Can a clone of my M1 MacBook Air running on Big Sur be used to boot up my 2017, 27-inch iMac running on macOS Mojave and allow me to use Big Sur on my iMac?

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Can a clone of my M1 MacBook Air running on Big Sur be used to boot up my 2017, 27-inch iMac running on macOS Mojave and allow me to use Big Sur on my iMac?

Good evening from India.

Being fond of working in apps running on 32-bit, I hung on to Mojave till now. Recently I have purchased a brand new M1 MacBook Air operating it on Big Sur [I had it downgraded by the seller from Monterey]. To enable me explore the features of Big Sur on my iMac while yet holding on to Mojave, I have studied many articles on this matter and almost all of them were complicated to me and beyond my understanding level.

I plan to have a clone of my M1 MacBook Air HD on a new Thunderbolt Samsung T7, 2 TB, SSD. I am wondering whether such a such a clone can be connected to my iMac and allow me to use and explore Big Sur.

Is such a thought workable or feasible? If yes, can I be informed how I should go about this job?

Regards

Dr. Somanna

Posted on Apr 27, 2022 7:55 AM

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Answer 1

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rkaufmann87

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140,688 points

Apr 27, 2022 9:35 AM in response to somanna

No that will not work either, the reason being is the hardware has to be identical. If you would like to create a bootable clone (using either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner as the cloning app) you can use an external SSD and clone the 2017 to the SSD, the advantage to that is if you are you using a HD based system the system will be MUCH faster with the SSD.

A 2017 iMac can be upgraded all the way to Monterey 12.3.1 which is the current release. If you want to only upgrade to Big Sur please use the info in How to get old versions of macOS to upgrade the 2017.

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Answer 2

somanna Author

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Apr 27, 2022 8:24 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks for this speedy reply. I hope you had a good laugh before writing out this reply:).

I have absolutely no problem with my iMac that is purring along smoothly as I work at it editing FCPX videos. The problem I have is with the way in which Apple is endlessly rocketing ahead with all forms of changes in their OS, chips and all their applications. I personally feel safe and comfortable riding on a tortoise rather than riding on a hare😊.

Take care

Dr. Somanna

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Answer 3

somanna Author

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Apr 27, 2022 8:50 AM in response to Keith Barkley

Thanks for your reply. However, I have also a 2017 MBA running on OS High Sierra. I would like to know whether it can be upgraded to Big Sur and then use a clone of this MBA to start up my iMac to run on Big Sur.

Regards

Dr. Somanna

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Answer 4

somanna Author

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Apr 27, 2022 10:00 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks for your further guidance. My iMac has a fusion drive and I am contented with its speed. Guess it’s better for me to sit ‘on my tortoise’ and sing songs and think about upgrading until I feel the need for it.

Regards and take care

Dr Somanna

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,688 points

Apr 27, 2022 11:17 AM in response to somanna

Got it on the Fusion drive. Adding an external SSD as the boot drive would not have much impact on the performance. That being said, please remember that a Fusion Drive system does have a spinning hard drive which is the Achilles heal of most computers as it contains moving parts and is high on the list of components that can/will eventually fail. The only thing I'll mention is please ensure you have backups on all your systems so you safeguard your data in the event of a failure.

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Answer 6

somanna Author

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Apr 27, 2022 5:32 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Its so very nice and kind of you to point out this hazard. I have two thunderbolt and four USB based SSDs connected to my Mac. These are my primary drives to which I do almost all my works. I have both first and second backups for all of them, spinning drives being used for all but one of them. However, the Time Machine based backup of my internal drive is to a spinning drive, which, as you rightly pointed out, should be to a SSD. I am minded to use the newly acquired 2 TB Samsung T7 as Time Machine backup/s for my three Macs after making three partitions of it.

Thanks and regards.

Dr. Somanna

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Answer 7

KiltedTim

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195,807 points

Apr 27, 2022 8:00 AM in response to somanna

No.

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Answer 8

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,688 points

Apr 27, 2022 8:03 AM in response to somanna

+1 no. The OS is configured for an M1 CPU, your 2017 Mac uses an Intel CPU therefore nope it will not work.

Is there a problem with the 2017, if so please let us know the problem it is experiencing.

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Answer 9

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,688 points

Apr 27, 2022 8:30 AM in response to somanna

Got it, yes sometimes keeping up with technology is a game all of it's own.

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Answer 10

somanna Author

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Apr 27, 2022 8:35 AM in response to somanna

Another idea! I have also a 2017 MacBook Air running on macOS High Sierra. Can I upgrade this to Big Sur, make a clone of it and use the clone as a startup disc of my iMac?

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Answer 11

Apr 27, 2022 8:39 AM in response to somanna

No. No clone from an M1 will run on an Intel computer, or vice versa.

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Answer 12

somanna Author

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133 points

Apr 27, 2022 8:59 AM in response to rkaufmann87

True. I am glad for you that you treat all this intimidating [to me] explosions of technology as a game. I am also glad that you are willing to help us out.

Regards

Dr. Somanna

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Can a clone of my M1 MacBook Air running on Big Sur be used to boot up my 2017, 27-inch iMac running on macOS Mojave and allow me to use Big Sur on my iMac?

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