How To Create A Bootable Installer For Macos Mojave

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While it is quite easy to download and install macOS Mojave from the Mac App Store. Sometimes, advanced users need to keep a backup bootable USB installer for diagnostic purposes or to install the operating system on other Macs, without downloading it again. Not only does it save time, it also saves bandwidth, specially for those with metered Internet connections. Here the best methods for creating a bootable USB installer for macOS Mojave.

Nov 04, 2018  How to create a bootable installer for macOS Mojave and install it on Mac Published on: November 4, 2018 by Tarun Bhardwaj After a beta test phase lasting about 3 months, Apple finally announced the latest version of its MacOS operating system called Mojave exactly on.

Create macOS Mojave bootable USB installer

Before you follow any of the below methods, make sure that you have:

  • Registered as a developer or public beta tester, so you are eligible to download macOS Mojave from the Mac App Store. This will ensure that you have the required source installer to follow the next steps.
  • A USB drive which is at least 8GB in size and is formatted. You can format it by plugging it into your Mac and use Disk Utility.

Create bootable macOS Mojave USB drive using Terminal

Once you have downloaded macOS Mojave from the Mac App Store, its installer will show up. Quit this installer so that you do not upgrade just yet, while at the same, you have the source file downloaded to your Mac.

  1. Plugin the USB drive to your Mac
  2. Open Terminal
  3. Enter this command: sudo /Applications/Install macOS Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Mojave --nointeraction As this command uses sudo, you will have to enter your Mac password to continue.
  4. This command looks for the macOS Mojave installer that you downloaded from Mac App Store, and uses it to create a bootable drive

The process might take a while, depending on your USB drive speed. Once the process completes, the drive can be used to install Mojave to any Mac.

Create bootable macOS Mojave USB drive using DiskMaker X or Disk Creator

There are a number of apps that can be used to create a bootable installer for Mojave. DiskMaker X and Disk Creator are the most popular and reliable apps for this purpose. During the best testing phase of mac OS Mojave, only Disk Creator had been updated to support it.

Using these apps is very easy:

  1. Similar to the Terminal command method, make sure that you have downloaded macOS Mojave from Mac App Store.
  2. Plugin your USB and ensure that it is formatted.
  3. Open Disk Creator and point it to your Mojave installer file. If you downloaded from the App Store, these apps will be able to find the installers automatically.
  4. Click Create Installer and let the process complete.

Once done, your bootable USB drive will be ready to use.

Restart Mac using bootable USB installer

Once you have create a USB installer by using any of these methods, restart your Mac and hold down the Option key when the display turns on. You will see the Startup Manager which will show your newly created bootable drive as a device to boot from. Use the arrow keys to select it and hit return to boot from it and start the installation process.

Download DiskMaker X

Download Disk Creator

If you're thinking about installing macOS Catalina, the first thing to consider is whether you want to install it directly onto your Mac or create a bootable drive. You can use a bootable drive on a hard drive partition for dual-software installation, to install on multiple Macs in your home, or as a bootable drive if you can't use the Internet Recovery partition.

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Note: These instructions require the use of Terminal. If you don't feel comfortable making changes to your Mac with Terminal, you can create a bootable disk using the DiskMaker X program.

Before you start

Before you get started, make sure you have a thumb drive with at least 15GB of storage, or a spare external hard drive (one you aren't planning to use for anything else). You'll also need to download macOS Catalina and ensure that it's sitting in your Applications folder.

Note: After macOS Catalina has downloaded, it will automatically launch the installer to begin the installation process. Quit the installer when this happens.

And please: Don't forget to back up your Mac before you do anything.

How to format your external drive for macOS Catalina

You'll need to start with a clean thumb drive or external hard drive in order to make it a bootable drive.

  1. Plug the thumb drive or cable for your hard drive into the appropriate port on your Mac.
  2. Click on Finder in your Dock to open a Finder window.

  3. Select Applications from the list on the left side of the window.

  4. Scroll down and double-click on Utilities.

  5. Scroll down and double-click on Disk Utility.

  6. Select your thumb drive or external drive under External.

  7. Click on the Erase tab at the top of the window.

  8. Note the name of your external hard drive (probably 'Untitled') because you will need it when you create a bootable drive. If you have more than one external drive with the same name, you will need to rename the drive you are using as a bootable installer now.
  9. Select Mac OS Extended from the format list. Do not use the (Case sensitive) option.
  10. If Scheme is available, select GUID Partition Map.
  11. Click Erase.
  12. Click Done when the process is complete.

  13. Close the Disk Utility window.

Your thumb drive or external hard drive is now ready.

How to put macOS Catalina onto your external drive

Important: You will need to use an administrator account on your Mac in order to run the Terminal commands to create a boot drive. You'll also need to ensure that macOS Catalina is in your Applications folder and you'll need to know the name of the external drive.

  1. Click on Finder in your Dock to open a Finder window.

  2. Select Applications from the list on the left side of the window.

  3. Scroll down and double-click on Utilities.

  4. Scroll down and double click on Terminal.

  5. Recall the name of your formatted external drive when entering the following text into Terminal. If it is not named 'MyVolume,' you will need to change the command syntax for the pathname where it says: Volumes/MyVolume. The name of the drive can't have any spaces and it is case sensitive.

  6. Enter the following text into Terminal (Don't forget to change the name 'MyVolume' in the text below to the actual name of your external drive. Names are case sensitive and shouldn't have a space.):

    sudo /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

  7. Hit the enter/return key.

  8. Enter your administrator account password. This is the password you use to make changes on your Mac or log in. No text will appear in Terminal when you enter the password.

The process could take a very long time, depending on the drive. When it is done, the Terminal window will report 'Done.' Your external hard drive will now be named 'Install macOS Catalina.' Safely eject the drive from your Mac.

How to install macOS Catalina with a bootable installer drive

How To Create A Bootable Installer For Macos Mojave

Once macOS Catalina is installed on your external drive, you can install it on any Mac with the drive plugged into it. You can use this installer to upgrade your operating system easily on multiple Macs or to help downgrade if you decide you want to go back to an earlier version of macOS.

If you're downgrading from macOS Catalina, please check out this guide instead.

If you're upgrading to macOS Catalina, follow the steps below.

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  1. Turn off the Mac you want to install macOS Catalina with the bootable installer drive.
  2. Connect the external drive to your Mac via the USB port.
  3. Turn on your Mac.
  4. Hold down the Option key when it starts up.
  5. Select the external drive with macOS Catalina on it from the list of systems to start up your computer.
  6. Follow the installation process when prompted.

Questions?

Do you have any questions about how to create a bootable drive for the macOS Catalina installer? Let us know in the comments.

Updated September 2019: Updated for macOS Catalina.

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