(You'll probably only need to do this if you're migrating from a hard drive to a smaller SSD we have a separate guide on that process here. If it isn't, you'll need to free up space on your source drive and shrink the main partition down to fit. In most cases, your destination drive will probably need to be as large as, or larger than, your source drive. Type Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions. Using Windows: Connect the drive to your PC and launch the Start Menu. You can now drag or copy your files from the external drive to your PC. Connect the drive to your PC and launch File Explorer to access the drive. Once you've connected your drive, you can go through the cloning process, then disconnect it and install the drive internally. Use Finder to drag and drop files and data from your Mac to the external drive. If, however, you're using a laptop with only one drive bay, you'll need an external SATA-to-USB adapter, dock (Opens in a new window), or enclosure to connect your bare drive to the computer.

If you have a desktop computer and both drives are installed internally (or you're just cloning to a USB external drive for backup), great! You're ready to continue. Depending on your files' sizes, this process time will vary. 8 Wait for your files to finish copying onto the drive. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authenticationįor this process, you'll obviously need two drives: the source drive (with the data you want to clone), and the destination drive (where you're cloning that data to). Click a blank space in the external hard drive's window, then press Ctrl + V to paste in the copied files.On the menu bar at the top of your screen, select Edit >. How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac Copy photos to the external drive Connect the external drive to your Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.Select Restore from Disk Utility’s Edit menu. The volume you select will be the destination drive for the Restore operation. In the sidebar, select the volume to which you want to copy/clone data. How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages You can find instructions cloning a drive using an earlier version of Disk Utility.

Copy mac hard drive to external