{"id":9249,"date":"2017-10-26T13:04:02","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T13:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/help\/?p=9249"},"modified":"2025-08-21T11:52:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T11:52:25","slug":"data-recovery-target-disk-mode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/help\/data-recovery-target-disk-mode.html","title":{"rendered":"How To Recover Data From Another Mac in Target Disk Mode with Disk Drill"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span>TL;DR<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n \u2022 Intel\u2011based Macs<\/b>: You can use Target Disk Mode<\/a> (TDM) to mount the problem Mac on a healthy \u201chost\u201d Mac, then run Disk Drill on the host to scan and recover data from the target Mac\u2019s internal drive.\n<\/div>\n
\n \u2022 T2\u2011equipped Intel Macs (2018\u20132020 era)<\/b>: Always encrypt internal storage in hardware. If you can\u2019t unlock the volume, the data remains cryptographically inaccessible\u2014even if you remove the SSD or connect the Mac over Target Disk Mode.\n<\/div>\n
\n \u2022 Apple silicon (M\u2011series) Macs<\/b>: Classic TDM is not supported. Use Share Disk from macOS Recovery to copy existing files (file\u2011level only). For actual data recovery (undelete\/deep scan) on Apple silicon, run Disk Drill directly on the affected Mac in Recovery Mode<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n
\r\n<\/i>\r\nDownload Disk Drill data recovery app\r\nDownload now<\/a>\r\n
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<\/span>Why This Guide?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

If your Mac won\u2019t boot, or you deleted files on a Mac you\u2019d rather not touch any further, connecting it to another Mac and scanning the disk from the safe host is often the cleanest way to recover data. Disk Drill recognizes a Target Disk Mode volume like a locally attached drive, so you can scan it and recover to a separate destination.<\/p>\n

\n ⚠️ Important<\/b>: If the failing Mac is physically damaged (clicking noises, I\/O errors, frequent beachballs), stop and consult a professional recovery lab<\/a>. Every extra power\u2011on can worsen the damage.\n<\/div>\n

Another great use of Target Disk Mode is if you still possess an older, unbootable Mac that is not mounting well and the internal drive from which you want to recover files no longer boots, Target Disk Mode can be used to access the drive. The use of Target Disk Mode requires that you have another computer that is working and a Thunderbolt or FireWire cable to link the two of them.<\/p>\n

<\/span>What You\u2019ll Need<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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  • Two Macs (one \u201ctarget\u201d with the lost data; one healthy \u201chost\u201d).<\/li>\n
  • A proper cable: For Intel TDM: USB\u2011C\/Thunderbolt\/Thunderbolt\u2011to\u2011Thunderbolt depending on ports. If either Mac runs macOS 11 or later, Apple requires a Thunderbolt cable between the two.<\/li>\n
  • Disk Drill for Mac installed on the host Mac (for Intel TDM flow).<\/li>\n
  • Enough free space on an external drive or the host Mac to store recovered files (never recover back to the same disk you\u2019re scanning).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    <\/span>Part A. Intel-Based Mac: Recover via Target Disk Mode<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

    If the Mac with lost data is Intel\u2011based, you can present its internal storage to another Mac as an external disk (Target Disk Mode), then run Disk Drill on the host.<\/p>\n

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