Can I use a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter for disk target mode between MacBook Pro and Mac Pro running Catalina?

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Can I use a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter for disk target mode between MacBook Pro and Mac Pro running Catalina?

i would like to connect both a mac pro a1481 (6.1 aka trash can mac ) to a macbook pro a1708 ( 13.1 ) using a thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt 2 adapter (a 1790 ) in order to use the disk target mode . both machines are running osx 10.15 catalina. i am prretty sure that this will work but i dont want to spend upwards of 20 pounds on a thunderbolt 2 cable only to find that it doesnt work .

mmany thanks

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iPad, iPadOS 18

Posted on Mar 29, 2025 6:50 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 29, 2025 6:59 AM in response to fredr21

A1708 is MacBook Pro 13-in from 2016 or 2017, featuring two ThunderBolt-3 ports.

that appears to be supported:

Note: If either of the computers has macOS 11 or later installed, you must connect the two computers using a Thunderbolt cable.

Transfer files between two Mac computers using target disk mode - Apple Support

You are talking about around US$100 to buy the cable and adapters for a one-off move. There are other ways to attempt to move files around, (including boot the Mac Pro from an external drive) that do not require a one-off expenditure..

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Can I use a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter for disk target mode between MacBook Pro and Mac Pro running Catalina?