This will walk you through how to install macOS on a USB drive in three steps. The flash drive must be at least 8GB+ in size in order to fit the macOS installer on it. To make a flash drive installer you need a Mac or a Windows/Linux machine running Mac OS in a virtual machine.
STEP 1: Downloading macOS
- Open App Store
- Click Store then Login from the menu bar at the top
- Login with your Apple ID
- Download either High Sierra or Sierra or El Capitan
NOTE: You can also download macOS from Downloads If you download macOS from somewhere other than the mac app store move the .dmg file to the /Applications Folder
STEP 2: Formatting the USB Drive
In order to have a usable flash drive it must be formatted in a scheme that allows for an EFI Partition.
Once running macOS on your mac or virtual machine follow these steps:
- Insert Flash Drive
- Open Disk Utility
- Select the Flash Drive on the left column
- Click Erase
- Set the following settings:
- Name: Hackintosher
- Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
- Scheme: GUID Partition Map
- Click Erase
- Click Done upon finish
It’s necessary to format as a GUID Partition Map, because a hidden partition called EFI is also created that will be used to store the hackintosh enabling folder and respective files.
STEP 3: Creating the Installer
- Open Terminal through spotlight or launchpad
- Copy the a section of text below depending on the release of macOS being installed.Mojave Install:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Hackintosher --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app --nointeraction
High Sierra Install:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app --volume /Volumes/Hackintosher/
Sierra Install:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app --volume /Volumes/Hackintosher/
El Capitan Install:
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app --volume /Volumes/Hackintosher/
- Paste the text into Terminal
- Press Enter
- Type in your Password
- Press Y when it prompts an erase
- Press Enter
Do not remove the flash drive until this process completes. Copying the installer files to the usb disk can take 20 to 60 minutes to complete, when it’s done it will look like the image below.
The flash drive should have also been automatically been renamed.
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55 Comments on "How to make a USB flash drive installer for macOS"
What do you do when after pasting the code into terminal, the reply comes back:
sudo: /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found.
currently running El Capitan on Hackintosh Pro
Verify /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia exists.
After the code sudo ….. an error appears, it is write something is not found. How can I fix this? ((Flash card = 32gb is connected via usb 3.0 and another time via usb 2.0 on the front panel (there is no usb 2.0 on the motherboard)
What do you do when after pasting the code into terminal, the reply comes back:
/Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app does not appear to be a valid OS installer application.
currently running Sierra on Hackintosh (Imac)
Thanks Marcus
I fixed the problem, i had the 19mb installer file. So i downloaded it with another Macbook again and i was able to create the boot stick with terminal.
My next problem is:
When i want to mount the EFI partition the folder is completely empty? NO EFI folder, no Apple folder…
What could be the problem here? I tested several USB sticks.
Thanks for your help.
You get an EFI folder to place in the EFI partition by creating making your own with Clover Boot-loader or by following one the guides which include various preconfigured ones http://hackintosher.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/High-Sierra-10.13.1-17B48-EFI.zip
Thank you Hackintosher, i know your guide.
But in your description for the installation you write we should delete the original EFI folder what’s created while creating the boot stick, but in my case, i do not have this EFI folder.
When i open the EFI partition with clover configurator the partition is complete empty, no folder inside.
So i don’t know if it’s correct when i just copy the High Sierra EFI into it?
Normally there should be an EFI folder, but i do not have it.
So should i just copy the downloaded EFI folder in my EFI partition although when it’s empty?
Greetings
Marcus
Yes if it’s empty it’s fine you just delete it anyways to make room for the Clover EFI
I have the same problem as Marcus. No EFI folder at the beginning, i then add your prepared zipped folder but when i boot from the stick the clover screen does not show me any bootable harddisk icon. I followed your Sierra Guide and it worked very well (had the EFI folder to delete and replace, then got the boot and recovery icons).
And after trying it again i found the reason: The typical Apple motto “hide information because your users are dumb and dont want to see them” fucked me here again.
Just do a
“rm -f /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra/.IAPhysicalMedia”
and the installer will show the disk icon again. This seems to happen when you accidentally run your installer already on the mac where you downloaded it (at least run it a bit … until the EULA dialog comes up). I found this because i saw that the modify of the downloaded installer dmg had changed somehow.
Hey Lothar – I have the same exact problem. But I didn’t understand your method… when and where do you use this code?
Thanks for your help!
Ok, got it. Just use your code in terminal. And it worked!! Wohoooo! Thanks a lot for that!
Marcus can you please send the link of the full file because i use vmware for it and all the time i only get 19mb installer and i dont have a mac in handy
create a Mac OS VM and use that instead of an actual Mac
When I select Install OS X on install screen and click continue button, after Disk Utility, it just freeze and won’t pass… Ive wait for 30 min or more thinking that just a copy.
Can you help me?
Explications complete ,mercci beaucoup.
J’ai suivi ces instructions a la lettre.
Le debut de l’installation se passe bien. mais apres le premier redemarrage l’ecran noire avec l’erreur gIOScreenLockState 3 de nvidia.
carte mere assus h61 m-kk
cpu i3 340 1155 sockettes
cg nvidia gt 630.
Mmerci de m’aider
I pasted a dmg file downloaded from elsewhere into the application folder like you say in the article … but how do I modify the command in the terminal to use that dmg file?
After donwloaded the .dmg you have to open it and then a Mac OS X Installer will create and copy to Aplication folder. Then the comand will work.
Hi, just a quick tip for High Sierra users in case it’s helpful to anyone else: when formatting the drive I noticed the option to select GUID partition was missing. I went along through the process anyhow and noticed the EFI folder was missing when copying over those settings. Needless to say the drive didn’t boot.
Turns out in High Sierra they’ve started hiding physical devices and only showing volumes, so I ended up only erasing the default volume, not partitioning the drive itself.
Solution: choose View -> Show All Devices and ensure you’re selecting the physical drive, not just one of its volumes.
Thanks for the great advice.
Thank you for this!
Thank you!
THANK YOU!!!!
Thanks man!!
This needs to be added in the main guide. I did the same thing and had to copy the files twice. Takes forever through a VM lol.
Hi, since I never used macOS I don’t know where the high sierra .dmg file is saved. When the “Install macOS High Sierra app” finished the download, it tried to restart the pc (it’s a virtual machine), so I closed the app and tried to run the terminal stuff, but it said: “/Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app does not appear to be a valid OS installer application”, so I searched for the .dmg file in the “Install macOS High Sierra app” folder. The folder is only 19MB, an the installer is not there. Any ideas?
“can take 20 to 60 minutes to complete” – Yikes! What’s your storage mechanism? Stone and chisel?
USB2. I could watch Pacific Rim Uprising while burning my Stick.
When I copy the whole text for Sierra Install on Terminal: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app –volume /Volumes/Hackintosher/
it says: “command not found”
*** I downloaded from torrent the .dmg of Sierrra Install… I need to copy on the flash drive? or in the Application Folder of my macbook?
I am stuck here…
never mind problem solved, it was my fault I didn’t open the .dmg file…
After donwloaded the .dmg you have to open it and then a Mac OS X Installer will create and copy to Aplication folder. Then the comand will work.
It’s a good thing to point, that in 10.13 the Disk Utility is simplified and show only volumes, which when erased doesn’t have the option to chose a Scheme. To fix this simply go to View -> Show all devices, then click on the hardware device itself and then -> Erase.
Cheers
Perfect! Thanks for your point!
Hi! I’m stuck right at the beginning and it’s really annoying. I’ve followed your guide on how to get Mac OS X Sierra on a Virtual Machine(VMware) and that works. Now I’m attempting to create a USB installer. Vmware picks up the USB, I press connect, I hear the disconnect between windows noise and supposedly it’s connected to the virtual machine. However, when I go to Disk Utility the USB does not show up. I’ve looked up many solutions and yet to find one, now I’m commenting here hopefully for a response.
Thank you!
Is it a USB 3.0 flash drive? Try a USB 2.0 drive or a different flash drive as VMWare and USB3 can be finicky, Also make sure it’s formatted as Fat32 before connecting. I’m also writing a High Sierra VMWare guide atm that you can try following if that doesn’t work.
What are the 10.13.4 modifications that need to be done for Clover to see Install Mac OS X? This worked fine for 10.13.3 and below.
If you are making a 10.13.4 bootable USB, after you create the USB and Install macOS High Sierra appears as a removable volume, run the following command in Terminal:
rm -f /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra/.IAPhysicalMedia
My “Boot macOS from Install macOS High Sierra” didn’t show up until I did this ^. Also used kexts from https://hackintosher.com/guides/hackintosh-high-sierra-10-13-4-update-guide/ and used USB 2.0 port.
How does one do this from within windows, i have a win32 port of dd, can one simply use dd to write the dmg to usb drive?
ryzen download link is dead.
NOTE: You can also download macOS from Downloads If you download macOS from somewhere other than the mac app store move the .dmg file to the /Applications Folder
so what can i do now? downloaded high sierra as dmg, and just rename “sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app” to “sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.dmg”, am i right?
copy the DMG file to the applications folder then double click it – it should mount then open. Drag the install file that is there to the application folder and it will work.
I hung up an apple. I have a similar configuration here
https://hackintosher.com/builds/gigabyte-z370-aorus-gaming-7-hackintosh-build-guide/
can you do this with older OSX version? if so where can I download them from?
Hi there !
I tried to install from app store (app named macOS High Sierra , that I founded by the link you gived) and the file is only 15Mb .
I tried to execute the command , by renaming “installer macOS High Sierra.app” by “install macOS High Sierra.app” (because I’m french) .
So I tried the command , and it returned “/Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/MacOS/InstallAssistant does not appear to be a valid OS installer application.” .
Then I’m looking for a DMG file of High Sierra , I founded , and I’m downloading , file is 1.9Gb ,Am I doing right ? Or am I mistaking ?
Thanks for return 😉
STEP 1: Downloading macOS
Please help I am having a problem trying to download the macOS when ever I tried to it goes right into installing it to the available drive it doesnt give the option to just download the complete installer
Got the solution there are few users who will not have the option to download it search for the patcher which i used to download the macos high sierra installer full instead of the 19 mb incomplete installer
does this actually work
Thank you
MacBook-Air-Leonid:~ leonid$ sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app –volume /Volumes/Hackintosher/
/Volumes/Hackintosher/ is not a valid volume mount point.
MacBook-Air-Leonid:~ leonid$
Ups… Is done! %)
Hello Hackintosher,
Thank you first of all for these tutorials. I followed everything and was able to prepare the usb, I get to the clover menu but when I choose to run the installer from the usb, nothing happens, the screen goes black and nothing happens.
Hi Hackintosher,
Im working to install High Sierra 10.13.6. Ive done this once successfully thanks to your concise instructions. I needed to fresh install and this second time around I am having issues very early in the install process. When loading up the hack with the installer usb, Clover doesn’t show the option to boot from “mac OSX installer”. Ive gone through all your Bios instructions thoroughly and they are set as described in the ASROCK Z370 guide. Ive been stuck on this for the better part of today – any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Oftentimes when the Boot macOS Installer isn’t showing it’s because it wasn’t installed correctly on the flash drive or the flash drive is bad.
Step 3 has changed. Follow this tutorial to get it to work
https://9to5mac.com/2018/06/18/how-to-create-a-bootable-macos-mojave-10-14-usb-install-drive-video/
I keep getting:
Tests-Mac-Pro:~ test$ sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app –volume /Volumes/Hackintosher/
/Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app does not appear to be a valid OS installer application.
I’ve tried many times to do this.