner works as well as SuperDuper for cloning, and version 2.3 will also let you clone Mac OS X 10.2 and 10.3. We’ve been doing this at Low End Mac headquarters for years, and it works very well. As long as it’s not too big for that Mac’s drive controller to recognize (see How Big a Hard Drive Can I Put in My iMac, eMac, Power Mac, PowerBook, or iBook?), you should be good to go.

#Cloning mac hard drive to ssd install

You can also use this procedure to clone OS X to another Mac – just install the cloned drive. (Note that some of the oldest G3 Macs can’t boot into OS X via USB.) Once you know it’s working, transplant it. If not, erase the new drive and try again. Select the new drive, click on the right arrow icon, and your Mac should boot from it. Your Mac will display icons for any bootable drive. To boot from the external drive, hold down the Option key during startup. * Editor’s note: You may want to test the clone drive before performing the transplant. If it hasn’t worked, the machine will not boot. You will not notice anything different, except a larger drive. If successful, the Mac will work exactly as before.

Remove the internal drive and replace it with the new one you just cloned to – and boot the machine.* Once completed, shut down the computer and external hard drive.

If you are connected via FireWire or USB 2.0, then it will be quicker (maybe 20 minutes – depending on how much is on your hard drive). If you are connected via USB 1.1, it will take quite a while (maybe an hour or two). The third one should be labelled “using” – select “Backup – all files”. In the second drop down labelled “to”, select the new drive that you just formatted. In the first one, labelled “copy”, select the drive in your Mac. In the SuperDuper screen, you will see three drop downs. The new drive will erase within a few seconds and your drive is now ready for cloning.ĭon’t worry – you cannot erase your existing hard drive with Mac OS X installed on it, as it is the drive you have booted from and is therefore locked.ĭownload SuperDuper. Double check the Volume Format is “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” and give it a name (or leave it as it is). You will see five tabs across the middle of the screen: select “Erase”.

Down the left hand side Disk Utility will show both drives. Once the Mac is booted, you will need to format the new drive into a Mac format in Disk Utility (in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder). If your enclosure needs to be plugged into a power source, do this and then switch it on. Plug it into your Mac, and switch the Mac on.

a copy of SuperDuper įirst, put your new drive hard drive enclosure.a FireWire or USB enclosure for the drive (not necessary if you have a Power Mac with room for another internal drive).a Mac with Mac OS X Tiger or Leopard installed.

#Cloning mac hard drive to ssd how to

So for anyone new to cloning, here is how to do it.Ĭloning makes a complete bootable copy of your hard drive onto another drive.

#Cloning mac hard drive to ssd Pc

He was about to reinstall OS X when I suggested cloning.īeing a PC user, he was new to the idea, so I emailed him some instructions, and it worked with no problem. We installed Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger on it, and then he got a larger hard drive. A mate of mine who has only been using Macs for a few weeks has been using a PowerBook G3.