Image and Restore Macs Using Clonezilla

If you want to quickly image a Mac’s hard disk (create an exact copy saved as a compressed file) and later restore it, Clonezilla is a simple and reliable choice. This method is especially useful for older Intel-based Macs where internet recovery can be slow or unreliable. Here’s how you do it.

Preprequisites

• An external SSD or hard drive to store the image
• A USB drive to boot Clonezilla (created with Ventoy) [Ventoy is awesome, keep a USB stick handy with all sorts of ISOs!]

Download links:

• Ventoy – Official Website
• Clonezilla – Official Website

1. Build the Bootable USB with Ventoy and Clonezilla

1. Download and install Ventoy on a USB drive.
2. Copy the Clonezilla ISO file (amd64) into the USB drive (Ventoy supports booting directly from ISOs).
3. Safely eject the USB drive once it’s ready.

2. Boot the Mac from the Ventoy USB

1. Insert the Ventoy USB drive into the Mac.
2. Power on the Mac and hold the Option (⌥) key during startup.
3. Select EFI Boot from the startup menu.
4. Ventoy will load, even if the Mac displays a “security violation” message — you can safely proceed.
5. From Ventoy, choose the Clonezilla ISO, and when prompted:
   • Use GRUB to boot Clonezilla.
   • Choose Load into memory and select Large fonts (helpful on Retina displays).

3. Create an Image of the Disk

1. In Clonezilla, choose Beginner Mode for simplicity.
2. Select device-image mode (save disk as an image).
3. Choose your external SSD or hard drive as the destination.
4. Use compression (zipped folder) to save space — this skips empty disk sectors.
5. Proceed with the imaging process. The system drive will be saved as a compressed image file.

This will take time, take a break. :)

4. Restore the Image to a Disk

To restore, follow the same initial steps:

1. Boot the Mac again using Option → EFI Boot → Ventoy → Clonezilla ISO.
2. This time, select Restore disk from image.
3. Choose the correct image file you previously saved.
4. Proceed through the restoration steps in Beginner Mode.

Since clonezilla is restoring using a disk image, you don’t have to worry about partition, etc.

5. Notes

• Create the image when the machine’s just been setup.
• This process is valuable for older Intel Macs (e.g., 2015 models) that might have problems with Apple’s Internet Recovery.
• Although Time Machine is a built-in option, Clonezilla offers a faster, fully offline method and produces a single portable image you can archive. Works well when you use Clonezilla for all your disk imaging and restoration works.

_{Tested on MacBook Pro 2015 with macOS Monterey installed.}

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