CrackMacHow to back up or get your files off a Mac with a broken screen
Connect an external monitor first. With a picture to work with, you can back up with Time Machine or move everything to a new Mac with Migration Assistant, exactly as on a working Mac. If you can't get a picture at all, an Intel Mac can share its disk blind with Target Disk Mode, and anything in iCloud Drive is already safe.
1. Get a picture on a monitor
Plug in any monitor or TV and press Command-Brightness Down to mirror. If you can't see anything, connect power and an external keyboard and close the lid. Step by step in connecting a broken MacBook to a monitor. Every option below is easier once this works.
2. Back up with Time Machine
Connect an external drive with at least as much space as your Mac's used storage. Open System Settings, General, Time Machine, add the drive and click Back Up Now. The first backup can take a few hours. That one backup can later restore everything onto a repaired or new Mac.
3. Move straight to a new Mac
Open Migration Assistant on the new Mac, from Applications, Utilities, or during setup. Choose to transfer from a Mac, a Time Machine backup or a startup disk. Transferring from the old Mac means running Migration Assistant on it too, which needs the monitor from step 1. Transferring from a Time Machine backup doesn't.
4. Share Disk, on Apple silicon
Connect the two Macs with a USB-C or Thunderbolt cable. On the broken Mac, shut down, then press and hold the power button until the startup options appear. Choose Options, sign in, and pick Share Disk from the Utilities menu. Select the disk and start sharing. On the other Mac, open Finder, choose Network in the sidebar, and connect to the shared disk to copy files. Share Disk needs you to see the screen, so use the monitor.
5. Target Disk Mode, on Intel Macs
This one works blind. Shut down the broken Mac, connect it to another Mac with a Thunderbolt cable, then turn it on while holding T. Its disk appears on the other Mac like an external drive. If FileVault is on, you'll be asked for the password.
Already safe in iCloud?
If Desktop and Documents syncing was turned on in iCloud Drive, those files are already at icloud.com and on any other device signed in to your Apple Account. Photos with iCloud Photos turned on are there too.
If most of the screen still works, you may not need to move at all. Here's how to block off a broken strip and keep using the Mac.
If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac can keep windows, menus and the pointer off it. There's a free 30-minute trial.
Next
With your data safe, compare repairing, selling and keeping the Mac in fix it or sell it.
Quick answers
How do I get files off a MacBook with a broken screen?
The easiest way is to connect an external monitor, then copy files or run Time Machine as usual. Without a monitor, an Intel Mac can use Target Disk Mode with a Thunderbolt cable, and files in iCloud Drive are already safe.
Does Target Disk Mode work on Apple silicon Macs?
No. Macs with Apple silicon use Share Disk instead, which you start from macOS Recovery. It needs you to see the screen, so connect a monitor first.
Can you still see most of the screen?
Then you may not need a new Mac at all. If the damage runs along one edge, CrackMac keeps windows, menus and the pointer on the good part, and your files stay right where they are.
- Works on macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
- Free for 30 minutes of use, then a one-time price. No subscription.
- A refund within 7 days, no questions asked.