Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Enterprise administrators: download from Apple, not a locally hosted update server.ĭownload a macOS installer using the App Store or your browser Use Terminal to create the bootable installer Your Mac must also be compatible with the macOS that you’re downloading.
To download a full installer, your Mac must be using macOS High Sierra or later, the latest version of macOS Sierra or the latest version of OS X El Capitan.
What you need to create a bootable installerĪ USB flash drive or other secondary volume with at least 14 GB of available storage, formatted as Mac OS Extended You don’t need a bootable installer to upgrade macOS or reinstall macOS, but it can be useful if you want to install macOS on multiple computers without downloading the installer each time, or you’re unable to install a compatible macOS from the Finder or macOS Recovery. These advanced steps are primarily for system administrators and other experienced users who are familiar with entering commands in Terminal.