set up macOS on an exterior drive

Involved about updating your Mac to the most recent model of macOS? Maybe you aren’t positive about operating macOS Sequoia fairly but, or perhaps you wish to check the beta however don’t wish to danger messing up your system. You is likely to be involved about incompatible software program otherwise you may simply be considering that you simply may hate it and never be capable of return to the macOS you might be conversant in. 

Fortunately you don’t have to put in the OS replace in your Mac in any respect. You may set up it on an exterior drive as a substitute.

Putting in the Mac working system on an exterior drive is the most secure solution to get a great have a look at a brand new OS with out altering something in your Mac. It’ll depart your present configuration intact and let you mess around with the beta of the following model of macOS.

On this tutorial we clarify run macOS from an exterior drive in 4 easy steps:

1. Put together the exterior drive for the set up utilizing Disk Utility.
2. Get the macOS set up information. We’ll present you ways.
3. Set up macOS on the exterior drive.
4. Run macOS on the exterior drive by urgent Alt/Choice at begin up on an Intel-powered Mac, or urgent and holding the on change on an M1 or M2-series Mac.

What you want

If you wish to run macOS on an exterior drive you will want just a few issues, together with a drive with a great quantity of storage out there.

You should utilize an exterior onerous drive or SSD–and SSD gives quicker boot instances than a tough drive. It’s additionally value investing in a USB-C or Thunderbolt drive as it will provide the quickest connection.

You will get maintain of a USB flash stick fairly cheaply, equivalent to this San Disk USB Sort-C drive with 128GB for $24/£16.49. It’s a bit tougher to discover a Thunderbolt-powered SSD, and sadly, they’re much more costly. Check out our round-up of the finest SSDs. If you wish to use the exterior set up as if you’re operating it in your Mac we advise you get the most important USB C/Thunderbolt drive you’ll be able to afford.

For extra shopping for recommendation, check out our information to the finest exterior drives for Mac for some cheaper, non-SSD choices.

Troubleshooting issues with M-series Macs

Earlier than we transfer on to how one can create this exterior set up of macOS, we’ll point out some points folks had when making an attempt to create such an set up for an M-series Mac.

After the primary M1 Macs launched in 2020, it emerged that there was an issue with the USB interface. Consequently, some customers encountered issues making an attempt to put in macOS on and booting from SSDs linked through USB. This concern was shortly addressed in an OS replace, however for those who discover it impacts you we advise that you simply do the next:

• Strive a unique port. For some it has labored to put in on a disk linked through USB-A connector, however not USB-C, whereas the state of affairs has been vice versa for others.
• One other answer is to make use of a drive that makes use of Thunderbolt reasonably than USB (the port seems to be the identical, however the usual is completely different). It needs to be linked on to the pc, not through a dock. That drive will want a great quantity of area (again after we began operating Mojave beta on a 32GB stick we discovered it wasn’t sufficient as soon as we began utilizing iCloud Desktop and different options that meant that our information began being downloaded).

One other concern value flagging is that for those who have been hoping to make use of this boot drive to run older variations of macOS on M1 Macs sadly it isn’t doable because the M1 Mac can solely run the ARM model of Large Sur.

Step 1: Put together the drive for set up

Observe these directions to organize your exterior drive – be aware that there could also be some slight adjustments to the method for those who want to set up macOS Ventura or the most recent macOS beta.

1. Join the exterior drive to your Mac.
2. Launch Disk Utility (press Cmd + spacebar and begin to kind Disk Utility).
3. Earlier than this subsequent step: if you’re operating Excessive Sierra or later you will want to click on on the View drop-down. Select Present All Gadgets from the choices.  Now you will notice the basis drive along with the exterior quantity beneath it.

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

4. Choose the Exterior drive within the sidebar (the following step gained’t work for those who solely choose the quantity–for instance, within the screenshot above it’s good to choose the Particular Storage, not Untitled).
5. Click on on Erase (it’s good to erase the drive so you’ll be able to reformat it correctly).
6. Give your drive a reputation equivalent to “macOS Sequoia” or “USB”.
7. Select APFS because the Format.

8. Click on on Erase.
9. Wait whereas Disk Utility creates the partition and units up the drive (this will take a couple of minutes).
10. Then click on Achieved.

Now you will notice that your exterior storage has been renamed with the identify you select and it will likely be prepared so that you can set up the macOS on it–however there’s something else it’s good to do first.

Step 2: Get the macOS set up information

This step will rely on whether or not you wish to run a macOS beta, a full model of macOS, and even an older Mac OS X.

Whether or not you wish to get the macOS Sequoia or the most recent beta set up information the method is just like that detailed beneath. When the 2024 model of macOS turns into out there to obtain you must be capable of get the set up information through Software program Replace or the Mac App Retailer.

Right here’s get the macOS Sequoia installer:

1. To obtain the macOS installer click on .
2. Click on on Get to obtain the installer.
3. Software program Replace will search after which, if you’re already operating Ventura it can ask you to substantiate that you simply do wish to obtain macOS Ventura.
4. Click on on Obtain.

Do not forget that you simply wish to obtain the software program, not set up it, at this stage.

If it’s a full model of an older model of macOS you might be after, we clarify get the set up information for macOS right here.

If you’re after a beta of macOS, you will want to enroll in the beta in your Mac and obtain the beta information. Upon getting the information you’ll wish to set up them on the exterior drive reasonably than your Mac, so watch out. We’ve got a
full information to getting the macOS beta right here. The beta information are about 12GB.

Step 3: Set up macOS on the exterior drive

Now to put in the beta or different model of the Mac working system in your exterior drive.

1. Open a finder window, go to Functions and discover the Sequoia installer (or whichever model of macOS you wish to run). You can even discover it through the use of Highlight (press Command+spacebar and begin typing the identify of the OS)
2. Click on on the installer.
3. A window ought to open (test the Dock if not). It is going to invite you to arrange the set up of macOS Sequoia (or no matter) and click on Proceed.
4. Comply with the software program license settlement.

5. Subsequent–that is vital–click on on Present All Disks. Don’t click on on Residence as you don’t wish to set up in your important drive.
6. Click on on the exterior drive.
7. Click on Set up.

Wait whereas the model of macOS installs on the drive. This course of could take some time–it at all times takes longer than the estimated time.

Be aware: This won’t work for those who didn’t set your exterior drive up appropriately as a GUID Partition as per the steps above.

Step 4: Run macOS on the exterior drive

There are two methods to run the model of macOS out of your exterior drive

Both:

1. Open System Choice > Startup Disk or System Settings > Normal > Startup Disk.
2. Choose the exterior drive you want to use to begin up the Mac and click on Restart.

Or:

1. Maintain down Choice/Alt throughout startup on an Intel-powered Mac, or press and maintain the on button on an M-series Mac till you see the start-up choices.
2. Choose the drive you want to use to begin up the Mac.

Upon getting put in the macOS you need on the drive it needs to be straightforward to put in subsequent updates there through System Preferences.

For extra recommendation about putting in macOS or Mac OS X learn replace the Mac working system and set up outdated variations of OS X on a Mac.