For ordinary files, the simplest method is Finder. Connect both drives, open them, select what you want on the source drive, and copy it to the destination drive. Disk Utility is a different tool. Use it for disk-level jobs such as formatting, disk images, restoring, and checking errors. It isn’t the default way to copy folders.
Before you copy: check the destination
Check four things first. Each one can stop a copy or cause data loss.
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- Free space. Select the destination in Finder and press Command-I (Get Info) to compare its available space with the size of what you’re copying.
- Writable format. Apple says Disk Utility does not support NTFS, a format your Mac may be able to read from but not write to (Apple Support). A drive that opens but refuses new files is often NTFS.
- Existing contents. Don’t reformat a destination that holds data you want. Formatting erases the drive, so back up its contents first (Apple Support).
- Time Machine use. Apple notes that a drive set up for Time Machine may be usable only for Time Machine backups (Apple Support).
Copy files with Finder
- Connect both drives. Confirm they appear in the Finder sidebar under Locations, or on the desktop if you’ve set Finder to show external disks.
- Open the source drive in one Finder window. Open the destination in a second window (File > New Finder Window).
- Select the files or folders you want. To take everything, select all items inside the drive rather than the drive icon itself.
- Drag them into the destination window. Dragging between two different drives copies the items. Alternatively, copy them and paste them into the destination.
- Wait for the progress window to finish. Don’t unplug either drive during the transfer.
- Open the destination and compare the folders. Check item counts and open a few files. Eject both drives from Finder when you’re done.
Delete or reformat the source only after you’ve confirmed the copy is complete. Apple’s pages don’t promise that a Finder copy preserves every kind of file metadata. A Finder copy also doesn’t reproduce a drive’s partition layout, and it doesn’t create a bootable clone.
Choose the right format for the destination
If the destination is already formatted and writable, you can copy to it as it is. Format it only if it’s empty or you’ve saved its contents. Apple lists these options in Disk Utility (file system formats; external drive guidance):
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| Use case | Format | Notes from Apple |
|---|---|---|
| Mac only | APFS | Apple’s file system for macOS 10.13 or later. It is optimized for flash/SSD storage, but it can also be used with older HDDs and external direct-attached storage. |
| Mac only | Mac OS Extended | Listed by Apple as a Mac format. |
| Mac and Windows, over 32 GB | ExFAT | Apple’s listed choice for Windows volumes over 32 GB. |
| Mac and Windows, 32 GB or less | MS-DOS (FAT) | Apple’s listed choice for Windows volumes of 32 GB or less. |
When Disk Utility is the right tool
Disk Utility manages physical storage volumes, creates disk images, restores images to a disk, and checks or repairs certain errors (Intro to Disk Utility). Choose it when you want a disk image or a disk-level restore, not a selected-file copy.
The image route has limits (Apple Support):
- An image made from a physical device includes its data and free space. An image made from a folder or connected device can include only its contents.
- Individual APFS volumes cannot be imaged. APFS containers cannot be imaged on Apple silicon or T2 Macs using the method Apple describes.
- Don’t image a disk you believe is failing or corrupted. The image may not be a reliable backup.
Troubleshooting
The Mac can read the drive but can’t save to it
Work through Apple’s list: available space, format, Time Machine use, permissions, and disk errors (Apple Support). If the drive is NTFS, you can copy files off it but not onto it. To write to it, you’d need to reformat it, which erases it, so back it up first.
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The copy stops or files fail to copy
Open Disk Utility, select the drive, and run First Aid. It can repair some formatting and directory-structure problems, but it can’t detect or repair every disk problem. If Disk Utility reports that a disk is about to fail, Apple advises backing up the data and replacing the disk (Apple Support). If the source is the failing disk, copy the most important files first.
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