By default, your Mac starts up from its built-in hard disk, but a startup disk can be any storage device that contains an operating system compatible with your Mac. For example, if you install macOS on an internal or external drive, your Mac can recognize that drive as a startup disk. You can then follow the steps in this article to start up from it.
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Use Startup Disk preferences
When you use Startup Disk preferences to select a startup disk, your Mac starts up from that disk until you choose a different one.
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Startup Disk.
- Click the lock and enter your administrator password.
- Select your startup disk, then restart your Mac.
If you see a message that your security settings do not allow this Mac to use an external startup disk, check the External Boot setting in Startup Security Utility.
Use Startup Manager
When you use Startup Manager to select a startup disk, your Mac starts up from that disk once, then returns to using the disk selected in Startup Disk preferences.
- Press and hold the Option (Alt) key immediately after turning on or restarting your Mac.
- Release the Option key when you see the Startup Manager window.
If your Mac is protected by a firmware password, you can release the key when you're asked to enter the password. - Select your startup disk, then click the arrow under its icon, or press Return.
If you press and hold the Control key during this step, your selection is saved in Startup Disk preferences, so it persists until you change it.
If your Mac is using OS X Lion 10.7.3 or later, you can also use this method to start up from your Time Machine backup disk. Startup Manager identifies your Time Machine backup as ”EFI Boot.”
If you can't select your startup disk or start up from it
Check for these possibilities if you can't see your disk in Startup Disk preferences or Startup Manager, or your Mac won't start up from it.
Check for a compatible operating system on the startup disk
Make sure that your startup disk is using a version of macOS that is compatible with your Mac. If in doubt, use the same Mac to reinstall macOS on that disk.
To start up from an external disk with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, the disk must connect via USB-A, USB-C, or Thunderbolt, not FireWire.
Check startup security settings
If you're using a Mac that has the Apple T2 Security Chip, check the settings in Startup Security Utility. These settings determine whether your Mac can start up from another disk.
Check for Option ROM firmware
If you're in Startup Manager and can't see a third-party startup disk, the startup disk could be using Option ROM firmware. To enhance system security, Mac computers with up-to-date software don’t show devices that use Option ROM firmware until you load their firmware. To do that, press Option-Shift-Command-Period while in Startup Manager. If your startup disk appears, do that each time you want to start up from it or from another disk connected to it.
Backup Drive For Macbook Air
If you're using a firmware password, the ability to load Option ROM firmware is disabled as an additional security protection.
Learning has never been so easy!
Compared to many How-To articles, this one is pretty simple, but it saved me from buying another USB DVD drive just for one little task.
Macbook Air Usb Disk Drivers
The problem: I have both Macs and Windows PCs, and needed to install Microsoft Office from DVD media on an ultrabook laptop that had no internal optical drive.
1 Steps total
Step 1: Download BootCamp from the Apple Support Site
The MacBook Air SuperDrive has unique firmware which prevents it from being properly recognized as a plug and play optical USB drive by Windows. Fortunately, Apple provides the drivers for running Windows on a Mac, as part of its BootCamp software.
If you download the latest release of BootCamp from Apple's support site, you will have a zip file wherein the path bootcampdriversApple contains the file 'AppleODDInstaller64.exe'.
Simply execute this file to install the Apple Optical Disk Driver for 64 bit Windows, and presto! You can then use the MacBook Air SuperDrive with your Windows PC.
Hard Drive For Macbook Air
15 Comments
- TabascoFelloWizard Aug 14, 2015 at 03:03pmFinally, something I can use. Thanks this is helpful on many levels.
- CayenneJeremyGove Aug 14, 2015 at 05:50pmLong live BootCamp! Great post! Thanks for putting this up.
- CayenneInevitableCheese Aug 14, 2015 at 05:53pmMakes you wonder why in the world they wouldn't just make it available. How to open pdf file on macbook air.
- MaceCurtis3363 Aug 14, 2015 at 06:16pmAwesome, I just got this drive for a friend and it won't work on his older Mac, so I'll give him mine and use his. Free voice recording software windows 7.
- SerranoNHCSAdmin Aug 14, 2015 at 06:20pmAwesome! Been to busy to figure out how to use it on another computer! Thanks for the write up!
- Thai PepperBlair Groves Aug 14, 2015 at 06:23pmThank you for your comments everyone! I'm glad this was helpful to you!
- ChipotleColdDeck Aug 14, 2015 at 08:19pmThat's a useful bit of info right there. Thanks for posting!
- Datillhatsynot Aug 14, 2015 at 09:10pmVery nice and I didn't know it wouldn't work. My wife has a Mac with one of these drives and I have an Ultrabook so this will come in handy.
- ChipotleJames1765 Aug 14, 2015 at 10:55pmI should be shocked that Apple would break a long standing standard like this without any apparent advantage, but this is Apple we're talking about.
- Thai PepperBlair Groves Aug 14, 2015 at 11:23pmFor every one item that Apple has put up a dead end, they've both innovated and perfected dozens of things that have influences our world in general. They've succeeded in creating a very nice ecosystem for people who are prepared to pay the price of admission, and there is much more to come, as long as Apple remains attentive.
- CayenneBryan9095 Aug 15, 2015 at 12:05amThis is a much easier method. Connect the SuperDrive and a USB flash drive to a Mac. Copy the contents of the Office DVD to the flash drive. Then plug the flash drive into the ultrabook. Run the setup. The benefit of this method is not having to do anything special to get the SuperDrive to work with the ultrabook and the installation of Office will be faster.
- Thai PepperSteve_Belmont Aug 15, 2015 at 02:58amGood Thinking! great job, and you get to save a few
- Macebbigford Aug 15, 2015 at 04:45amNice write up on repurposing. I'm guessing nobody would actually buy an Apple optical drive for Windows intentionally. At least it isn't a total loss if you're stuck with it and don't want to pay $30 for a new external.
- DatilAshleyLewisMS Aug 16, 2015 at 02:30pmThanks for the guide. I gotta say, I've used a generic Samsung external DVD drive on an iMAC before and it works a treat.
- DatilRusty Platter Aug 17, 2015 at 10:19amFor the reverse situation, I've used a Dell USB DVD drive without issues on a Mac.