Restore Mac from External Hard Drive (2025 Updated)

This post will introduce how to restore a Mac from an external hard drive. Data loss on a Mac can be restored even if you didn't back up in advance. EaseUS Mac data recovery software helps restore Mac deleted, lost, or formatted data in clicks!

Restoring your Mac from an external hard drive is a crucial skill when migrating to a new Mac, recovering from a system crash, or restoring from Time Machine after a clean install.

This guide covers all methods with detailed steps, troubleshooting tips, and best practices to ensure a smooth process to restore a Mac from an external hard drive using Time Machine or manual file recovery.

Preparation Checklist Before Mac Restoration

To avoid issues during the restoration, follow these steps before restoring Mac from an external hard drive:

• Verify Backup Integrity – Ensure your external drive contains a valid Time Machine backup.
• Check Compatibility – The drive should be formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended.
• Power & Connection – For MacBooks, keep it plugged in. Use a USB-C/USB 3.0+ port for faster transfers.
• Note Down Passwords – If your backup is encrypted (FileVault), have the password ready.

Fix 1. Restore Mac from External Hard Drive Using Data Recovery Software

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac offers a powerful recovery option to help Mac users restore their Mac from cloud backups, including iCloud, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc., or perform disk cloning for bootable backups.

Follow the steps below to restore your Mac data with this trusted tool:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac when you are ready to extract data from a disk image. Choose "Disk Backup" in the sidebar, and click "Recover" > "Next".

Step 2. Find the DMG file you have created before, and click "Open". If you save the disk image on an external hard drive, you need to connect the backup disk to your iMac/MacBook.

Step 3. EaseUS data recovery software will start scanning immediately and you can filter the lost files on the left side of the window. Choose all the photos/documents/videos/emails you want to recover, and click "Recover". You are allowed to save your files to local/cloud, and you even restore files to iCloud by clicking the "Save" button.

Share this post to help more people learn how to restore a Mac from an external hard drive even without a Time Machine backup!

Fix 2. Restore Mac from External Hard Drive Using Time Machine

To restore a Mac from a external Time Machine backup hard drive, you should follow the steps below:

Step 1. Hold "Command (⌘) + R "(on an Intel-based Mac) or press & hold the Power button (on an Apple Silicon Mac) until "Loading startup options" appears.

Step 2.  Select "Options > Continue" to enter macOS Recovery Mode.

Step 3. Select "Restore from Time Machine" and choose your external drive from the list.

If encrypted, enter the password.

Step 4. Choose your Mac's internal drive as the destination. Pick the most recent backup, or a specific date, and start the restoration.

⚠️Warning: This will erase all existing data on the target drive!

Step 5. Wait for completion, which may take several hours, depending on the size of the backup. Your Mac will reboot automatically.

If the Time Machine is not working, try installing EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to restore Mac data in an effective way.

Restore Mac from External Hard Drive FAQs

Here are questions people frequently ask about Mac restoration:

1. How to reinstall macOS on an external hard drive?

1. Download macOS from the App Store (skip if your Mac won’t boot).
2. Connect the external drive and restart your Mac.
3. Hold ⌘ + R to boot into Recovery Mode.
4. Open Disk Utility, format the external drive as APFS/GUID, then exit.
5. Select Reinstall macOS, choose the external drive, and follow the instructions.

2. How to restore my Mac to an earlier date?

1. Connect your Time Machine backup drive.
2. Restart and hold ⌘ + R to enter Recovery Mode.
3. Select Restore from Time Machine Backup.
4. Choose the backup date and target disk, then confirm.
5. Wait for completion and restart.

For individual files: Open Time Machine from Finder, browse backups, and restore selected items.

3. How to restore from an external hard drive on a Mac?

1. Connect the Time Machine backup drive.
2. Restart and hold ⌘ + R to boot into Recovery.
3. Select Restore from Time Machine Backup.
4. Choose the external drive and backup version.
5. Select the destination disk (usually your internal drive) and proceed.

Conclusion

This post introduces how to restore a Mac from an external hard drive when migrating to a new Mac, recovering from a system crash, or restoring from Time Machine after a clean install. Install EaseUS Mac data recovery software to make sure no data is lost during any transferring process.