How to install macOS on an external drive

Involved about updating your Mac to the newest model of macOS? Maybe you aren’t certain about working macOS Sequoia fairly but, or perhaps you wish to take a look at the beta however don’t wish to threat messing up your system. You is likely to be involved about incompatible software program otherwise you would possibly simply be pondering that you simply would possibly hate it and never be capable of return to the macOS you might be acquainted with.

Fortunately you don’t have to put in the OS replace in your Mac in any respect. You’ll be able to set up it on an exterior drive as an alternative.

Putting in the Mac working system on an exterior drive is the most secure technique to get take 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 subsequent model of macOS.

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

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

What you want

If you wish to run macOS on an exterior drive you’ll need just a few issues, together with a drive with quantity of storage obtainable.

You should use an exterior arduous drive or SSD–and SSD provides sooner boot occasions than a tough drive. It’s additionally price investing in a USB-C or Thunderbolt drive as it will provide the quickest connection.

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

For extra shopping for recommendation, check out our information to one of the best 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 are going to 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 related by way of USB. This subject was rapidly addressed in an OS replace, however if you happen to discover it impacts you we recommend that you simply do the next:

Strive a unique port. For some it has labored to put in on a disk related by way of USB-A connector, however not USB-C, whereas the scenario has been vice versa for others.
One other answer is to make use of a drive that makes use of Thunderbolt slightly than USB (the port seems the identical, however the usual is completely different). It must be related on to the pc, not by way of a dock. That drive will want quantity of house (again once we began working 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 subject price flagging is that if you happen to have been hoping to make use of this boot drive to run older variations of macOS on M1 Macs sadly it isn’t potential 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 arrange your exterior drive – observe that there could also be some slight adjustments to the method if you happen to want to set up macOS Ventura or the newest macOS beta.

Join the exterior drive to your Mac.
Launch Disk Utility (press Cmd + spacebar and begin to sort Disk Utility).
Earlier than this subsequent step: if you’re working Excessive Sierra or later you’ll need to click on on the View drop-down. Select Present All Units from the choices. Now you will notice the foundation drive along with the exterior quantity beneath it.

Foundry

Choose the Exterior drive within the sidebar (the subsequent step gained’t work if you happen to solely choose the amount–for instance, within the screenshot above you might want to choose the Particular Storage, not Untitled).
Click on on Erase (you might want to erase the drive so you’ll be able to reformat it correctly).
Give your drive a reputation similar to “macOS Sequoia” or “USB”.
Select APFS because the Format.

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

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

Step 2: Get the macOS set up recordsdata

This step will depend upon 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 newest beta set up recordsdata the method is just like that detailed beneath. When the 2024 model of macOS turns into obtainable to obtain it’s best to be capable of get the set up recordsdata by way of Software program Replace or the Mac App Retailer.

Right here’s get the macOS Sequoia installer:

To obtain the macOS installer click on right here to go to the Ventura web page on the Mac App Retailer.
Click on on Get to obtain the installer.
Software program Replace will search after which, if you’re already working Ventura it can ask you to verify that you simply do wish to obtain macOS Ventura.
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 recordsdata for macOS right here.

In case you are after a beta of macOS, you’ll need to join the beta in your Mac and obtain the beta recordsdata. After you have the recordsdata you’ll wish to set up them on the exterior drive slightly than your Mac, so watch out. We have now a
full information to getting the macOS beta right here. The beta recordsdata are about 12GB.

Step 3: Set up macOS on the exterior drive

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

Open a finder window, go to Purposes and discover the Sequoia installer (or whichever model of macOS you wish to run). It’s also possible to discover it by utilizing Highlight (press Command+spacebar and begin typing the title of the OS)
Click on on the installer.
A window ought to open (verify the Dock if not). It’ll invite you to arrange the set up of macOS Sequoia (or no matter) and click on Proceed.
Comply with the software program license settlement.

Subsequent–that is essential–click on on Present All Disks. Don’t click on on House as you don’t wish to set up in your principal drive.
Click on on the exterior drive.
Click on Set up.

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

Be aware: This won’t work if you happen to didn’t set your exterior drive up accurately 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:

Open System Desire > Startup Disk or System Settings > Common > Startup Disk.
Choose the exterior drive you want to use to start out up the Mac and click on Restart.

Or:

Maintain down Possibility/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.
Choose the drive you want to use to start out up the Mac.

After you have put in the macOS you need on the drive it must be straightforward to put in subsequent updates there by way of System Preferences.

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

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