Create Bootable USB for Mac on Windows 10, Mac and Windows file system is completely different, so you are not able to create bootable USB for Mac with PowerShell, CMD or Rufus. If you remembered, till MacOS sierra the Apple file system was Hackintosh, but MacOS 10.13 High Sierra has the technology of Apple Filesystem. That’s why we can’t.
- If your USB drive with a valid MacOS installer for that system (the original install disk or a subsequent full retail installer) doesn't show up in the startup manager screen when you boot the system with the Option key (Alt if it's a Windows keyboard) then the drive isn't bootable. Additionally, some external optical drives seem problematic.
- Choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click Startup Disk. Click the lock and enter your administrator password. Select your startup disk, then restart your Mac. If you see a message that your security settings do not allow this Mac to use an external startup disk, check the External Boot setting in Startup Security Utility.
2020 MacBook Pro boot from USB
Starting in 2018 the Macbook Pro includes a secure boot chip that prevents your Macbook from booting windows, linux, BSD, gentoo, Fedora, Atlas Supervisor, other Mac O/S/s on a usb, etc.
You CAN boot a 2018 2019 or 2020 Macbook Pro from USB!
But it does take a few steps to get there.
Step One
Boot into Recovery Mode
To access Recovery Mode, turn off your Macbook, turn it on and hold the Command (⌘) and R keys. Keep holding them through the chime sound until you see the Recovery Screen below…
Yaaay! You entered a secret level with hidden powers!
Step 2
Click on Utlities (on the menu bar at the top of the screen, don’t click on Disk Utlities in the middle of the screen)
Select ‘Startup Security Utility’ and you’ll get this screen…
Change the settings for both to the same as the image above.
Secure Boot to No Security
External Boot to Allow booting from external media
Exit out, shut down the laptop.
Step 3
Plug in your bootable USB device and boot up your 2018 2019 Macbook Pro from USB, hold the Command (⌘) key and you’ll see the startup disk screen, select the USB and boot it up.
Caveats, notes and disclaimers.
- You need an uefi bootable image. (we’re uncertain of other workarounds for grub at this time)
- You may not have any access to the internal drive. Not sure if it is a linux driver issue or some sort of on chip security, but so far, no access.
- Leaving ‘external boot allowed’ is a risk that if stolen, someone might be able to access the internal drive.
- The law of unintended consequences. Apple rarely supports playing around with bootable O/Ss, you could brick an extremely expensive device.
- Apple does have further detail on the T2 security chip and how to use it. Read more before playing around too much in there.
The better option
If you are looking for a great laptop to run NinjaStik we recommend getting an IBM Lenovo T430i for ~$140 and using it. The T430i is one of the best value for $ deals to run a daily use linux based personal laptop. It’s ugly but it is a solid machine.
Using a $140 laptop for linux and not risking your $5000 Macbook Pro is our recommendation.
Sep 21, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
Creating a bootable drive for your Mac certainly seems to be a wise decision to make. Even though the macOS recovery partition can take care of all your recovery requirements in times of need, it’s still worthwhile to have a bootable installer.
Why Do You Need to Create A Bootable Drive For Your Mac?
- The Mac installer gets deleted as soon as you download it and use it by installing the Mac operating system. Once the installer gets deleted, it means that you can no longer use it to install the macOS on another Mac device. You will have to again download the installer on the latter Mac to install the macOS. This can take a lot of time and become inefficient if you have multiple Macs.
- Clean installs can be performed by installers which are very helpful in overwriting your start-up drive. You can also use this function for other troubleshooting issues as well.
- When you have a bootable installer, it ensures that you are well guarded in an emergency scenario by making use of some of its helpful utilities.
- A bootable installer can allow you to install an earlier version of macOS and also let you temporarily boot into the previous version of the macOS.
What Do You Need Before Creating Your Bootable Drive?
Before you begin the process, you will need the following:
- USB Stick / External Hard Drive: If you are planning to use a USB for downloading the bootable version of the installer, make sure that it is 8GB in size or larger than that. In the case of Sierra, 12GB is recommended as the minimum requirement. Ideally, 32GB to 64GB is a good size to have as it is not only cost-effective but also gives a better performance. In the case of an external drive, you can use any spare one that you are not going to use for any other work.
- Download macOS High Sierra Installer: It is important to note that once you have downloaded the installer, it will begin with the installation process on its own. You can close the installer just like you quit any Mac app. In the case of the macOS version being older than the current one, you can click on ‘ok’ once the message flashes that the version is too old to install. You can find the old installer file in your ‘Application Folder’. Don’t forget to take a backup of your Mac to be on a safe side.
Part 1. How to Create a Bootable Drive Using Terminal
There are two ways of creating a bootable copy of the installer. You can either use Terminal or get the job done through a free software like Recoverit to do it for you. First, let us look at how to create a bootable drive using Terminal.
Steps to create a macOS Siera beta boot disk:
- The first step in the process is to connect your external hard drive to your Mac. You need to name your external drive ‘untitled’ for the Terminal command to work.
- Launch Terminal. You can find this in the 'Utilities' folder of your Applications folder.
- Copy the following instructions now:
sudo /Applications/Install macOS Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS Sierra.app
- In this step, you have to paste the copied instruction on the screen by going back to the Terminal.
- You will be required to feed in your user password now and then hit ‘Return’.
- Now, the Terminal will ask for your permission to erase the drive. To continue, type ‘Y’ and again hit return.
- After the Terminal has erased your drive, your Mac will prompt you if you wish to use the drive for Time Machine. Click ‘Don’t Use’.
- Next, the installer file will be copied by the Terminal to your drive. This might take some time, so be patient.
How To Boot Macbook Pro From External Drive
- Once the copying is completed, a ‘Copy complete’ message will be displayed on your screen. You can now quit the Terminal and use your drive.
Part 2. How to Create Bootable Media for Mac with Recoverit Mac Data Recovery
Boot From External Hard Drive
Recoverit Mac data recovery software is one of the most impressive and easy-to-use data recovery software in the market, and it has lots to offer with its varied utilities and functions. With Recoverit to create bootable media, you can access your system easily without the need to reinstall the macOS to recover your lost data.
Macbook air ssd not detected. Step 1 Launch Recoverit and get to select 'Computer Crash Recovery'. Click 'Start'.
Step 2 Choose your connected external hard drive as the bootable media, and click 'Start'. You will receive a requirement of formatting the device. Before the formatting, remember to back your drive data up.
Step 3 Wait for a while, and Recoverit will format your drive and start creating the bootable media.
Step 4 Once it finishes, follow the next steps to restore data.
Part 3. How to Set the Computer Boot from the Bootable Media
Step 1 Connect your external drive to your unbootable Mac.
Step 2 Press down on the ‘Option’ key after restarting your Mac.
Step 3 Once the booting has finished, your Mac will display the Startup Manager to show you the available boot drives. Select your external hard drive and hit ‘Return’.
Step 4 If you want to install Sierra but keep your data untouched, you can select 'Install OS X'. However, if you wish to delete all your data, then you can select Disk Utility to format the entire drive and wipe away all your data to reformat the internal drive first and then install macOS Sierra.
You now have a bootable copy of the macOS Sierra installer, and you can use it on multiple Macs to install the Mac OS. If you are familiar with the command line, you can opt to create a bootable drive using Terminal. For others, you can simply opt for reliable Mac hard drive recovery software like Recoverit and assist you in recovering your data as well from crashed systems in case of emergencies.
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