How to transfer file from macbook to external hard disk?

Transferring files from a MacBook to an external hard disk can be accomplished through several methods. 

1. Using the Finder (Simple Drag – and – Drop Method)

Connect the external hard disk: Plug your external hard disk into an available USB, Thunderbolt, or other compatible port on your MacBook. Wait for the disk to be recognized. Your Mac will usually make a sound and the external hard disk icon will appear on the desktop (if you have set it to show in Finder preferences).

Open Finder: Click on the Finder icon in the Dock (the left – most icon that looks like a blue – and – white smiley face). In the sidebar of the Finder window, you’ll see the name of your external hard disk listed under the “Devices” section.

Locate the files to transfer: Navigate to the folder on your MacBook that contains the files you want to transfer. You can use the “Go” menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen to quickly access common locations such as “Documents,” “Downloads,” etc.

Transfer the files: Select the files or folders you want to transfer. You can select multiple items by holding down the “Command” key (⌘) and clicking on each item. Then, simply drag the selected files or folders to the icon of the external hard disk in the Finder sidebar or to an open window showing the contents of the external hard disk. A progress bar may appear to show the transfer status, and the time it takes will depend on the size of the files and the speed of your external hard disk and connection.

2. Using the “Copy” and “Paste” Commands

Connect and identify the external hard disk: As described above, connect the external hard disk to your MacBook and make sure it’s recognized. Open Finder to locate the external hard disk icon.

Locate the files: Find the files you want to transfer on your MacBook. You can search for specific files using the search bar in the upper – right corner of the Finder window.

Copy the files: Select the files or folders you want to transfer. Then, you can either right – click and choose “Copy” from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut “Command + C” (⌘C).

Paste the files: Navigate to the destination folder on the external hard disk. You can open the external hard disk in a new Finder window and create a new folder if needed. Then, right – click and choose “Paste” from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut “Command + V” (⌘V). The files will be copied to the external hard disk.

3. Using Time Machine (for Backup Purposes)

Set up Time Machine: If you haven’t already, you can set up Time Machine to back up your Mac to the external hard disk. Open “System Preferences” from the Apple menu. Click on “Time Machine.” Then, click on “Select Backup Disk” and choose your external hard disk. You can also customize the backup options such as excluding certain folders or setting backup schedules.

Initial backup: Once you’ve selected the external hard disk, click on “Back Up Now.” Time Machine will start backing up your entire Mac, including all system files, applications, user data, etc. This may take a long time depending on the amount of data on your Mac and the speed of your external hard disk.

Incremental backups: After the initial backup, Time Machine will perform incremental backups. It will only back up the files that have changed since the last backup. This is a convenient way to keep your external hard disk up – to – date with the latest versions of your files, and it can also be used to restore your Mac in case of data loss or system failure.

4. Using the Terminal (for Advanced Users)

Connect the external hard disk: Plug in the external hard disk and find its mount point. You can use the “diskutil list” command in the Terminal to see a list of all connected disks and their mount points. For example, if your external hard disk is recognized as “/dev/disk2” and is mounted as “/Volumes/MyExternalDisk”, you’ll need to use this mount point in the following commands.

Locate the files to transfer: Use the “cd” (change directory) command in the Terminal to navigate to the folder on your MacBook that contains the files you want to transfer. For example, if your files are in the “Documents” folder, you can use the command “cd ~/Documents”.

Transfer the files: You can use the “cp” (copy) command to transfer the files. For example, if you want to copy a file named “myfile.txt” to the external hard disk, and the external hard disk is mounted as “/Volumes/MyExternalDisk”, you can use the command “cp myfile.txt /Volumes/MyExternalDisk”. If you want to copy a whole folder and its contents, you can use the “cp -R” (recursive copy) command. For example, “cp -R myfolder /Volumes/MyExternalDisk”.