Target Disk Mode, to connect to another Mac Connect Macs using a USB, USB-C or Thunderbolt cable. Using adapters to connect Thunderbolt to FireWire will usually work, as will Thunderbolt to USB-C. Press and hold down on the T key right away until the FireWire icon appears. DFU Mode, to recover from firmware or other system/update problems Shut down, connect Macs, and follow the detailed instructions provided here and here by Mr Macintosh or here by Apple, and my own additional contribution here. Ideally, you should connect similar ports that is FireWire to FireWire, Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt, or USB-C to USB-C.
#TARGET DISK MODE MAC USB C HOW TO#
To exit Target Disk Mode, press and hold the Power button on the computer you use as a disk and then disconnect the USB cable.I can't find a specific Apple KB reference, but the consensus seems to be that you need Firewire, Thunderbolt or USB-C USB 2 doesn't appear to be supported.įrom the MacSales blog - Mac OS 101: How to Boot and Use a Mac in Target Disk Mode Target Disk Mode Target disk mode enables you to share files between two Mac computers that are connected through their FireWire, Thunderbolt 2, USB-C.Eject the drive by dragging the drive icon to the trash.To transfer files, simply drag the files into or select from the drive.After your computer boots in Target Disk Mode, it will display the drive icon on the Desktop of another computer.Double click on the drive to open and browse the files on the computer.At this time, a message appears saying that you want to restart the computer in Target Disk Mode: " Are you sure you want to restart your computer in target disk mode ?".On M1-based Macs, you initiate Target Disk Mode using a command in the Recovery app’s Utilities menu: Share Disk. All of the connection types (FireWire, Thunderbolt, and USB-C) support hot connecting, meaning you can connect a cable between the two Macs while they are powered on. If you ever want to access one Mac’s drives from another, you can connect the two Macs via a USB or Thunderbolt cable and use Target Disk Mode. Click on Startup Disk and then click on Target Disk Mode. That may seem obvious, but it makes sense to point out that Target Disk Mode only works between two Macs you can’t chain multiple Macs together.Otherwise click on the Apple Menu (Apple icon) then select System Preferences. If your computer has not enabled the Target Disk Mode, press the T key to open it and you can skip step 4.5 With the Mac transition to Apple silicon, Apple replaced Target Disk Mode with Mac Sharing Mode.
To start the process, first connect your 2 computers with FireWire, Thunderbolt, or USB cable that supports high-speed data transfer. Using Target Disk Mode on this MacBook requires a cable that supports USB 3.0 or USB 3.1, with either a USB-A or USB-C connector on one end and a USB-C connector on the other end for the MacBook.