How to Make a Bootable Flash Installer of macOS or OS X


To create a bootable macOS installer on a flash drive, you’ll need a Mac, a USB flash drive with at least 16GB of storage, and a stable internet connection. Follow these steps:

  1. Download macOS Installer:
    • Open the App Store on your Mac.
    • Search for the macOS version you want (e.g., “macOS Big Sur” or “macOS Monterey”).
    • Click “Download” when prompted.
  2. Prepare the Flash Drive:
    • Insert the USB flash drive into your Mac.
    • Open Disk Utility (you can find it in the Utilities folder within Applications).
    • Select your USB drive from the list on the left.
    • Click the “Erase” button and format it as “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” with a GUID Partition Map.
    • Click “Erase” to confirm.
  3. Download and Install Disk Creator:
  4. Create the Bootable Installer:
    • In Disk Creator, select your USB drive from the list.
    • Click “Choose a macOS Installer” and navigate to the macOS installer file you downloaded in step 1.
    • Select the installer and click “Open”.
    • Click “Create Installer” and confirm any prompts that appear.
  5. Wait for the Process to Finish:
    • The process may take some time, as it involves copying the installer files to the flash drive and making it bootable.
  6. Eject the Flash Drive:
    • Once Disk Creator has finished, you can eject the flash drive.

Your bootable macOS installer is now ready to use. You can use it to install or reinstall macOS on any compatible Mac by booting from the flash drive. To do this, restart your Mac and hold down the Option key. When the Startup Manager appears, select the flash drive with the macOS installer.

Remember to back up any important data on your Mac before performing a clean installation, as the process will erase the existing data on your hard drive.

Second Mehtods Ways Of Bootable Flash Installer of OS X

To create a bootable flash installer for macOS, you will need a USB flash drive with sufficient storage capacity (usually at least 16GB) and access to a Mac running macOS. Follow these steps to create a bootable macOS installer:

Note: Creating a bootable installer will erase all data on the USB drive, so make sure to back up any important data before proceeding.

  1. Download macOS Installer:
    • Open the Mac App Store.
    • Search for the macOS version you want to create an installer for (e.g., “macOS Big Sur” or “macOS Monterey”).
    • Download the installer. It will be saved to your Applications folder.
  2. Prepare the USB Drive:
    • Insert the USB flash drive into your Mac.
    • Open “Disk Utility” (you can find it in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder).
    • In Disk Utility, select the USB drive in the left sidebar.
  3. Erase and Format the USB Drive:
    • Click the “Erase” button in the Disk Utility toolbar.
    • Choose the following options:
      • Name: You can give it any name (e.g., “macOS Installer”).
      • Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
      • Scheme: GUID Partition Map.
    • Click the “Erase” button to format the drive. This will erase all data on the drive.
  4. Create the Bootable Installer:
    • Open Terminal (you can find it in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder).
    • Use the createinstallmedia command to create the bootable installer. Replace PathToInstallOS with the actual path to the macOS installer app and PathToUSB with the actual path to the USB drive. Here’s the command for macOS Big Sur and later:
      shell
      sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ XYZ.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/YourUSBDrive
    • For example, if you’re creating a bootable installer for macOS Monterey and your USB drive is named “macOS Installer,” the command would be:
      shell
      sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/macOS\ Installer
    • Press Enter and then provide your administrator password when prompted.
  5. Wait for the Process to Complete:
    • The process will take some time, and you’ll see progress information in the Terminal window. Be patient and let it complete.
  6. Eject the USB Drive:
    • Once the process is finished, you’ll see a message saying that the process was successful. You can then eject the USB drive from your Mac.

Your bootable macOS installer is now ready. You can use it to install or upgrade macOS on other Macs. To use it, insert the USB drive into the Mac you want to install macOS on, power it on, and hold down the Option key while the Mac boots. This will allow you to select the USB drive as the startup disk and begin the installation process.

If you want more like this article: How to Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive

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