Next, we'll use Disk Utility to format your external hard drive to ensure compatibility. Step two: Format your external hard drive Now you've got rid of all your useless system junk and files, and your data is ready to be cloned let's head to the next step. Select files you no longer want and click Remove.Enjoy sorting through your files - search by type, size, or last opened.Open the app or select Large & Old Files from the sidebar.How to find duplicate or large and old files the easy way: That's it say goodbye to unnecessary language files, old cache, system logs, and useless temporary and broken files. Locate System Junk from within the sidebar and click Scan. Here's how to tidy your Mac the quick and easy way:ĭownload CleanMyMac X for free here or open the app. It's got two great modules - System Junk and Large & Old Files - which will help to tidy up your Mac and remove duplicate or unneeded files that don't need to be cloned. Not only is this application notarized by Apple, but it's perfect for this particular job. If you haven't got the time to clean up your Mac manually, consider using a dedicated tool like CleanMyMac X. Remove different types of cache (system, browser, and user cache). There's no point in making a backup of system junk and clutter, so before you do anything, take some time to clean up your device.

The first step in the Mac clone hard drive to SSD process is preparation. There are a couple of stages involved in cloning a hard drive, so I've broken this part down into bitesize steps let's go. So, now that we've covered the basics, let's get started with the fun stuff - the Mac clone! How to clone a Mac hard drive To prepare for an aging or failing hard drive To protect data when testing beta Mac operating systems Let's take a look at some other reasons why people want to know how to clone a hard drive on a Mac: Data loss is a horrible issue to deal with, so many users like to create a clone of their hard drive, but that's not the only motivation. These days, Macs are generally fairly robust, but that doesn't mean they're invincible. Why you might need to clone a Mac hard drive Somewhere secure to store your cloned hard drive.ĭon't worry we'll walk you through the steps in an easy-to-understand way, but first, let's discuss reasons to clone. To create a clone, you'll need three things:Ī new or completely erased external hard drive or SSD.ĭisk Utility and the correct Mac cloner software. You might be thinking, isn't the native Apple backup feature Time Machine the answer to this problem? Well, Time Machine sure is great at backing up our files and folders, but it's not built to clone an entire drive or bootable macOS data. So you want to clone a Mac? It sounds like a scary, somewhat challenging subject to many, but it's actually easier than you might think.Ĭloning a hard drive basically means creating an exact and precise copy of the original disk, including all of its content and bootable macOS files.

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