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I have a mac Mini M1 and I want to install macOS on an external drive. I have a LaCie Rugged Mini 2 TB. The drive needs to converted from MBR to GPT. There is a special product called Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac, but it does not support M1. What is the way to install macOS on an external drive?

David Anderson
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Danjel31
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    When installing macOS, you should be able to use the already included Disk Utility application to convert the external drive from MBR to GPT. Instruct the Disk Utility to Show All Devices, highlight the external drive, then select Erase. Select APFS for the format and GUID Partition Map for the scheme. – David Anderson Jun 29 '22 at 11:17
  • Thank you for writing. What you described, everything goes differently for me. You can write me Telegram @Danjel31

    I beg you very much, I need an installation

     – Danjel31 Jun 29 '22 at 11:26
  • Using the Disk Utility to erase the external drive will remove access to any previous data on the external drive. If you need to retain previous volumes on the external drive, then edit your question and explicitly state this. – David Anderson Jun 29 '22 at 11:29
  • Danjel31: At least post a comment stating if you need to retain any data on the external drive and which version of macOS you want installed on the external drive. – David Anderson Jun 29 '22 at 11:36
  • Now I will try to do as you advise. Previously, this was done, an error is issued. I'll find out what the error is and I'll write here. Most likely I will answer you in the evening – Danjel31 Jun 29 '22 at 11:42
  • Install Mac OS Monterey 12.4 on an external drive. That's all – Danjel31 Jun 29 '22 at 11:44
  • As explained in a previous comment, if you have macOS installed on the internal drive, then you should be able to erase the external drive by using the Disk Utility. This would convert from MBR to GPT. – David Anderson Jun 29 '22 at 11:51
  • SD Error Domain, error 108 - this is the error I get – Danjel31 Jun 29 '22 at 14:05
  • Here is a guide by Apple how to format a storage device. Select your MacOS version in the upper left pull-down menu. – slartibartfast Jun 29 '22 at 14:46
  • the “SD….error 108” happens when trying to boot from the external SSD/HD? What Mac running which MacOS are you using? What MacOS are you trying to boot from the external drive? – slartibartfast Jun 29 '22 at 14:52
  • This guide should explain all necessary requirements and steps. – slartibartfast Jun 29 '22 at 15:04
  • Slartibartfast: MacOS:Monterey 12.4 I have a Mac Mac Mini M1 myself. LaCie Rugged Mini 2TB external drive. Setup-Boot mode-I press "Disk" and error 108 appears. – Danjel31 Jun 29 '22 at 16:32

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When I originally went to LaCie's website Rugged Portable Hard Drives, I saw the following details in the popup for the Rugged Mini.

rugged mini

However, the "Works With" is for all the Rugged Portable Hard Drives and not just for the Rugged Mini. The specs show the LaCie Rugged Mini 2 TB only has a "1 x USB-C (USB 3.0 compatible)" interface.

When checking the Rugged Mini User Manual, one finds the cable included only has a Type A plug, which does not fit USB-C port.

I have concluded the OP probably has this drive plugged into one of the USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s) on the Mac mini.

Note the following.

  • HDD do not work well with APFS volumes, which is required for Monterey. You should be using an external SSD.

  • HDD generally are to slow to be used for the current releases of macOS. LaCie specs state 130 MB/s for the Rugged Mini. However, since there are other mistakes in the documentation, I would not trust this be correct.

  • The question Installing macOS on an external SSD fails (m1) has a link to the article Booting an M1 Mac from an external disk: it is possible. Below is an excerpt take from this article.

    You’ll need the following: a Thunderbolt 3 SSD, such as a Samsung X5, freshly formatted in APFS (unencrypted) and connected to one of your M1 Mac’s Thunderbolt ports; if you only have SATA SSDs which connect via USB-C rather than Thunderbolt, you may be successful, but it seems unlikely. Some suggest that if your SSD isn’t Thunderbolt, try connecting it via a USB-A port, although that doesn’t help those with MacBook Air or Pro models;

The result is you probably are not able to boot a HDD from the Type A port. Even if you could, the performance of Monterey would probably be unacceptable slow.

David Anderson
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  • David Anderson: So that's it! I think that's the problem! Thank you for solving the problem! I will have to buy an external drive of another model (SSD) And thank you very much to everyone who wrote and tried to help me! Thanks again – Danjel31 Jun 29 '22 at 20:40
  • I would recommend buying an external SSD with a Thunderbolt 3 interface. – David Anderson Jun 29 '22 at 22:01