Running macOS Sonoma from an External Hard Drive with Boot Camp

Are you considering running macOS Sonoma from an external hard drive using Boot Camp? If so, this article will guide you through the system requirements, pros, and key combinations to get started.

System Requirements for Running Sonoma from External Drive

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Before you begin, make sure your Mac meets the following system requirements:

* A compatible Intel-based Mac or Apple silicon-powered Mac

* macOS High Sierra or later (for Intel-based Macs) or macOS Monterey or later (for Apple silicon-powered Macs)

* An external hard drive with enough storage space to run Sonoma

Pros of Running macOS Sonoma from External Drive

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Running Sonoma from an external hard drive offers several advantages:

* You can try out the latest version of macOS without affecting your primary operating system

* You can use Boot Camp to boot into Windows on the same external hard drive, providing a convenient way to switch between operating systems

* You can easily back up and restore your data using the built-in backup features in Sonoma

Key Combinations for Starting Up Your Mac

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To start up your Mac with Sonoma from an external hard drive, use one of the following key combinations:

* Command (⌘)-R: Start up from the built-in macOS Recovery system

* Option-Command-R or Shift-Option-Command-R: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet

* N: Start up from a NetBoot server, if your Mac supports network startup volumes

Other Key Combinations to Know

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Here are some additional key combinations you may find useful:

* ⏏ or F12 or mouse button or trackpad button: Eject removable media, such as an optical disc

* Option (⌥) or Alt: Start up to Startup Manager, which allows you to choose other available startup disks or volumes

* Command-S: Start up in single-user mode

* i: Start up to the Apple Diagnostics utility

Troubleshooting Tips

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If you encounter any issues while trying to start up your Mac with Sonoma from an external hard drive, try the following:

* Shut down your Mac and restart it to see if the issue resolves itself

* Make sure your external hard drive is properly connected and recognized by your Mac

* Try using a different key combination or restarting your Mac in Safe Mode

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Running macOS Sonoma from an external hard drive with Boot Camp offers a convenient way to try out the latest version of macOS without affecting your primary operating system. By following these guidelines and key combinations, you can easily set up and start using Sonoma on your external hard drive.

Mac os boot camp external hard drive