{"id":30167,"date":"2019-12-04T08:45:52","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T13:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/?p=7532"},"modified":"2019-12-03T22:36:29","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T03:36:29","slug":"need-to-move-lots-of-data-between-macs-try-target-disk-mode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/need-to-move-lots-of-data-between-macs-try-target-disk-mode\/","title":{"rendered":"Need to Move Lots of Data Between Macs? Try Target Disk Mode"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the number of ways we can move data between Macs. You can send files via AirDrop, attach them to an email message, put them in a Messages conversation, turn on and connect via File Sharing, or use Dropbox or Google Drive as an intermediary, to name just a few of the more obvious approaches.<\/p>\n<p>But what if you have a lot of data\u2014say tens or even hundreds of gigabytes\u2014to transfer from one Mac to another? The techniques listed above might work, but we wouldn\u2019t bet on it. If you had an external hard drive with sufficient free space handy, you could copy all the data to it from one Mac and then copy the data back off to another Mac. To cut the copy time in half, though, try Target Disk Mode instead.<\/p>\n<h3>What Is Target Disk Mode?<\/h3>\n<p>Target Disk Mode is a special boot mode that enables nearly any Mac to behave like an external hard drive for another Mac. You can connect the Macs using Thunderbolt 3, USB-C (on the MacBook), Thunderbolt 2, or FireWire. It\u2019s best to use the same port on both Macs if possible, but it\u2019s usually fine to use adapters, such as Apple\u2019s Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter for connecting newer and older Thunderbolt-capable Macs.<\/p>\n<p>Target Disk Mode is nearly universal, easy to set up, and one of the fastest methods of moving files between Macs. Let\u2019s unpack that statement:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Nearly universal:<\/b> Every Mac sold in the last decade supports Target Disk Mode, so you can be sure it will work with any modern Mac.<\/li>\n<li><b>Easy setup:<\/b> Because Apple has baked Target Disk Mode into the Mac firmware, the version of macOS is irrelevant. There\u2019s no software to configure nor any permissions to worry about. Putting a Mac into Target Disk Mode merely requires holding down the T key during boot or clicking a button in the Startup Disk preference pane.<\/li>\n<li><b>Speed:<\/b> Because Target Disk Mode on modern Macs relies on a Thunderbolt connection, and you\u2019re connecting one Mac directly to another, you\u2019ll get the fastest transfer speeds in the fewest steps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also use Target Disk Mode on an old Mac to set up a new Mac with Migration Assistant, repair its drive using Disk Utility, or possibly even boot another Mac with it. Booting one Mac from another in Target Disk Mode works best if the two Macs are of the same model and vintage and are running the same version of macOS, but it might work even if those facts aren\u2019t true.<\/p>\n<h3>Step-by-Step Instructions<\/h3>\n<p>To use Target Disk Mode to copy data between Macs, follow these steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>On the source Mac, either:\n<ul>\n<li>Restart the Mac, and once it starts booting, hold down the T key until you see the Target Disk Mode screen with a bouncing Thunderbolt logo.<\/li>\n<li>Open System Preferences &gt; Startup Disk, click the lock button and enter your administrator credentials, click Target Disk Mode, and then click Restart.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7534 alignnone lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/need-to-move-lots-of-data-between-macs-try-target-disk-mode.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"606\" height=\"365\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 606px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 606\/365;\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Connect the source Mac to the destination Mac with an appropriate cable. The source Mac\u2019s drive appears on the destination Mac\u2019s Desktop like an external hard drive. (If the source Mac is running macOS 10.15 Catalina, two drives will appear on the destination Mac\u2019s Desktop: <i>DriveName<\/i> and <i>DriveName \u2013 Data.<\/i> The first is Catalina\u2019s system volume; you\u2019ll find all your files and folders on the Data volume.)<\/li>\n<li>Move or copy files as desired.<\/li>\n<li>When you\u2019re done, press and hold the power button on the source Mac for a few seconds to shut it down.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you have hundreds of gigabytes to transfer and either of your Macs is a notebook, it\u2019s best to connect it to power to avoid draining the battery before the copy finishes.<\/p>\n<h3>Minor Gotchas<\/h3>\n<p>Two things can complicate putting a Mac into Target Disk Mode: FileVault and a <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT204455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">firmware password<\/a>. Both are easily worked around:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If the Mac is encrypted with FileVault, hold down the T key at startup like normal, but then enter the administrator password for that Mac to complete the switch to Target Disk Mode.<\/li>\n<li>If the Mac has a firmware password, press the Option key while the Mac is starting up and enter the firmware password when prompted. Then press the T key to continue booting in Target Disk Mode.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Also, the Apple USB-C Charge Cable that comes with the power adapter for the MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models doesn\u2019t support Target Disk Mode, so if that\u2019s the cable you were planning to use, sorry, but you\u2019ll need to buy a real Thunderbolt or USB-C cable.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these small caveats, Target Disk Mode is one of the unsung innovations that has made Macs easier to use for decades, and it\u2019s well worth keeping in mind whenever you need to move lots of data between machines.<\/p>\n<p>(Featured image by Adam Engst)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you ever have to move tens or hundreds of gigabytes of data between Macs, give Target Disk Mode a try. It\u2019s fast, easy, and reliable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[66,39,67,5,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-blog","category-how-to","category-mac","category-productivity"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/need-to-move-lots-of-data-between-macs-try-target-disk-mode.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YLEm-7Qz","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27024,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/what-is-apfs-and-why-should-you-care\/","url_meta":{"origin":30167,"position":0},"title":"What Is APFS (and Why Should You Care)?","author":"computeradv","date":"September 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A major change in macOS 10.13 High Sierra is the switch to Apple\u2019s new Apple File System, or APFS. With any luck, you\u2019ll barely notice the change, just as almost no one did earlier this year when Apple updated millions of iOS devices to APFS with iOS 10.3. But let\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;APFS&quot;","block_context":{"text":"APFS","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/apfs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/APFS-dialog.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/APFS-dialog.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/APFS-dialog.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/APFS-dialog.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34587,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair\/","url_meta":{"origin":30167,"position":1},"title":"Follow These Steps before Bringing Your Mac in for Repair","author":"computeradv","date":"October 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It has finally happened. 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Before bringing your Mac in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25945,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/understanding-desktop-and-documents-folder-syncing\/","url_meta":{"origin":30167,"position":2},"title":"Understanding Desktop and Documents Folder Syncing","author":"computeradv","date":"October 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In macOS Sierra, you can use Desktop and Documents folder syncing via iCloud Drive to create unified Desktop and Documents folders across all your Macs, and as an added bonus, you can access the contents of those folders from all your iOS devices. 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