How to Boot a MacBook Air From a USB External Drive. While it's lightweight and has all the bells and whistles of the other models, the MacBook Air does have limitations. One is that its drive. You bought that shiny new MacBook Pro or iMac, and you're ready to start working. Before you do anything to that costly (and wonderful) piece of hardware, you should consider creating a USB. Eject the USB flash drive out of your Mac when it is ready for use. Recover data from Dead/Failed/Crashed Macbook Pro. Now that you have a bootable macOS disk with yourself, you can use it to boot-up your dead MacBook Pro. Just plug it in to your non-working Mac and boot your Mac from it.
Those who still rely on older Mac OS X operating systems, know these still are going strong. There are so many things you can do with past OS X — like Lion, Mavericks or Yosemite — each one of these operates flawlessly. So if you’re looking to give your Mac a fresh start with just a classic Mac OS X and nothing else, to clean install Mac OS from USB is the best option for you.
To clean install Mac OS from USB, there are three things you should do. First, you should clean up your Mac from the old baggage — system files that have piled up over time. Once it’s all cleaned up, the next you should do is backup your newly cleaned Mac. And finally, after doing a backup, you can clean install OS X of your choice from USB.
We’ve got the steps outlined below, so let’s get to it.
Step 1: Clean system junk on your current Mac OS X
Whatever OS X you are currently on, system junk and outdated cache files are a potential source for software conflicts. Having cleaned them up, you may discover around 35 GB of newly created space previously taken by junk. What's more, old caches may interfere with your new Mac OS X installation, so this step is pretty essential.
Cleaning can be done either manually or using a dedicated app. If you don’t want to spend the next 20 minutes on repetitive clicking and typing, jump right to the automatic solution further down.
The manual way to remove old user caches:
Click on a Finder window and choose “Go to Folder” in the Go menu.
Type in ~/Library/Caches and click Enter to go open the folder.
Go through each of the folders and remove their contents.
Note: Do not remove the folders themselves, just their insides.
Next off, do the same steps, but now replace..
~/Library/Caches with… /Library/Caches
Automatic solution for system junk cleanup
There are many nice apps that offer a quick Mac clean up. Among those, CleanMyMac 3 is our favorite as it looks most user-friendly of all. It scans your hard drive for old caches, broken apps, and app leftovers so you can remove all unwanted files in a minute or two. After all, a newly installed OS X feels better on a clean computer.
Download CleanMyMac and then follow the steps:
Launch CleanMyMac 3.
Click Scan.
Click Remove.
And you’re done. If you want to clean up more junk on your Mac, go through each of the modules located on the left panel of the app. It’ll help you clear out gigabytes of junk that you probably didn’t even realize were there. Once you’ve finished the cleanup, head to the next step.
Step 2: Back up your Mac
Before you begin to reinstall Mac OS from USB, you should back up your Mac. Note: If you don’t do this step, you will not be able to recover files, nor restore anything if something goes wrong. To back up your Mac:
Open an app called Time Machine.
Click “Select Disk.”
Select where you wish to save your files (an external drive works best, Apple Time Capsule is a safe bet).
Click “On” on the left-hand side of the screen to turn Time Machine on.
On the right, under the name of the storage device, there are three lines that say, “Oldest backup,” “Latest backup,” and “Next backup.” Your backup should be scheduled within the next 5 minutes.
Don’t want to wait? In the menu bar at the top of your screen, a few icons left of the Date & Time, click on the “arrow clock” icon and select “Back Up Now.”
Step 3: Installing Mac OS from USB
You will need 3 essential things:
The OS X Installer (downloaded from the App Store)
The backup of your old system
Startup drive to install OS X on
Once it’s all prepared, it’s time to clean install OS X. But first, you need to create a bootable drive using a USB containing Mac OS X of your choice. Don’t know how? Then read on.
How to create a bootable USB flash drive
1. Connect your Mac to the USB flash drive. It should have at least 12 GB of available storage.
2. Open Terminal from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
3. Type or paste the following commands in Terminal:
Mavericks:
Yosemite:
El Capitan:
4. Press Return.
5. Type your administrator password and press Return.
6. When prompted, type Y to confirm that you want to erase the volume and press Return. Apple inc software update. You'll see the progress as the bootable installer is created.
7. Quit Terminal when the process is finished.
How to install the OS from USB
1. Plug in your bootable USB drive and Restart your Mac while holding the Option key. Make sure to keep it pressed down!
2. When it restarts, you’ll have a few options. Choose your USB Installer.
3. Next, select the Disk Utility option.
4. In the window, at the top of the left bar, select your Mac’s Main Drive.
5. Next, to the First Aid button at the top, click the Erase button.
6. Now, near the center of the window, select the Format drop-down list and select “Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)” as the type.
7. Click Erase (this will erase your main drive) and allow time for the drive to format.
Mac sound design software. 8. When it’s finished, close out DiskUtility and select “Install OS X” from the menu.
9. Select your main drive and install a new OS X on it.
Follow the installation prompts and enjoy your new operating system. And if you want your new OS works smoothly for a long time to come, use a great cleaning and maintenance tool we've mentioned above — CleanMyMac 3. The app will take care of your Mac, so you'll get the most out of your computer again. Try it now!
These might also interest you:
1. Mac Files Tips
2. Mac Software
3. Mac Storage Tips
4. Mac Troubleshooting
5. Mac OS
by Jenefey AaronUpdated on 2020-01-10 / Update for OS X
You may need to boot up your Mac using an external drive or boot volume once in a while, rather than using a start up disk. Booting with an external disk has a lot of significance. Maybe you want to troubleshoot some problems, repair the disk, do partitions, format the entire disk, update, and install OS X etc. All these are executed perfectly when you use an external boot volume to boot up your Mac. In this article, we are here with the detailed step by step guide on how to boot Mac from external hard drive easily. So, let's get started…
How To Boot From Usb Macbook Pro 2012
Part 1: How to Boot Mac from USB Drive/CD/DVD
Actually, it is possible to boot Mac from external drive or a hard drive, but there are a few specific requirements needed for your Mac to become eligible for that process.
First, you have to have an Intel-Based Mac.
Second, the CD or DVD you are using to boot must contain Apple’s Super Drive or if you are using a USB drive then it should be formatted with GUID Partition, and you are also required to install OS X installer. Apple is against booting Mac from an external storage device, because you may install an older version of OS X than the one you were using.
Boot from CD or DVD:
If you want to boot your MacBook/Air/Pro/iMac from an optical media like CD or DVD you need to follow the steps below:
1. Open your Mac or restart the device if you were already using it.
2. When the startup music is playing press and hold the “C” key from the keyboard.
3. This will start the OS X installer from the CD/DVD on your Mac.
So, it is not too complicated to Mac boot from CD/DVD. You can easily burn a bootable image of OS X on a DVD by using Disk Utility.
Boot from External USB:
Adobe acrobat reader 9 0 software, free download. Using your USB drive to boot Mac is not as simple as you think. You need to prepare your USB drive beforehand for this specific purpose. You have to format the USB drive and insert the proper Operating System, which is OS X.
1. Turn on your Mac.
Macbook Air Boot From Usb
2. As soon as the startup music begins you need to press and keep holding the 'Option' key.
3. After that release that key, the Startup manager will be launched.
4. Startup Manager will begin scanning your device and you will be provided with a list of devices that are connected to your Mac.
5. Now, select the drive you want to use with your mouse.
6. Finally, press 'Return' key on the selected option to boot Mac.
This way you can boot your Mac with an external USB drive, but the most critical part is to prepare the USB drive. If you have multiple USB drives connected, then the Startup Manager shall list the drives with the bootable OS. So, this is how to boot Mac from USB drive.
Part 2: Common Problems and Fixes When Boot Mac from External Drive
You may face several issues during MacBook Pro Boot from USB or any external drive. So, a few FAQs are mentioned below which may help you when you are facing any difficulties.
1. Have you tried connecting to a different USB port?
If you are unable to startup the installer after connecting the USB drive to your Mac, then first you should try connecting it to a different USB port. It may fix the problem.
2. Have you formatted the USB drive with GUID partition?
If you are having problems with your USB storage device then you need to make sure that if you have properly formatted the drive with GUID partition. You have to do it properly otherwise the Intel-Based Mac won't start.
3. Is your Mac shutting down after connecting the disk?
Actually, the MacBook contains a preventive measure and because of that computer shuts down automatically when a damaged USB drive is connected or if the USB port itself is damaged.
4. Is your Disk needs repair?
If your Mac fails to boot from an external drive even though you have properly installed the OS X installer, then maybe your disk is damaged. You should open Disk Utility and ask permission to repair disk.
5. Have you connected the USB drive properly?
There are two types of Apple keyboards, Wired and Wireless. There are also some keyboards with inbuilt USB ports but they may not have enough power to run the drive.
So, this is how to startup Mac from external drive. Follow the frequently asked questions to clear any doubts that you have while booting from external hard drive Mac.
In case, you want to recover any lost or deleted Mac files after a boot, we highly recommend you to go for Tenorshare Any Data Recovery for Mac. It is a utility data recovery tool capable of recovering any type of data from Mac with ease. Go for it!
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