/PowerMyMac /Guide on How to Clone Mac Hard Drive to SSD
When it comes to the cloning topic, what do you expect from the process? If you are planning to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, let us take a close look at what is the cloning process all about. Generally, it is recommended to clone the hard drive of your Mac in case you decide to upgrade the hard drive with a solid state drive (SSD), replace an old or corrupted drive with a new one or if you are going to create a bootable hard drive.
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In most cases, all these demands can be achieved with the help of cloning. Essentially, when you clone the hard drive, you will no longer worry about reinstalling the operating system as well as transfer folders, files, applications and some configurations on the new hard disk. Another advantage with the cloning process is that if you have a duplicate hard drive with setup volume, it can aid in booting your Mac easily in case of unexpected disasters.
Article GuideWhat are solid state drives (SSDs)?How to clone Mac hard drive to SSDShould I backup or clone?Let's wrap it up
What are solid state drives (SSDs)?
Before you decide to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, let us take a close look at SSDs. Solid state drives or SSDs utilize flash memory to keep data. If built into a computer, they are usually seen as chips on the circuit board. You can also find them in 2.5' format that you can install in a laptop or an external enclosure.
Generally, SSDs are quiet, compact and fast, especially if you are starting up a computer or waking up the device. Remember that hard disks might go into sleep mode when not used for a certain span of time and takes a few seconds to spin up. SSDs also utilize less power, run cooler, lighter and do not have any movable parts which make them suitable for laptops.
When you accidentally drop your laptop when the hard drive is spinning, there is a likelihood for the drive to be damaged and lose data. SSDs are generally more dependable, and in case they fail, you can still read data whereas you cannot do this with a hard disk.
Nevertheless, SSDs are considered as a costly option if you are considering the cost to storage ratio. At present, you can purchase an 8TB external drive for less than $150 while that same amount of money will only provide you with a 500GB SSD.
People Also Read:How to Partition A Hard Drive on Mac?How to upgrade your MacBook Pro with an SSD?
How to clone Mac hard drive to SSD
There are several reasons why it is best to boot from an external hard drive. In case you prefer to keep your files synchronized from a desktop and laptop, enlarge your storage or have an on-hand bootable backup duplicate of your system, there is an unseen feature in Disk Utility that makes the process an easy task.
Essentially, booting from an external hard drive is usually slower, even if you are using the latest Thunderbolt or the USB-C drives. They are relatively sluggish than the solid state drives (SSDs) that are found in most of the latest Macs. Although this is not suggested for daily use, it is a possible option.
Using Disk Utility
If you are going to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, it is recommended to use Disk Utility.Simply open Disk Utility from the Spotlight (Command+Space) or on the Utility folder in your applications. You will be presented with a list of all the volumes including the internal hard drive and the external hard drive.
It is important to note that the 'Restore' option in Disk Utility will work by copying the files from the backup to your core drive. It is ideally intended to the utilized for Recovery mode to reinstate the hard drive in case a failure occurs.
Once you decide to set your external drive as the restore target, you can switch that action around and copy files from the main drive to the backup. Choose your external drive in the sidebar, tap on the 'Restore' button in the menu and select your main drive as the 'Restore From' option. You have the option to choose an ISO image, but it does not have much use.
Tap on the 'Restore' button and Disk Utility will initiate the copying process. In most cases, the process is relatively a long one which is based on the speediness of your external drive as well as its link to your Mac. Due to this, it is recommended to have a rapid hard drive with USB-C, Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 connections.
Once Disk Utility completes the task, you can turn off your Mac and press on the Option when it starts to restart again. You will be presented with the boot switcher and you are allowed to boot from the external hard drive. You can utilize your Mac as usual but remember that it is separate from the installation on the main internal hard drive. Take note that any settings that you alter or files that are saved there will not be reflected on the primary installation.
You can perform the same process in a reverse manner if there is a need to copy the files back over or to restore the backup in case your computer malfunctions.
Should I backup or clone?
Generally, hard disks can be backed up or cloned. Remember that there are differences between the two with their own advantages and drawbacks.
Backing up a hard drive
If you are going to back up a hard drive, the entire content of the chosen drive or partition is backed up into a file on the targeted location. All data is saved into a single file. When a complete backup of the hard drive is carried out, the whole operating system along with the installed applications and settings are also set aside. The file can be protected or encrypted with a password.
The advantage of this approach is no other than simple management since a single file contains the whole backup. You can also compress the backup file so that it utilizes less space.
As for a drawback, you need a backup software to be able to reinstate the system or data to a previous state or to access documents and files.
Cloning the hard drive
If you are going to duplicate or clone Mac hard drive to SSD, a copy of the drive is created directly on the target location. This simply means that you have an instant copy including the hard disk structure. A cloned disk or drive includes all the partitions from the source drive or disk.
An advantage with cloning is that the data is directly copied to the specified location and can be utilized and edited directly. The duplicated system drive which includes the operating system can be mounted as a fresh drive and booted right away.
As for the drawbacks, a clone requires more space since the partitions are created immediately on the targeted disk. Due to this, it is not likely to compress or add encryption to the data.
Let's wrap it up
Best External Ssd For Macbook Air 2019 Model
If there is a need for a backup to be created regularly, it is recommended to opt for the hard drive backup. This usually takes up less space and allows the creation of extra backups.
In case you require a bootable extra drive to be operational after an unforeseen crash and to lessen the downtime period, it is best to clone Mac hard drive to SSD.
Generally, both methods have been proven to be the ideal choice. A consistent drive backup for daily data along with a clone of the system drive is essential for easy accessibility in case of emergencies.
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To upgrade MacBook Air SSD to a new one can solve a lot of issues like MacBook Air expand storage and corrupted SSD replacement. This article shows you the detailed steps to do such a job. To rescue data from the corrupted SSD, you can use MiniTool Software.
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When You Need to Upgrade MacBook Air SSD?
Two Common Situations You Need to Upgrade MacBook Air SSD
Apple's MacBook Air is a solid and reliable laptop for you, especially it is a device that is using the solid-state drive (SSD) as the data storage drive. Compared with the traditional hard disk drive, SSD is much faster and durable.
What's the difference between solid-state drive and hard drive? Which one to use for your PC? Read this post to learn more on SSD VS HDD now.
However, as time goes on, there will be more and more files on the MacBook Air SSD. That is, the free space will become less and less. This is an inevitable result that may even influence the performance of the device.
Perhaps, you have taken some measures to release space for new data. But this method is not once and for all. Many users reported that their MacBook Air SSDs became full very soon since new data occupied the drive space quickly.
Due to this, the proper answer for MacBook Air expand storage is to upgrade MacBook Air SSD to a larger one. That is, you can replace MacBook Air SSD with a new and larger one especially when you want to save more data on your MacBook Air and experience the smooth running speed.
Additionally, MacBook Air SSD may get damaged or corrupted, and become unrepairable. If you don't want to buy a new device, you will need to update your MacBook Air SSD by replacing it with a new one.
So far, we summarize these two common situations in which you'd better upgrade MacBook Air SSD:
- MacBook Air SSD is full or running into low disk space.
- MacBook Air SSD is corrupted or damaged, and unrepairable.
Why You Should Upgrade MacBook Air SSD on Your Own
Some of you may choose to ask Apple Support for help to replace MacBook Air SSD. But, there is something you need to know: you need to send the device to the support center and it will take days to complete MacBook Air SSD replacement.
Besides, there should be some privacy information on the SSD. Once you send it to a stranger, you will be in the risk of privacy leakage.
Additionally, if you are using a mid-2012 model or even earlier, the machine is on 'Vintage' list of Apple, which means the company has disconnected the support for the device.
Actually, it is not a difficult job to replace MacBook Air SSD by yourself. If you have a proper SSD for MacBook Air and enough tools to disassemble and assemble the laptop, you will be able to perform a MacBook Air SSD replacement in a few minutes.
Replace Macbook Air Ssd
Does macbook have word. How to create video on macbook air. In the following contents, we will show you the exact things you should do to upgrade MacBook Air SSD. You'd better follow every step strictly.
Step 1: Select a Proper SSD and Tools
Not all kinds of SSDs can be used to replace your original MacBook Air SSD. You need to select a proper one from the formal purchase channel, like Amazon, Newegg, eBay, and more.
For MacBook Air expand storage use, you need to choose an SSD that has larger capacity compared with the original MacBook Air SSD.
Usually, the alternative SSD comes with installation tools. However, if there are no such kinds of tools, you also need to purchase them together.
If the SSD of the MacBook Air is corrupted and you want to recover data from it, you need to buy a suitable MacBook Air SSD enclosure together. After MacBook Air SSD replacement, you can install the previous SSD into the enclosure, connect it to your computer, and then use a data recovery software to get your files back. In the last step, we will tell you how to rescue your data from the damaged SSD.
Step 2: Back up Data on the MacBook Air SSD
After buying a MacBook Air SSD from the internet, you can make full use of time to do something meaningful, such as backing up your data on the MacBook Air's original SSD. A well-known method to back up Mac data is to use Time Machine, which is a built-in backup feature of Mac.
Time Machine can automatically back up all of your files on MacBook Air, such as apps, music files, photos, email, documents, system files, and more. Once a backup is created, you can restore your files from the backup if the original files are deleted from the machine, or the SSD of your MacBook Air is erased, replaced, or corrupted.
Before using Time Machine to back up your files, you need to prepare an external drive that is large enough to save the backup file.
Here, you need to pay attention to the file system of the external drive since macOS only supports a handful of common file systems, including HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT. Make sure that the file system of the external drive is supported by your MacBook Air.
When you want to format Ext4 Windows but failed to do that, don't get disappointed. This post will provide you with solutions to format disk to Ext4 Windows.
When everything is prepared, you can refer to Apple's previous backup guide to make a backup of your Mac files with Time Machine: Back up your Mac with Time Machine.
Step 3: Replace MacBook Air SSD by a New One (Assembly)
After receiving your needed MacBook Air SSD, you can go to remove the old SSD and then install the new one in the device.
Here is a detailed guide:
1. Close the MacBook Air and unplug the power.
2. Lay it down on a soft cloth and flip the device over.
3. Remove the screws from the bottom of the case and put them into a place where you can find them easily.
4. Lift the case bottom off. In this step, you can also clean the dust and debris in the device to reduce power consumption, solve the laptop overheating issue, or fix other kinds of issues.
5. Pop off the battery connector to disconnect the battery.
6. Remove the screws that are used to secure the SSD and then gently pull the drive out of the slot.
7. Install the new SSD to the slot.
8. Tighten the screws to secure the SSD.
9. Re-connect the battery to your MacBook Air.
10. Reassemble the laptop bottom case.
See! It is so easy to replace MacBook Air SSD with a new one. Every ordinary user can operate it smoothly. Next, it's time to make the new SSD bootable.
Step 4: Make MacBook Air Boot from the New SSD
Usually, some MacBook Air SSDs are advertised to have macOS pre-installed. In this situation, you can boot the device directly.
If there is nothing in the new SSD, you will have to do something to make the MacBook Air bootable.
Remember that you have used Time Machine to back up your original files and system in step 2. Now, you can directly restore both macOS and your files to the new SSD with Time Machine.
In case there is no available backup file, you will need to perform a clean install of the operating system on the MacBook Air. To use Windows or macOS, or both, you can have your own choice. Now, you can search for a guide on the internet on your own.
Step 5: Rescue Data from the Damaged/Corrupted MacBook Air SSD
After the above four steps, you can use the MacBook Air as normal again. In this step, we will talk about how to rescue data from your previous SSD if it is damaged.
No matter you are running Windows or Mac, you always have the chance to rescue data from a damaged SSD with a third-party file recovery tool.
Take out the MacBook Air SSD enclosure you have bought and then install the original MacBook Air SSD into it. After that, connect the enclosure to your computer…
If You Are Running macOS:
If you are using macOS, you need to use a Mac data recovery software to rescue your data from the damaged or corrupted drive. As a free Mac data recovery tool, Stellar Data Recovery for Mac is a good choice.
This software can run on macOS and then rescue your data from different kinds of storage devices like hard drive, SSD, memory card, and more. As long as the drive is not physically damaged, this software can always work to recover data from it.
It has a trial edition and you can first use it to see whether it can find your needed data. Go to the MiniTool download center to get this free software.
Here is a guide on how to use Stellar Data Recovery for Mac to rescue data from a damaged drive.
1. Install this software on your computer and then open it.
2. On the following interface, you can choose to recover everything or customize the scanning range according to your actual requirements.
3. Click Next to continue.
4. Select the drive you want to scan on the following interface.
5. Click Scan.
6. When the scanning process ends, you can see the scan results. Then, you can go to check whether you can find your needed files.
If Stellar Data Recovery for Mac can find your needed files, you can upgrade this software to a full edition and then recover your needed files without limits.
If You Are Running Windows OS:
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a special data recovery software designed for Windows OS. You can first use the trial edition of this software to check whether it can find the files you want to rescue. This software can even support HFS+ file system.
Press the following download button to download and then install this software on your computer.
Then, it's a step-by-step guide on how to restore your files from the corrupted SSD with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
1. Open the software to enter This PC interface.
2. Select the target SSD and press the Scan button to continue.
3. Likewise, when the scanning process ends, you will see the scan results that are listed by the path. You can open each path to find the files you want to restore. Or, you can also use the Type and Find features to find your needed data easily.
4. MiniTool Power Data Recovery Trial Edition doesn't allow you to recover files. You need to enter the MiniTool official store to get a suitable edition, register the software, and then restore your files to a safe location.
These are the integrated 5 steps you should do to upgrade MacBook Air SSD.
Bottom Line
Want to upgrade MacBook Air SSD by replacing it with a new one? This article tells you all the things you need to do, including the preparations, data backup, SSD assembly, operating system installation, and data recovery.
Should you have any questions when performing MacBook Air SSD upgrade, you can contact us via [email protected], or let us know in the comment. You can also share your suggestions and solutions here.
