Run macOS on external hard drive

Here's how to Run macOS on external hard drive.

i. You can download the full version of macOS installer for free from the Apple website. You can download the installer for any version of macOS that is still supported by Apple. To download the installer, go to the Apple website and click on the "Download macOS" button. Then, select the version of macOS that you want to download and click on the "Download" button. The installer will be downloaded to your computer.

Once the installer is downloaded, you can use it to install macOS on your computer. To do this, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

Plan B: Try the fetch-installer-pkg script@ https://github.com/scriptingosx/DownloadFullInstaller.

ii. If the APFS format is missing in the format options when you are trying to format a drive, it is likely because your Mac is not running a compatible version of macOS. APFS is only supported on macOS High Sierra and later. If you are running an older version of macOS, you will need to upgrade to a newer version in order to use APFS.

If you are already running a compatible version of macOS, there are a few other things that could be causing the APFS format to be missing. One possibility is that the drive that you are trying to format is not formatted as GUID Partition Map. APFS can only be used on drives that are formatted as GUID Partition Map. If the drive is formatted as something else, you will need to reformat it as GUID Partition Map before you can use APFS.

Another possibility is that the drive that you are trying to format is not big enough to use APFS. APFS requires a minimum of 32GB of storage space. If the drive that you are trying to format is smaller than 32GB, you will not be able to use APFS.

If you are sure that the drive that you are trying to format is compatible with APFS and is at least 32GB in size, you can try restarting your Mac. Sometimes a simple restart can fix software issues that are preventing the APFS format from being available.

If restarting your Mac does not fix the problem, you can try repairing the disk. To do this, open Disk Utility and select the drive that you are trying to format. Then, click on the "Repair Disk" button. Disk Utility will scan the drive for errors and try to fix them.

If repairing the disk does not fix the problem, you may need to erase the drive. To do this, open Disk Utility and select the drive that you are trying to format. Then, click on the "Erase" button. Disk Utility will erase the drive and create a new partition table. Once the drive has been erased, you should be able to format it as APFS.

iii. Here are some things you can try to fix an external hard drive that is not formatting on Mac:

1. **Check the connection.** Make sure that the external hard drive is properly connected to your Mac. Try using a different USB cable or port.
2. **Restart your Mac.** Sometimes a simple restart can fix software issues that are preventing the drive from formatting.
3. **Repair the disk.** To do this, open Disk Utility and select the external hard drive. Then, click on the "Repair Disk" button. Disk Utility will scan the drive for errors and try to fix them.
4. **Erase the drive.** To do this, open Disk Utility and select the external hard drive. Then, click on the "Erase" button. Disk Utility will erase the drive and create a new partition table. Once the drive has been erased, you should be able to format it.
5. **Update your drivers.** Make sure that you have the latest drivers for your external hard drive. You can download the drivers from the manufacturer's website.
6. **Format the drive in a different file system.** If the drive is formatted in a file system that is not compatible with Mac, you will need to format it in a compatible file system. The most common file systems for Mac are APFS and HFS+.
7. **Use a different Mac.** If you have another Mac, try connecting the external hard drive to that Mac and see if it formats. If it does, then the problem is likely with your Mac.
8. **Contact the manufacturer.** If you have tried all of the above and the drive is still not formatting, you can contact the manufacturer for support.

iv. Here are some of the best external hard drives that support Mac USB 3.0:

* **Western Digital My Passport**
* **Seagate Backup Plus Slim**
* **LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt**
* **SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD**
* **Samsung T7 Touch**

Learn more@ https://www.youtube.com/c/ITGuides/search?query=macOS.