(The T key will force your Mac to enter the Target Disk Mode.) In addition, some third-party wireless keyboards may have a problem with keyboard shortcuts at startup. Its only drawback is if your keyboard isn’t working. Use a startup keyboard shortcut: This is the simplest way to start up a Mac in Target Display Mode it will work with any Mac that has a functioning keyboard. We’ll cover both methods, and explain the pros and cons of each. There are two methods that can be used to boot a Mac into Target Disk Mode. It’s best to always power portable Macs from an AC source when using Target Disk Mode. This could lead to the Mac in Target Disk Mode shutting down unexpectedly. While it’s possible to run a notebook Mac off of its battery while in Target Disk Mode, you forgo any monitoring of the battery power levels. If you need a specific cable or adapter, has a wide selection of FireWire, Thunderbolt and USB-C cables and adapters available. But not all adapters are known to work correctly in Target Disk Mode, so if you can, connect directly to the same port type. Using adapters to connect Thunderbolt to FireWire will usually work, as will Thunderbolt to USB-C. Ideally, you should connect similar ports that is FireWire to FireWire, Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt, or USB-C to USB-C.

An appropriate cable to make the connection.

We recommend shutting down both Macs before proceeding, however. 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. 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.

Using the Mac OS operating system on the Target Disk Mode Mac to boot a second Mac.Īs you can see, Target Disk Mode can be pretty darned versatile, and may be able to solve a problem you’re having that relates to accessing or sharing data from one Mac to another.

Using an optical drive on the Target Disk Mode Mac as if it were attached to your Mac.

Troubleshooting the drive of a Mac that can’t boot to the desktop.

Copying files from one Mac to another without having to set up file sharing or create a local network.

Target Disk Mode can be used for quite a variety of purposes:

This handy feature allows you to connect two Macs via FireWire ports, Thunderbolt ports, or USB-C ports, and then share the contents of the Target Disk Mode Mac’s internal drive. Target Disk Mode has been a feature of the macOS since the PowerBook 100 (pictured right) was released way back in 1991.

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