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

Download the app that installs macOS, format your flash drive, and use a simple terminal command

By
Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson
Writer

Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm.

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Updated on November 2, 2023
Reviewed by
Jerrick Leger
Jerrick Leger headshot
Reviewed by Jerrick Leger
Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses.
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What to Know

  • You'll need: OS X or macOS installer and a 12+ GB USB flash drive (formatted as "Mac OS Extended").
  • Find installer in Applications > plug in flash drive > rename flash drive > open Applications or Utilities folder.
  • Next: Open Terminal > enter OS-specific command > enter admin password when asked > Y to confirm.

This article explains how to create a bootable installer for OS X or macOS using a USB flash drive.

This article addresses the creation of a bootable USB drive for OS X Mavericks and later as well as macOS. macOS refers to Apple operating systems starting with version numbers 10.12 and later. OS X describes version numbers 10.8 through 10.11.

Illustration of a person using a laptop to create an OS X Mountain Lion bootable USB drive
Lifewire / Alex Dos Diaz

What You Need

First, you need the OS X or macOS installer on your Mac. Ideally, download the installer, but don't use it. When you download and use the OS X or macOS installer, the installer deletes itself as part of the installation process. If you've already installed OS X or macOS, redownload the installer.

If you download the installer and find that it starts up on its own, quit the installer the way you would any other Mac app.

After it is downloaded, the installer resides in the Applications folder. It is called "Install OS X [your version]" or "Install macOS [your version]."

You'll also need a USB flash drive. Make sure that it has at least 12 GB of available storage and is formatted as Mac OS Extended.

It's also important that your Mac meets the minimum requirements for the OS you're installing. Apple's website offers the exact system requirements for each version.

How to Use the Createinstallmedia Terminal Command

From OS X Mavericks forward, in the installer packages is a hidden command that you can enter into Terminal to create a bootable copy of the installer.

This Terminal command, called createinstallmedia, creates a bootable copy of the installer using any drive connected to your Mac. This example uses a USB flash drive. Here's how to do it:

The createinstallmedia command erases the content of the USB drive, so back up any data on the drive if it's important.

  1. Locate the Mac OS installer file in the Applications folder.

  2. Plug the USB flash drive into your Mac.

  3. Change the flash drive's name. This example calls it FlashInstaller. Double-click the drive's name to select it and then type in the new name.

    Rapid double-clicking the name of a drive can open that drive in a window on Finder, so if this step isn't working for you, try clicking once on the file name, pausing for a second, and then clicking a second time.

  4. Launch Terminal, located in Applications/Utilities.

    Alternatively, enter Terminal into Spotlight Search to quickly start up the utility.

  5. In the Terminal window that opens, enter one of the following commands, depending on which OS X or macOS installer you're working with. Note that they use the example name FlashInstaller for our USB drive, so if you named your drive something else, use that name.

    macOS Sonoma 

    
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sonoma.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/FlashInstaller

    macOS Ventura 

    
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/FlashInstaller

    macOS Monterey 

    
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/FlashInstaller

    macOS Big Sur 

    
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/FlashInstaller

    macOS Catalina 

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

    macOS Mojave 

    sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/FlashInstaller

    macOS High Sierra 

    sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/FlashInstaller

    OS X El Capitan

    sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

  6. After you enter the command, press Return.

  7. When prompted, type your administrator password and press Return again. Terminal doesn't show any characters as you type your password.

  8. When prompted, type Y to confirm that you want to erase the volume and then press Return. Terminal shows the progress as the bootable installer is created.  

  9. When Terminal is finished, the volume has the same name as the installer you downloaded, such as Install macOS Catalina. Quit Terminal and eject the volume.

  10. You now have a bootable installer for your OS X or macOS version.

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