Trying to start a Mac from a boot disk but it’s not working? And you’re sure you created the boot drive properly? There may be a few different reasons for this.
Some of the later model Intel Macs have a security chip that offers the prevention of external boot media to be used to startup a Mac. If this setting is enabled on a Mac, the computer will not boot when a USB boot disk or other boot media is used.
Additionally, booting an M1 Mac from external boot disks is different from Intel Macs.
If you’re finding the ability to boot a Mac from an external boot disk or other external media is disabled or not working as intended, read along to disable the security feature on T2 Macs or learn how to boot an M1 Mac from an external drive.
Allowing an Intel Mac to Use External Boot Media
For an Intel Mac, do the following:
- Reboot the Mac, then immediately hold Command + R keys to load into Recovery Mode
- Pull down the Utilities menu, then choose “Startup Security Utility”
- Under the External Boot section, check the box for “Allow booting from external media” to prevent boot restrictions
- Reboot the Mac again, holding OPTION to boot from a boot disk should work now
Only Macs with a T2 chip need to do this. The T2 chip is typically included with an Intel Mac that has a Touch Bar or Touch ID.
Using the OPTION key to load the boot menu and choose an external disk should work fine after this.
Booting an ARM M1 Mac from External Boot Media
For an Apple Silicon Mac, do the following to boot from an external drive:
- Shut down the Mac
- Power on the Mac and then keep holding down the power button until you see the startup options screen
- Select the external drive you want to star the Mac from and choose Continue
This method of booting is unique to Apple Silicon Macs, and whether you want to boot into recovery mode on an M1 Mac or choose a different boot disk it is the same beginning procedure of holding the power button.
This is pretty straight forward but it can be an unexpected hiccup if you’re trying to use a boot disk to install macOS, erase a drive, or perform other troubleshooting tasks.
Did this resolve your Mac external boot disk booting issues? Did something else work for you? Did you find another solution or was there a different problem? Let us know your experiences, tips, and other boot disk matters that are on your mind by leaving a comment.
