How To Upload Mac Os From Usb

A cloned version of your macOS installation on a portable USB drive can exist invaluable if your system suddenly fails to boot. It can requite yous troubleshooting options and even permit you lot to keep working with an identical re-create of your files. While internal hard drives are the best way to create bootable copies of your system, a USB drive tin can too work. Y'all will acquire in this guide how to install macOS on a USB drive.

How to Install macOS on a USB Drive

You'll want to employ the Deejay Utility app for this method. Start, right-click the USB drive in Deejay Utility and click "Erase."

Format your USB drive as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" and cull the GUID Division Map scheme.

Formatting a USB drive using Disk Utility.

If you tin can't find the option to set the sectionalization table, make sure you lot're selecting the "View -> Show All Devices" option.

Showing all devices within Disk Utility.

Right-click on the USB drive, click Erase, and select the partitioning tabular array.

When the procedure is complete, download macOS. Unless you accept a specific reason to install an older version of macOS, download the most contempo installer from the App Store.

Downloading macOS Big Sur from the App Store.

Given the size of macOS Big Sur (effectually 13GB), it may have a while. Information technology may open and begin to accept you through the installation procedure when information technology finishes downloading, merely you don't want to do this. Follow the instructions below for some other way to create a bootable installer.

Open Terminal (found in the Utilities binder) and copy the snippet below. Note that yous'll want to modify the placeholder for whatever your USB drive is called:

            sudo            /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia            --volume            /Volumes/            [your-usb-drive]

This code makes a couple of assumptions:

You're installing macOS Big Sur onto your USB drive.
The downloaded installer volition get stored in your Applications binder.

Of course, you'll demand to change the file paths if neither of these are true. For other Operating Systems, Apple provides the necessary snippets you need.

Once you printing the Render key, the installation procedure will begin. Note that yous'll demand to input your administrator password and confirm that yous desire to erase the current drive.

Confirming the USB drive erasing within Terminal.

Information technology could have a while to erase the USB, but at some point, you will be asked whether Terminal can access files on your USB drive. You lot should confirm that it can.

From there, the install procedure will re-create files to your USB. It will as well rename the USB to whatever is set for the installer you downloaded. In our instance, information technology's "Install macOS Large Sur."

The entire copying process for the USB drive within Terminal.

At this signal, you can quit Terminal and squirt the USB drive.

How to Clone Your Difficult Drive to a USB Drive

If you lot have a USB drive large enough to accommodate the information on your boot drive, you can create a direct clone of your kicking bulldoze. If yous use the proper software, this disk will likewise exist bootable.

There are many options here, although SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner are fantastic. This tutorial is using Carbon Re-create Cloner (CCC) to create a clone of your hard bulldoze.

The process is super straightforward.

1. Select your kicking drive as the source for the clone.

Choosing a source drive in Carbon Copy Cloner.

2. Fix your USB drive as the target for the cloning functioning.

Choosing a destination drive in Carbon Copy Cloner.

3. Click "Commencement" to begin the cloning process. This will overwrite and replace the content of the USB drive with the clone of the boot bulldoze.

From here, you lot'll want to boot from the bulldoze itself.

How to Boot Upwards from a USB Drive

Once y'all've installed macOS on a USB drive, or cloned your difficult drive, y'all'll demand to restart your reckoner and boot from your USB drive.

You can run macOS from a bootable USB installation much similar you'd run one from from an internal drive. There'due south no operational difference between the ii systems. Though, running off of a USB bulldoze is going to be slower than the internal SSD.

To boot from your USB drive, ready your bootable USB equally your startup disk for the next boot in "System Preferences -> Startup Disk," then click "Restart" to reboot your Mac.

Your Mac volition reboot from the USB instead of your default startup deejay. Yous could also use the Startup Managing director to select your boot drive when you start macOS.

If you're using an Apple Silicon motorcar, yous'll need to insert the USB drive, shut the Mac down, then reboot and hold the Ability primal until you come to the Startup Manager.

For Intel Macs, restart and agree the Choice key to enter into the boot option dialog.

For both types of machines, use your keyboard's arrow keys to select the USB drive from the listing of bootable devices, click to ostend, and your USB drive will begin to boot.

You can now run the operating organisation as normal and use this USB drive to boot upward your Mac. Disk operations on the boot drive can be performed safely from a USB stick equally well.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I split an installation across multiple USB drives?

In our feel, you lot volition not be able to exercise this. As such, you'll need a large enough USB drive to store Big Sur. We recommend 16GB to give yourself enough "wiggle room" when information technology comes to the installation process.

2. Am I able to use a USB connection other than USB-C?

Yep. Our testing gave us no bug when using a USB 2.0 to USB-C connector, so you're able to press your older USB drives into service.

3. Tin I kick older versions of macOS from a USB drive?

Our tests were inconclusive here. In theory, there's no reason why you couldn't boot an older version of macOS, and Apple tree does offer ways to install older versions on a USB. Though, if your Mac is based on Apple Silicon, you may discover incompatibilities.

Nosotros too don't know whether you'll feel issues if you look to install an older Bone y'all don't ain. In short, we don't recommend it, and it's likely non supported.

Wrapping Up

Linux users know that booting from a USB drive is a useful way to become into the Os. macOS users can also install the Os onto a USB drive and work with the same installation that's on your internal (and faster) drive. In fact, yous accept a couple of ways to do this: either using Disk Utility to format the drive before installing macOS or cloning your drive using a tertiary-party tool.

If you accept a USB drive that needs to be fixed, find out how to gear up unformattable USB drives. What will you lot utilize your USB installation of macOS for? Allow us know in the comments section below!

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Tom Rankin

Tom Rankin is a quality content writer for WordPress, tech, and small businesses. When he's non putting fingers to keyboard, he can be found taking photographs, writing music, playing computer games, and talking in the third-person.