How Carbon Copy Cloner Works with Apple's M1 and M2 Processors - Carbon Cloner Guide – Tips, Tutorials & News on Carbon Copy Cloner

How Carbon Copy Cloner Works with Apple’s M1 and M2 Processors

admin
0
Posted on October 3, 2024August 22, 2025

With the introduction of Apple Silicon — including the M1, M1 Pro/Max, M2, and newer chips — many Mac users have asked an important question: Is Carbon Copy Cloner compatible with Apple Silicon Macs? The answer is yes, but there are some important details to understand when working with these new systems.

Full Compatibility with Apple Silicon

Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) is fully compatible with Apple’s M1 and M2 Macs. The developers of CCC have worked closely with changes in macOS to ensure smooth performance and reliable backups on both Intel and Apple Silicon systems. CCC runs natively on Apple Silicon, which means you’ll experience faster processing, better efficiency, and full support for macOS 11 (Big Sur) through macOS 14 (Sonoma) and beyond.

Bootable Backups: What’s Changed?

One major difference with Apple Silicon Macs is how bootable backups work. On Intel Macs, CCC could create a fully bootable clone that you could boot directly from an external drive. With M1 and M2 Macs, Apple has changed how macOS boots and is installed, which affects third-party tools.

You can still create bootable backups with CCC on Apple Silicon, but it now involves a two-step process:

CCC clones your data volume (the “Data” portion of macOS).
macOS itself must be installed manually on the backup drive once, using Apple’s installer.

After this one-time setup, CCC can maintain the backup going forward, keeping your clone updated just like before.

Smart Backups and Snapshots

On Apple Silicon, CCC takes advantage of APFS snapshots, allowing users to roll back to earlier versions of files or recover from accidental changes. These snapshots are fast, efficient, and don’t require duplicating entire files — perfect for daily or even hourly backups.

Performance and Reliability

Thanks to native Apple Silicon support, CCC runs extremely fast on M1 and M2 Macs. Backup tasks complete more quickly, and the app uses less system memory and power — ideal for MacBooks and desktop Macs alike.

Conclusion

Carbon Copy Cloner is fully compatible with Apple Silicon Macs, including M1, M1 Pro, M2, and newer chips. While bootable backups require a few more steps than on Intel Macs, CCC remains a powerful, reliable tool for cloning and protecting your data. Whether you’re backing up a MacBook Air or a Mac Studio, CCC is optimized for the latest hardware and ready to keep your system safe.