You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
I have a G drive slim 500 gb from 2012 or 2013, I think- I never used it as I should have. I now have a MacBook Air 2020. Does anyone know if these two machines are compatible with each other- to use this external drive as a backup disc?
I will need to purchase the right cable but though try if I could get an answer to this question.
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.2
You should be able to. Please note that the old external drive's read/write speed will be very slow when compared to your internal SSD read/write speed. This means that the best bet for your external drive's use should only be for backup purposes.
You can format it to APFS using Disk Utility. After that you can use it as a Time Machine backup drive whereby you can create manual backups on a periodic basis. OR you can use it store media files etc.
The G Drive probably came with its own cable and more than likely has a standard USB connector. Your MacBook Air has a USB-C port. You will either need an adapter or a HUB for MacBook Air to accept the external HDD.
Axel F.
You should be able to. Please note that the old external drive's read/write speed will be very slow when compared to your internal SSD read/write speed. This means that the best bet for your external drive's use should only be for backup purposes.
You can format it to APFS using Disk Utility. After that you can use it as a Time Machine backup drive whereby you can create manual backups on a periodic basis. OR you can use it store media files etc.
The G Drive probably came with its own cable and more than likely has a standard USB connector. Your MacBook Air has a USB-C port. You will either need an adapter or a HUB for MacBook Air to accept the external HDD.
Axel F.
Thank you, Axel.
The cable that came with it has long since been lost. And yes, I figured that it would be incredible slow in comparison, but at the moment I do have a purpose for it and it would be helpful to be able to use it.
All the best!
You are welcome.
Axel F.
Concerning whether my old external drive can be used with my new MacBook Air?
