- How to install mac os x in new hard drive how to#
- How to install mac os x in new hard drive install#
How to install mac os x in new hard drive install#
When you install macOS on an external hard drive, you can get your hands on the latest and greatest features without the risk of making your computer unusable. At the same time, new versions of macOS always introduce attractive new features, and it’s understandable if you want to try them as soon as possible. It’s not uncommon for users to see their Macs become less stable than a hormonal teenager going through a caffeine crash. Seasoned Apple users know that when a new major version of macOS is released, things do always go smoothly. When It Makes Sense to Install macOS Monterey on an External Hard Drive If you discover that Monterey is too unstable, incompatible, or otherwise unsatisfactory, you can simply format the external hard drive and use it for other purposes, such as storing backups.
How to install mac os x in new hard drive how to#
In fact, you have a couple of ways to do this: either using Disk Utility to format the drive before installing macOS or cloning your drive using a third-party tool.By learning how to install macOS on an external hard drive, you can safely test everything macOS 12 Monterey has to offer while preserving your current installation intact. macOS users can also install the OS onto a USB drive and work with the same installation that’s on your internal (and faster) drive.
Linux users know that booting from a USB drive is a useful way to get into the OS. In short, we don’t recommend it, and it’s likely not supported. We also don’t know whether you’ll experience issues if you look to install an older OS you don’t own. Though, if your Mac is based on Apple Silicon, you may find incompatibilities. In theory, there’s no reason why you couldn’t boot an older version of macOS, and Apple does offer ways to install older versions on a USB. Can I boot older versions of macOS from a USB drive? Our testing gave us no issues when using a USB 2.0 to USB-C connector, so you’re able to press your older USB drives into service. Am I able to use a USB connection other than USB-C?
We recommend 16GB to give yourself enough “wiggle room” when it comes to the installation process. As such, you’ll need a large enough USB drive to store Big Sur. In our experience, you will not be able to do this. Can I split an installation across multiple USB drives? Disk operations on the boot drive can be performed safely from a USB stick as well. You can now run the operating system as normal and use this USB drive to boot up your Mac. For Intel Macs, restart and hold the Option key to enter into the boot selection dialog.įor both types of machines, use your keyboard’s arrow keys to select the USB drive from the list of bootable devices, click to confirm, and your USB drive will begin to boot.