Replacing 128GB SSD with a 256GB SSD on MacBook Air

[durango]

A friend of mine has a 2015 MacBook Air and she wants to upgrade her 128GB SSD with a 256GB SSD. She wants to retain all her data by transferring it from the 128 to the 256. My limited research shows that this can be done using Time Machine and some type of External SSD Enclosure for the 128GB drive.

Is this the proper process? And can someone provide a reference that I can give her showing the process in greater detail? Thanks in advance.

 

[pm-r]

Is this the proper process? And can someone provide a reference that I can give her showing the process in greater detail? Thanks in advance.

I think it would be very beneficial if you were to include the Mac OS version they are using in their MacBook Air. I believe the procedure has changed a wee bit in the later versions.


- Patrick
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[durango]

I think it would be very beneficial if you were to include the Mac OS version they are using in their MacBook Air. I believe the procedure has changed a wee bit in the later versions.


- Patrick
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Sorry about that, Patrick. She is currently using El Capitan. One of the reasons she wants to upgrade SSD is so that she can upgrade Mac OS to Big Sur. Thanks for your response.

 

[pm-r]

One of the reasons she wants to upgrade SSD is so that she can upgrade Mac OS to Big Sur. Thanks for your response.

You might want to do some checking out some of these sites for some"how to" suggestions and yes, that SSD can be upgraded in that MBAir model:

Read all about it here:

is 2015 MacBook Air ssd hard drive replaceable - Google Search

www.google.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[durango]

You might want to do some checking out some of these sites for some"how to" suggestions and yes, that SSD can be upgraded in that MBAir model:

Read all about it here:

is 2015 MacBook Air ssd hard drive replaceable - Google Search

www.google.com

- Patrick
=======

Patrick, thank for the response and website. I think she has already selected her 256GB SSD. I was looking more for the process of using Time Machine and some type of External SSD Enclosure (for the 128GB drive) to retain all her data by transferring it from the 128 to the 256. I.E., exactly how this process would work.

 

[MacInWin]

Here is what I would do

1. Install the new drive into an external enclosure and format to match the format of the internal.
2. Clone from the internal to the external (either Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! will do that for her)
3. Boot from the external to test that it is all copied and that she's happy with it.
4. Replace the internal with the external and put the old internal in the enclosure to use with the machine
5. Boot from the new internal and test that it actually works.

 

[pm-r]

Here is what I would do

I guess I haven't been paying attention or reading some of the methods properly Jake, but I thought that producing a bootable clone was virtually impossible if one was using some of the later OS versions such as Big Sur.

Maybe I am missing something???

Maybe you could confirm, not just for myself but for the OP as well.



- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

Bootable clones of Big Sur are possible but not easy. But she's on El Cap, so a bootable El Cap is easy.

 

[pm-r]

Bootable clones of Big Sur are possible but not easy. But she's on El Cap, so a bootable El Cap is easy.

Thanks Jake. I missed her point they were using El Capitan.

An excellent suggestion to use Carbon Copy Cloner to create a current clone and it also provides the option to make a Recovery Drive as well.

- Patrick
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