How to Transfer Data from Mac to External Hard Drive | 6 Ways

Updated by

Sherly 

Updated on Nov 18, 2024

1. Way 1. Use EaseUS Partition Master for Mac
2. Way 2. Hold the Command key to Drag and Drop
3. Way 3. Use Command + C and Option + Command + V
4. Way 4. Run "mv" Commands
5. Way 5. Use Time Machine
6. Way 6. Copy Files From Mac to External Hard Drive

Whether it's cherished photos, critical work documents, or large project backups, transferring data from your Mac to an external hard drive is an effective way to protect your information. External hard drives provide additional storage capacity but also ensure that your data is safely preserved in case of device failure or accidental loss.

In this article from EaseUS Software, we will guide you through the simple and quick process of transferring data from your Mac to an external hard drive. Let's get started!

How to Transfer Data From Mac to External Hard Drive - 6 Ways

This part offers six ways to move data from a Mac to an external hard disk. The first method can copy applications, files, folders, and macOS to an external SSD or HDD. Other methods can only transfer files and folders to the external hard drive. Select one based on your needs.

Way 1. Use EaseUS Partition Master for Mac

EaseUS Partition Master for Mac comes with a "clone" feature. It can transfer all data, including operating systems, folders, and apps, to the external hard drive. With simple clicks, you can get an exact copy of the current Mac drive.

Key features of EaseUS Partition Master for Mac:

1. 🛞Support macOS15/14/13/12/11/10.15
2. ⚒️Simple to use, suitable for all users
3. 💡Transfer or backup valuable data to another disk or external hard drive
4. 🔽Support SSD, HDD, USB, M1/M2/M3 Macs
5. 🧩Enable NTFS Hard Drive on Mac without formatting

Here is how to clone a Mac disk to an external hard drive:

Step 1. Connect your removable device to Mac and run EaseUS Partition Master. Click "Clone" at the left pane under the Abilities section, click the "+" icon to select a source Mac disk you want to clone.

Step 2. Select the external hard drive as the destination. When both source and target external storage devices are selected, click "Start" to begin.

Step 3. Click "Yes" when EaseUS Partition Master for Mac request you to confirm the operation.

Step 4. Wait patiently to let EaseUS Partition Master for Mac to complete the cloning process.

EaseUS Partition Master for Mac can not only clone macOS to an external hard drive but also perform basic and advanced disk management tasks. Download this one stop tool for your Mac now.

Way 2. Hold the Command key to Drag and Drop

You can move files from a Mac to an external hard disk by holding down the Command key while dragging and dropping the files. But before that, make sure your external drive is connected to your Mac. Here is how to move files on Mac without copying them:

Step 1. Navigate to the files you want to move.

Step 2. Select the files, and you can hold down the Command key and select target files, or select a file and then hold down the Shift key and click the last file to select the middle files.

Step 3. Double-click the external drive icon on the Desktop to open it. Press the Command key, then drag and drop the files you just selected to the external disk.

You can share this post with more Mac users in need by clicking the following buttons.

Way 3. Use Command + C and Option + Command + V

You can use keyboard shortcuts to migrate files from a Mac to an external hard drive. Just select the target files and press Command + C to copy them to the clipboard. Then, open the external hard drive on Mac and press Option + Command + V to paste the files to the external hard drive.

Way 4. Run "mv" Commands

You can use the Terminal to transfer files to an external hard drive on your Mac instead of copying them. However, you need to follow this guide carefully to avoid data loss. Here is how to do it:

Step 1. Open Finder and launch Terminal.

Step 2. Type the commands and hit the Enter to confirm: mv old_file_path new_file_path

For example, mv ~/Downloads/MyFile.txt ~/Documents/Work/.

Way 5. Use Time Machine

Time Machine is a native macOS backup utility that can back up almost everything on your Mac, including folders, macOS, applications, documents, system files, preferences, and more. Click this link to learn how to back up and restore using Time Machine.

Way 6. Copy Files From Mac to External Hard Drive

You can also move files from your Mac to an external hard drive by copying them. There are three ways to do this. Choose the one that suits your needs.

Guide 1. Drag and Drop

Dragging and dropping on Mac will copy the files without deleting the original files. If you no longer need the original files, you can delete them after the copy is complete.

Instructions: Plug the external drive into your Mac> double-click the disk icon on your Desktop to open the external drive >

Select the files you want to move > drag and drop them into your external drive.

Guide 2. Use Command + C & Command + V

Select the file you want to move or copy, press Command + C to copy it, then open the external drive and press Command + V to copy the target file to the external drive. But this method is a bit troublesome if your file is located in an unknown drive.

Guide 3. Use cp Commands in Terminal

The Terminal can also help you copy files to another location, but you need to carefully confirm the location of the file and the destination. Otherwise, you may lose data. Here is how to do it:

Open Terminal on Mac > Type cp and press Space > Drag the files you want to copy to the Terminal window > Drag the external drive icon to the Terminal window > Finally, press Enter to start copying the files.

During the process, you may encounter failures due to NTFS external hard drive, full disk space, read-only, etc. You can click the following link to learn how to fix when you are unable to copy files to an external hard drive from a Mac.

Conclusion

Whether you want to free up space on your Macintosh HD, protect important data, or access files on another computer, it is very important to know how to transfer files from a Mac to an external hard drive. This article mentions multiple ways to achieve this, including copying files, backing up files, cloning software, etc. If you want to migrate data, apps, systems, etc., to an external hard drive at the same time, EaseUS Partition Master for Mac can help you.

FAQs About How to Transfer Files From Mac to External Hard Drive

How do you transfer everything from a Mac to an external hard drive? Check the FAQs in this part to get more details.

1. Why am I unable to transfer files from a Mac to an external hard drive?

Check the file system format of the external hard drive when you can't copy a file to it. If it's NTFS, you need to format it to FAT32 or exFAT. Alternatively, you can use EaseUS Partition Master for Mac; it can enable NTFS external hard drive on Mac without formatting.

2. How do you transfer files from a Mac to an external hard drive without copying?

You can use Terminal to move files to an external hard drive without copying. Here is how:

Step 1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

Step 2. Use the mv command to move files:

mv /path/to/source/file /path/to/destination/

For example, if you want to move a file named example.txt from your Desktop to an external drive named MyExternalDrive, you should type:

mv ~/Desktop/example.txt /Volumes/MyExternalDrive/

Step 3. After typing the command, press Enter to execute it.

3. How to transfer files from a Mac to an external hard drive without formatting?

If your external hard drive is using NTFS which is not compatible with macOS, you can turn to a third-party NTFS for Mac, such as EaseUS Partition Master for Mac. This tool can mount NTFS disk on Mac without formatting or losing any data.