For Mac OS X 10.7 and later, you can use the recovery partition on the original drive. To make sure you have a functional recovery partition, restart your computer and immediately hold down the Command + R keys until the Apple logo appears. If your computer boots into a four-option menu then you have a functional recovery partition that can install the OS. If your computer boots normally to your desktop then you do not have a recovery partition.
If you’re using Mac OS X 10.7 and later and do not have a functional recovery partition, and your computer is found on this list (or is newer than what’s in the list), you can use the Internet Recovery feature built into your Mac. To make sure you have access to Internet Recovery, restart your computer and immediately hold down the Command + Option + R keys until you see a spinning globe logo. If your computer does not have an internet connection it will prompt you to connect to a wireless network. If your computer boots into a four-option menu then you have the ability to use Internet Recovery.
If you are unable to use Internet Recovery you can create a USB installer using DiskMaker X, in order to install a clean OS.
- Mac Os On Usb Drive
- Install Macos On New Hard Disk
- Install Mac Os From Usb
- Install Mac Os X On New Hard Drive
These advanced steps are primarily for system administrators and others who are familiar with the command line. You don't need a bootable installer to upgrade macOS or reinstall macOS, but it can be useful when you want to install on multiple computers without downloading the installer each time.
Download macOS
Sep 07, 2015 It is most certainly worth a try, and without a doubt, the easiest way to install OS X to a new hard drive. Note: The installation will only be for the original version of OS X installed on your Mac. For the MacBook I was working on, this operating system was Lion. Once installed, I went to the APP Store and installed Yosemite. If you're in Mac OS X 10.7 and later, you'll need to select the 'Reinstall Mac OS X' option from the Utilities screen. In earlier OS versions, quitting Disk Utility will take you back to the installer. Follow the steps as they are presented, making sure to select the new drive (the one you just formatted in the previous step) as the install.
But to install or reinstall a recent version of OS X, you must either download a non-bootable installer from the Mac App Store or (via OS X’s invisible, bootable recovery partition) download 6GB. Mar 12, 2020 Select Install macOS (or Install OS X) from the Utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions. Learn more For more information about the createinstallmedia command and the arguments that you can use with it, make sure that the macOS installer is in your Applications folder, then enter this path in Terminal.
Find the appropriate download link in the upgrade instructions for each macOS version:
Mac Os On Usb Drive
macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave, ormacOS High Sierra
Installers for each of these macOS versions download directly to your Applications folder as an app named Install macOS Catalina, Install macOS Mojave, or Install macOS High Sierra. If the installer opens after downloading, quit it without continuing installation. Important: To get the correct installer, download from a Mac that is using macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. Enterprise administrators, please download from Apple, not a locally hosted software-update server.
Install Macos On New Hard Disk
OS X El Capitan
El Capitan downloads as a disk image. On a Mac that is compatible with El Capitan, open the disk image and run the installer within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. It installs an app named Install OS X El Capitan into your Applications folder. You will create the bootable installer from this app, not from the disk image or .pkg installer.
Use the 'createinstallmedia' command in Terminal
- Connect the USB flash drive or other volume that you're using for the bootable installer. Make sure that it has at least 12GB of available storage and is formatted as Mac OS Extended.
- Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
- Type or paste one of the following commands in Terminal. These assume that the installer is still in your Applications folder, and MyVolume is the name of the USB flash drive or other volume you're using. If it has a different name, replace
MyVolume
in these commands with the name of your volume.
Catalina:*
Mojave:*
High Sierra:*
El Capitan: - Press Return after typing the command.
- When prompted, type your administrator password and press Return again. Terminal doesn't show any characters as you type your password.
- When prompted, type
Y
to confirm that you want to erase the volume, then press Return. Terminal shows the progress as the bootable installer is created. - When Terminal says that it's done, the volume will have the same name as the installer you downloaded, such as Install macOS Catalina. You can now quit Terminal and eject the volume.
* If your Mac is using macOS Sierra or earlier, include the --applicationpath
argument, similar to the way this argument is used in the command for El Capitan.
Use the bootable installer
After creating the bootable installer, follow these steps to use it:
- Plug the bootable installer into a compatible Mac.
- Use Startup Manager or Startup Disk preferences to select the bootable installer as the startup disk, then start up from it. Your Mac will start up to macOS Recovery.
Learn about selecting a startup disk, including what to do if your Mac doesn't start up from it. - Choose your language, if prompted.
- A bootable installer doesn't download macOS from the Internet, but it does require the Internet to get information specific to your Mac model, such as firmware updates. If you need to connect to a Wi-Fi network, use the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar.
- Select Install macOS (or Install OS X) from the Utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.
Learn more
For more information about the createinstallmedia
command and the arguments that you can use with it, make sure that the macOS installer is in your Applications folder, then enter this path in Terminal:
Catalina:
Mojave:
Install Mac Os From Usb
High Sierra:
Install Mac Os X On New Hard Drive
El Capitan: