Download Carbon Copy Cloner for Mac to preserve your data and the operating system's data impeccably on a bootable volume. Carbon Copy Cloner has had 5 updates within the past 6 months. Carbon Copy Cloner (left) and SuperDuper (right) are our top picks for Mac drive-cloning utilities. Both apps give you the option to erase the destination before copying files from the source;.
In this article, we will discuss the best software to clone your MacOS.
As its name suggests, a cloning app is used to create a bootable backup of your Mac hard drive. Not only this you can use cloning apps to clone Mac hard drive to SSD and vice-versa. While there is no denying that Mac is one of the sturdiest systems in the world, however, it is still a machine and is subject to wear and tear over time. This is one of the many reasons that you need a Disk Cloning App. So, if your system gives way or you wish to transfer your data from one system to another, you have a backup to fall back to. While more the features the better it is, a few features that you must look out for in the best disk cloning app for mac are, secure, reliable, compatible and simple to use.
5 Best Cloning Software for MacOS
Keeping in mind the above features, we bring to you the 5 best disk cloning app for Mac.
1. Stellar Drive Clone
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Stellar Drive clone is one of the best disk cloning app for Mac. It creates an identical, ready to use copy of the hard drive. The Clone software creates partitions in the same way as that of the actual hard drive. The tool supports various types of cloning like, HFS-to-HFS, FAT-to-FAT and NTFS-to-ExFAT. You can take a backup of any file or folder that you wish to. That is not all, the tool can also clone encrypted Mac drives and volumes. It can clone the Mac Hard drive from Hard Drive to SSD and vice-versa. The disk image will be your savior in case you feel that there is data missing on your disk.
2. EaseUS Todo Backup For Mac 3.4.19
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Todo is a multipurpose tool for data recovery. The software has a Mac Clone Utility Tool which clones the hard disk bit-by-bit. This would make the process of upgrading a disk or replacing it much easier and hassle free. The tool also allows the user to migrate their Mac Data from HDD or SDD with much ease. Apart from cloning the software has other features such as, File Synchronization on Mac and Backup. The latest version of the software also supports APFS format disks.
3. Carbon Copy Cloner
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One of the most popular cloning software, Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC), creates a backup of Mac OS boot drive and clones the disk. It has a simple and easy to use UI. The tool smoothly transfers files from one disk to another. The best part of the cloner is that it transfers everything block-level, disk to disk instead of file to file (which takes a longer time). The cloner also archives all old versions of files. It creates a backup of the hard drive and disk image. CCC schedules backup at regular intervals of time. For those new to the software, they have a feature called cloning coach which assists the user to make the right choices. Lastly, CCC lets you encrypt the disk and can also use it to migrate to a new Mac.
4. ChronoSync
An excellent app to clone Mac OS, Chrononym is a great option to backup data and clone hard drive. The app creates a backup of all the redundant and useless files on the Cloud. This also creates more space on the system. A simple and interactive UI makes it easy to use. Apart from manual running of tasks the software allows user to schedule automatic disk cloning process from time to time. One of the best features of ChronoSync is that it allows user to transfer optimized files on Mac using Chrono Agent. This software can be used for multipurpose, to back personal data like photos and ensuring the safety of important data.
5. SuperDuper
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Super Duper is an excellent cloning app for Mac and definitely deserves a place in our list of top 5. while it does have a free version, it also offers a paid version which has exhaustive features. You can download the free version to clone your hard disk, however if you wish to avail other features like scripting, scheduling and smart updates you will have to buy paid services. It has a user-friendly interface which is easy to understand and use, even for first time users.
The need to clone Mac cannot be underestimated. We hope that this article could help you choose the best disk cloning app for Mac according to your requirements.
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Last updated: Apr. 12, 2017
As a Mac fan, you know the significance of data backups. Time Machine, Apple's built-in backup software, makes it easy to save multiple copies of your Mac data to an external hard drive (HDD or SSD) or to an AirPort Time Capsule. There are also dozens of online backup services you can choose from if you prefer not to carry a physical drive around.
But, let's be honest, when data loss disaster strikes, are you going to be patient enough sitting in front of your Mac for hours even days (yes, it can take that long) only to wait for the recovery process to complete? We bet you won't, right? How about online or cloud backup options? The main drawback is that it would take ages to finish backup if your Internet connection is slow.
So is there any better backup solution out there? There is — clone your Mac hard drive!
We recommend Stellar Drive Clone, a fantastic Mac utility that is designed for this purpose. The app makes Mac disk copy much easier and best of all, it enables you to perform immediate recovery whenever you need.
In short, this Mac drive clone tool stands out for efficiency. That's all what we need, isn't it?
Why Clone Mac Hard Drive & When You Need It?
In the nutshell, cloning your Mac hard drive provides you with additional secure backups and saves you time restoring the data if needed, especially when your main boot drive fails to start and you are unable to enter the first screen of the desktop.
Like any other types of storage media, hard drives just come and go. In particular, if your Mac is equipped with a spinning hard disk drive, somehow its life tends to end earlier compared to an SSD (solid-state drive). If your Macintosh HD fails, it could cause a number of problems — one of which is data loss. Even if you have set up Time Machine backups, most likely you still need a trip to Apple Store or a computer repair shop because you'll need to set up a startup disk that contains macOS operating system.
In fact, I learned the lesson the hard way. One day my mid-2012 MacBook Pro hard drive died, and I couldn't turn on my Mac after pressing the start button. Then I scheduled an appointment with Apple Genius bar and took the machine for a diagnosis. It turned out the 750GB Hitachi hard drive was totally down, based on what Apple Mac technical support guy said. I was instructed to purchase an SSD drive from Crucial online. I did it. But that was not all. When I successfully replaced the dead hard drive with the new SSD, I realized that I didn't have a Mac reboot disk. Another trip was made to Apple Store and the guy installed OS X El Capitan for me. Ah...it was not over yet. Since I had Time Machine backups, I had to select a snap and restore all my data. Oh mine, it took me almost an entire day!
Lesson learned the hard way — Time Machine is not that efficient to restore data. That's why I'd strongly encourage you to try cloning your Mac hard drive just in case.
Mac Drive Clone App: What to Look for?
- Security: this is the number one thing you need to make sure when using any apps on your Mac. Sure, Macs are less prone to viruses and malware. But it's no longer the case. There are annoying adware bundled in the programs you install. They tend to slow down your Mac system as well as cause other damages.
- Reliability: a great Mac cloning app should be able to perform several standard functions such as create an exact, identical replica of any Mac disk, clone drives formatted with Master Boot Record (MBR) partition, and quickly extract volume image file to recover all your data, etc.
- Compatibility: it must be compatible with all commonly used OS X versions including latest macOS Sierra. Also, it should support operations on Macs with either a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD).
- Ease of Use: the software must be easy and simple to use, even if you are not experienced at all with Apple macOS operating system.
What's The Best Hard Drive Clone Tool for Mac OS X?
Stellar Drive Clone stands out for two reasons: it's powerful, and simply to use. The app supports cloning OS X Yosemite/El Capitan/Sierra boot volume including Recovery HD, which ease your life in case your Mac hard drive is totally down. Besides Macintosh HD, you can also use it to clone an exFAT-formatted drive. Here's a screenshot.
Mac Drive Cloning Software
Chris is a computer geek for a decade. He loved talking to computers via codes, and now he finds it more interesting communicating with the real people. He now writes everything related to computer issues and loves helping people solve problems.