What you need to create a bootable USB for Mac You can run an OS installer like Windows, OSX, Mac, or specific versions of Linux from a bootable USB drive.įor Mac specifically, you can use a bootable USB to install MacOS Monterey, MacOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or El Capitan. Whether a computer is brand new or becomes unusable from a compromised OS, you can use a bootable USB to install an operating system. That being said, many new Mac laptops don’t have USB-A ports, so it’s a good idea to obtain an external port that connects to a USB-C (USB Type C) port to really make the process easy-ish.Ī bootable USB is a flash drive that allows you to both install an operating system (OS), and boot the computer from the external USB drive instead of the computer’s hard drive. The good news is there’s an easy(ish) workaround!īy booting from an external drive, like a USB for example, you can diagnose certain issues by accessing the internal drive with minimal effort. You can now quit Terminal and eject the volume.Every computer may not boot up every once in a while, which can be irritating because it prevents you from getting into the system to view exactly what the problem is. When Terminal says that it's done, the volume will have the same name as the installer you downloaded, such as Install macOS Monterey.

After the volume is erased, you may see an alert that Terminal would like to access files on a removable volume.

Terminal shows the progress as the volume is erased.

When prompted, type Y to confirm that you want to erase the volume, then press Return.

Terminal doesn't show any characters as you type.

When prompted, type your administrator password.

If the volume has a different name, replace MyVolume in the command with the name of your volume. Each command assumes that the installer is in your Applications folder, and MyVolume is the name of the USB flash drive or other volume you're using.

Type or paste one of the commands below into Terminal, then press Return to enter the command.Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.Plug in the USB flash drive or other volume that you're using for the bootable installer.

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