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Migration Assistant will import the files and data from the Mac in Target Disk Mode to your current Mac, making this a quick and effective way to move from one Mac to a new one without the hassle of transfering those files to an external drive first or the slowness of transfering those files over the network. You can also launch the Migration Assistant and point it at the connected Mac’s drive. RELATED: How to Quickly Transfer Your Files and Settings to a New PC (or Mac) Look for an external drive named “Macintosh HD.” You can click the drive and copy files back and forth like you would with a normal external drive. All its internal partitions will appear if it has multiple partitions. While in Target Disk Mode, your Mac will act as an external drive and appear in the Finder on your other Mac.

You can also enter Target Disk Mode by rebooting your Mac and holding down the T key as it boots. Connect your Macs via a Firewire or Thunderbolt cable.Īccess Files, Use Migration Assistant, and Boot From Another Mac Click the “Startup Disk” icon and click the Target Disk Mode button to restart your Mac in Target Disk Mode. To enter Target Disk Mode, click the Apple menu and select System Preferences. No Firmware Password: If you’ve set a firmware password in the recovery environment, you’ll need to disable that first.

You can turn it on again after using Target Disk Mode. Before using Target Disk Mode, you can boot the Mac normally, open the System Preferences window, select Security & Privacy, select FileVault, and temporarily turn it off.

FileVault Disabled: Macs now enable FileVault encryption by default, which will prevent you from accessing FileVault-encrypted home directories over Target Disk Mode.

If one Mac has a Thunderbolt port and the other Mac has a Firewire port, you’ll need a Thunderbolt-to-Firewire adapter cable.

A Firewire or Thunderbolt Cable: You’ll need either a Firewire cable or a Thunderbolt cable for this.

Each Mac needs either a Thunderbolt port or a Firewire port.

Two Macs: Target Disk Mode works with Macs, so you’ll need two Macs for this.RELATED: How to Encrypt Your Mac's System Drive, Removable Devices, and Individual Filesīefore entering Target Disk Mode, you’ll need a few things:

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