How to Restart a Mac in Target Disk Mode

In target disk mode, your Mac computer can serve as an external hard drive that can be viewed and modified from another system. When you restart your computer in target disk mode and connect it to another computer with a Firewire cable, your Mac's hard drive will open in the second computer, where you can copy, delete and manage files. Target disk mode provides a quick way to transfer large files between computers and can also be helpful in troubleshooting system issues. This article explains how to restart a Mac in target disk mode.

• Log on to your computer with an administrator account.


• Open System Preferences by clicking on the icon in the dock.


• Go to the “Startup Disk” control panel under the “System” category.


• Click on the “Target Disk Mode” button and click “Restart” to confirm your decision.


• Connect your computer to another computer with a Firewire cable. When your computer restarts, it will enter target disk mode and will appear as an external hard drive on the second computer.