How to Clone your macOS Hard Drive | Carbon Copy Cloner 

Glad it worked for you!

Glad it worked without too much struggle since it was on an earlier version

Ya, I tried the first time, didn't boot up, there's no selection for "bootable disc" select. It just says, if there no issues it will boot up. Trying again. Wish me luck.

Are you holding option on first boot to select the cloned drive and then changing it in the settings after boot to be the startup disk ? If you’re saying the drive isn’t listed when you hold down the option key on boot then you need to make sure that you’re selecting legacy bootable copy assistant before cloning. (right click on the destination drive)

I may need your help , I have Mojave trying to keep Mojave, I have a 1tb ssd that I want to clone with a Samsung 990 pro Heatsink 4TB. The clone worked fine , but it’s not booting up. Can someone help me

Thanks! Glad it helped you!

Thanks!

Awesome! Thanks for watching!

I get your point but it lists which is internal and which is external. It could end badly if you’re not careful.

I only named it that way because I was swapping the drives out. The backup became the primary drive and the Mac Pro 6,1 only has a single SSD slot so there’s no way to run them both at the same time. If it were a true backup I’d name it something else.

Glad it helped!

If you put the Fusion Drive back in and remove the nVme does it boot? The machine should power on even if the hard drive were removed. You’d just get a question mark on the splash screen, but there would be power. You have a different problem. Something isn’t plugged in or something was perhaps inadvertently messed up from static electricity. I’m not sure if you were grounded when you disassembled then machine. I’d double check everything is connected properly. You could try this (typically what you’d do after a power outage): 1) Unplug the iMac power cable from the back of the machine (not from the wall or power strip outlet) 2) Push in and hold the iMac power button for five seconds 3) Release the iMac power button 4) Plug the iMac power cable back into the back of the machine 5) Press the iMac power button normally. The machine will now startup.

@@helphq Previously it was eliminated and merged with the Fusion Drive I just put everything originally, the problem I have is that it does not understand when changing the NVME some configuration that I cannot see

Thanks for the sub! Glad I could help!

@hughsie910 Hey I had the exact same issue. What worked for me is when rebooting, I pressed the 'option' key which will prompt you to choose the hard drive, then choose the cloned SSD. Hope this will work for you as well!

@@WM-sl1nf Thank you for this. I was aware that this is what's required, however, having tried it several times without success I gave up and then started searching around for troubleshooting tips on the internet. I came across a suggestion that before restarting the Mac and holding down the option key, remove all USB cables from the Mac except the keyboard and mouse. I have a second monitor attached and broadband so I unplugged these and tried again today and it worked! I then shut down the Mac, reattached the broadband and monitor cables and fired up the computer again without holding down the option key and the Mac started up straight from the external SSD with no issues. ☺

I had this working for years. Teied to update the system last night and wouldn't boot, so had to redo the clone process. It worked for me, but in order to boot with a windows keyboard I had to press and release multiple times alt key to get to the boot selection option from reboot. Just holding wouldn't do it. Had already forgot it.

@@hughsie910I have exactly the same issue with the crucial x9 pro with my iMac. I also got it to boot up after cloning using disk utility. But a problem still exists - it cannot reboot. It can start but not reboot. Try it and see if you can reboot or install new software revision.

I unfortunately have never tried to clone a RAID 0 setup. It’s probably going to function better if you if do a clean install and just move the data you need moved. Because all of your data is split between two drives I would think when you copy it over to a single drive the new copied drive’s OS is still going to think it’s configured in RAID 0 because that’s what was copied. So I think that might cause you more problems than it’s worth.

Unfortunately not. CCC no longer guarantees being able to make an actual bootable copy on apple silicon Mac’s. Apple has a lot of packages requiring signatures and their security features are becoming strict. Since you’re trying to do this on a MacBook I would make sure your SSD and its enclosure are compatible. If the computer recognized it for your first attempt at cloning the drive then they most likely are. With CCC7 the company has taken an approach that’s similar to using Time Machine, but you could look through this article and see if it will help you get it going: support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686422131479-Creating-legacy-bootable-copies-of-macOS

@@helphq Good to know. Thanks for the reply and info. As long as I have several backups from CCC to Time Machine, I should be okay, albeit I won't be able to start/run from the external drive.

What version of the software are you using? What version of macOS are you running?

@@helphq CCC v6, Catalina. It ended up working anyway. Maybe that feature is now turned on by default in v6.

You're welcome!

@johnbaize6825 - This question depends on quite a few things so I'm going to try to break it down and keep it as simple as possible. If you have a 1Tb 5400 RPM mechanical drive the read / write speed of your drive is at best 100 Mbps. If your external drive is USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt 3 then it would be faster. USB 3.0 is on average 640Mbps for a read / write rate while thunderbolt 3 is over 2,000 Mbps. If you are comfortable with taking the computer apart you could purchase an nvme SSD and an adapter. There's a proprietary SSD port on the backside of the logicboard of this machine. This would yield you much better speeds (closer to thunderbolt 3 speeds) and keep the computer intact. You can see the process here to see if you're comfortable with it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8QaujVUVb_I.htmlsi=S149sovCUOFQi-Sq If you choose to go the external route I would personally get a thunderbolt 3 drive and then clone the internal drive. You could erase the internal drive and use it for storage, but if it were me I'd just change the background on the internal drive to something else so that you'll know it's running on the internal drive instead of the external. This way if something were to happen to the external drive the machine is still working and useable. As long as you select the external drive and set it to the default boot drive in the system settings the internal drive will not boot unless you unplug the external drive. Since you already own the 2TB drive you could test this out before buying a thunderbolt 3 drive. Just know you will lose everything that is currently saved on the drive. You might even be happy with it as is and not need to purchase anything else. If the drive is USB 2.0 though it's not going to be any better than what you already have.

It will copy the data for the windows partition but it will no longer be bootable. support.bombich.com/hc/en-us/articles/20686477050007-Can-CCC-back-up-my-BootCamp-Windows-partition

So in CCC 5 you don’t need to select legacy bootable copy assistant because the software inherently just copies the system files with the backup. To try to test your cloned backup drive try this: bombich.com/en/kb/ccc/5/how-verify-or-test-your-backup If it’s not working I suspect your SSD might not be compatible. Here is a compatibility list for the Mac Pro 6,1: blog.greggant.com/posts/2019/05/07/the-definitive-mac-pro-2013-trashcan-guide.html#tstorage Hope that helps.

No you’re not doing anything wrong if the rest of the copy is fine. Sometimes this stuff happens because of how the program stores information. Can you restore your purchases or retype your info in?

I’m not sure what you mean exactly. You want to update the backup itself or you want to update your version of CCC?

Which part of the procedure were you unable to complete?

I’ve never tried to do something like that so I don’t know if it would work. I don’t think carbon copy cloner can copy partitions like that. You’d have to put the compressed .dmg or .iso or .esd file on the drive for each installation on the same partition. Then when you need to use a specific version install that copy to a separate drive. The software will think each partition is its own drive in the configuration you have currently. You could try balenaEtcher’s clone drive feature and see if that works or Clonezilla.

Yeah you can format a mechanic drive to APFS. No you can’t pick and choose which applications to copy over. You would have to remove them first prior to cloning the drive.

@@helphq Thanks for the fast response!

I believe in 2014 you could still upgrade the SSD. I would do that. You could clone your current drive to your new one before installing but I wouldn’t recommend using an external drive for booting on a laptop.

Not sure where you’re seeing the backup and restore options. Did you try to reboot the computer and try it again?

Yes, rebooted, same error. On the help documentation when it failed

Did you verify the permissions were probably set? Sorry for the stupid questions but I’m trying to figure out what happened. I’ve never had that issue.

Yes, I’ve given up and doing a clean install of Sonoma. I believe the old HD is corrupt.

You’re welcome!

No problem!

It will completely wipe the drive automatically

Thank you!

It doesn't erase, just copies the data.

If memory serves me there’s an ssd slot inside the iMac if you wanted to actually install it in the iMac. You would need an adapter to convert an M.2 to the proprietary apple connector. In theory as long as you copy the entire drive including the the EFI partition it should work fine. OCLP doesn’t recommend doing this and I’ve never tried it to see if it would work. I’d try it and just hold down option to boot from the external drive before changing your startup disk to make sure it works. If it doesn’t you’ll have to do a clean install. I’d make sure you did the post install root patching if you didn’t that might take care of a lot of your problems. Booting from an external drive via usb is going to provide similar results as your internal drive.

Thank you for your time and reply. I will give it a try as you advise but use an M.2 external drive instead of the SSD. Dont know why it didnt ocurre to me earlier. Will let you know the outcome. Greetings from Mexico City. Have a great day.@@helphq

Click and drag what exactly? Drive selection is from a drop down menu.

@@helphq yeah, I already clicked and dragged. It worked.

Glad it was helpful!

I’m not sure I’m following what you want to do. You want to clone a PC hard drive to put in an iMac? If this is the case I don’t think that It will boot.

Thanks! 🙏

Yep

Sort of… it will copy the data for both but only macOS is bootable. So your windows file system will be intact but it can’t for some reason copy the MBR partition for booting it.

@@helphq I get you thanks buddy

Yeah, the trial is the full version.

@@helphq ty

What version of CCC are you using and what version of OSX/macOS are you on?

@@helphq I used all the new versions like 5,6, and 7 but nothing changed. i was using catalina then i switched to high Sierra but that too changed nothing.

@@helphq Thank you for your replay.

What version of macOS are you trying to clone?

Same, I’m trying to clone Monterey

Well CCC can’t copy a windows drive. It can backup user data on a bootcamp partition but it won’t be bootable. You need to use Winclone or something else designed for windows backups.

@@helphq A specific app for my Mac to use since I don’t have a windows computer so I can clone a ssd that has windows on it to another ssd

Winclone is for Mac. Are you trying to use the cloned drive with windows on it on your Mac or in a PC?

@@helphq Just trying to use any hard drive that has like let’s say windows 10 on it and clone it to another drive using my Mac since I don’t have a windows computer

@@helphq you get me bro like I want to use windows 10 drive to clone to another one on an application but can winclone do it

The factory ssd from apple has a stock heat sink on it so I purchased this one and added it to the new drive to use. I didn’t have the heat sink on the drive while copying it but I did put it on when I installed the heat sink in my Mac Pro.

Would you have a name or link for the heat sink?@@helphq

I purchased mine from Newegg. I got a two pack: Check this out on @Newegg:[2 pcs] GLOTRENDS M.2 Heatsink Kits fit for PS5/PC, 0.14inch(3mm) Thick M.2 Cooling Fin for 2280 M.2 PCIe SSD www.newegg.com/glotrends-hs-22x70x2/p/37B-005F-00008?Item=9SIAMKHBM94372&Source=socialshare&cm_mmc=snc-social-_-sr-_-9SIAMKHBM94372-_-12062023 Likewise you can get a single one or a two pack on Amazon: amzn.to/488meqb amzn.to/3uPn90j Just make sure you're getting the shorter 3mm one not the 10mm one if using for a similar application.

Thanks, got mac pro 2013 coming, 256 drive, going to 2 TB hopefully like you showed. @@helphq

Yep, that’s what I did.

I'm sorry I may have not stated what I'm doing right. I'm trying to install a ssd in place of my old hard drive. With running what you the cloning like you said I can take the new ssd and put in place of the old hd inside my imac? When I run the CCC the GB size was a lot less.

I cloned my Mac Pro SSD that was 512Gb to a 2Tb nVme SSD. I put the 2Tb in my Mac Pro and it worked fine. There was no loss of storage size despite the fact that the drive I was cloning was smaller than the new drive. Are you making sure you right clicked on the destination drive and selected “legacy bootable copy assistant” ? This is going to make your drive bootable and copy all of your system files as well.

If you swap the drives so that the external drive is internal does it still have the same issues or do they go away?

@@helphq I should have mentioned this is on a M1 MacBook Pro, so can't remove the drive.

@@pixxelpusher Per CCC website Apple Silicon presents lots of issues for cloning the drive and is not guarenteed to work. bombich.com/kb/ccc6/cloning-macos-system-volumes-apple-software-restore

@@helphq Yeah Apple has made it unnecessarily hard to clone to externals now it seems. The thing I have found that isn't mentioned anywhere is not being able to get permission to authorize things like system extensions. You just get trapped in a loop. Have tried changing settings in Recovery mode, trying in Safe Mode, and setting things through Terminal commands, no dice. Still locked out from authorizing things even though I'm the administrator and it's my computer. Very frustrating.

Stupid question: did you try to uninstall the extensions and then reinstall them on the cloned drive?

Yea it can. An important thing to note though is CCC isn’t encrypting anything during the copy process. It’s merely copying the already encrypted files.

I’ll have to check it out. I was on Monterey for the video.

Thank you, sir!

@@kendelldutson4821 I made the video using version 6.1.6 the current version is 6.1.8. If you right click on the destination drive you will then be able to select Legacy Bootable Copy Assistant. I upgraded to Sonoma and it worked for me.

@@helphq Thank you, helphq! Unfortunately that's the version of CCC I have. I've deleted it and reinstalled it and the Legacy Bootable is just grayed out, not selectable. I'm not sure what way to go. I don't want to install the new hard drive and not be able to turn on my computer.

Did you format the new drive first?

What version of carbon copy cloner are you running?

@@helphq it's ok I figured it all out thank you

It’s saying “copying from a Time Machine back up is not supported” … they are formatted the same, what should I do from here?

You can boot an external drive and copy the contents of that drive to the internal drive. You will need to go to your settings and set the internal drive as your startup disk.

It’s hard to provide any advice since I can’t see what you’re doing. If you have a Time Machine backup then you don’t need CCC program. You can just restore your disk from your Time Machine backup.

Thank you!! I’ll try the internal as a start disk. 🤔 just tried the time machine for some reason it’s not reading either but they are formatted the same.

It does work better on intel Mac’s, but in theory will also work on apple silicon as well. The company that makes CCC did put a statement on their website recently noting that there’s no guarantee it will work on apple silicon because of apples security measures it’s hard to duplicate the drive.

@@helphq Yeah, as they also state, if the internal storage is damaged then the machine won't even boot. So having a clone is of no use either. You would get it fixed or replaced, then perform a restore a per normal. So there's little use for this handy app anymore if you upgrade to new silicon. Might as well use TM & Migration assistant.

As someone that just bought a M2 Mac mini, should I just stick with Time Machine?

If you mean just to make backup of your drive Time Machine is a good resource. The drive in these newer machines are part of the logic board and not replaceable unless you have some wicked soldering skills. Some have said above that if the internal drive dies the machine won’t even boot from an external drive so making a backup to save your machine is pointless, but making a backup to save your data is not pointless. You could use your backup from this app or Time Machine to move your data to a new machine should you need too.

Yes, I want to backup my storage. Now, I’m planning on only using my 256 soldered storage for applications and OS updates and storing all files/photos on an external 2TB Samsung T7. Then backing up those files with a Seagate 5TB external HDD using Time Machine. Does this seem like a good route to go? Also, I have iCloud backups as well. Appreciate any advice you can offer here. I have opened anything, but want to set it up today.

In theory yes it’s the same thing, but in my experience the restore function gets to 90 some percent and then fails OR it completes but doesn’t copy the EFI partition and therefore the disk isn’t bootable. Prior to apple silicon anyway using the method in the video was simply easier and nearly always guaranteed to work. Disk utility has come a long way though and nowadays the difference is probably negligible.

Thanks!

🤷🏻‍♂️

I don’t understand the question. If you follow the video the drive is bootable.

What version of macOS are you trying to clone?

Same here. MacBook Air M1 2020 with Big Sur. After cloning, the external disk is recognized by Startup Disk as bootable. I select the external, click onto the "Continue" button and there is a first attempt to boot -chime- from the external, Authentication is required. After password introduction there is a second one attempt to boot -chime again- from the external, and finally, the MacBook starts form the internal HD with an error": "Your computer was restarted because of a problem" (and what a long report!). I tried to start from the clone by pressing and holding the Start button, waiting for "Options" and going on "Startup Disk" (Apple menu). By doing this, I've asked to Authorize a new user on the clone. My name is the the only one present, of course, on the list of choices. I "Authorize" and, when I click onto the clone to Startup, the process is repeated, again and again. It seems that something fails there. "Compare" option on CCC reports that some key files and folders are different from Source and Destination. In other words, the clone process did not made a COMPLETE copy -as expected- of the internal startup disk. Mainly, the "macOS Install Data" folder differs from the original. Then, even if Bombich claims that CCC can clone a disk, it seems that something is not going on right. I've being using CCC as my backup software of choice for years, and I was confident... until now. I've read a lot of publications on this subject -included those of Bombich- and there is a lot of explanations and recipes none of them seems to be a real solution, only adding more confusion and making the clone process a sort of abracadabra. One recipe works well for ones, while it does not for others. I'm a loyal mac user (I'm been a Mac user from the very first Mac), but it seems that Apple has lost that legendary "easy of use" that make it "Different". Now macOS is more like Windows. We miss Steve Jobs!

@@midisqusdisqus802I’ve gave up on it after years of use. Doesn’t work on my M2. So I’m using TM and hoping for the best 🤞

@NealLustig Thank you so much!

Yeah disk utility will technically work (in theory) but any time I’ve ever tried to use it to clone a drive in the last 15 years it’s never worked right. CCC is easier and typically works perfect on the first try.

Technically speaking yes, but you’d suffer from a severe loss of performance.

@@helphq can’t be any worse than it is now. The SSD portion of my iMac’s Fusion Drive is failing. The machine just shuts down intermittently and it takes an hour or so to start up, and even more when it just shuts down with applications open. I have a 4tb SSD with Sonoma loaded on it and have tested speeds with it and they are pretty fast - 2700+ read and write. The problem is all of my files, settings and apps are on the internal drive. My thought was to clone the internal to that external and run from that until I can take the iMac into get the SSD replaced. More of a bandaid so I can keep up with my workload until things slow down. I just wasn’t sure if you could actually run everything from that external drive.

You’ll have to make sure you select the cloned external as your startup disk but it should boot. If the iMac is older USB 2.0 is going to be a huge bottleneck.

@@helphq no it’s a 2019 with thunderbolt 3 port. And thank you for your insight. Fingers crossed

Running my iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) on external SSD .. blazing fast .

Yeah, the drives don’t have to be the same size. The destination drive can technically be bigger.

Carbon Copy Cloner can only copy user data on the boot camp partition. For whatever reason it can’t copy system information so all of your data would be there but it wouldn’t be bootable. Please refer to this website from the developer for any questions you might have about boot camp / windows: bombich.com/kb/ccc6/can-ccc-back-up-my-bootcamp-windows-partition

@@helphq Thank you!!!