- MacOS 10.15, code name for Catalina, is the latest operating system shipped for Mac desktop and laptops. And it is the right time to create a bootable USB install USB based on Catalina becasue the signing certificates for old version of macOS and OS X are expired soon.
- DiskMaker X erases everything on the drive when you create the bootable macOS Catalina installation drive, so if you’re planning to use the same drive for other utilities or troubleshooting tools, or perhaps use it as a backup drive, do that after you’ve created the bootable installation drive.
In previous tutorial, we wrote a post about creating macOS Catalina bootable USB on Mac, which is a simple tool and there are a couple of free tools to complete the task. You can even use the built-in tool Disk Utility and dd command to do it without installing any third-party apps. However, the situation is much different on Windows 10 because macOS install file (end with .dmg) is not supported by Windows OS. Unlike ISO image, there are few tools on Windows that can handle .dmg files. That's the most challenging part!
Erase USB as “Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format” & as “GUID Partition Map” Scheme. Next, make sure that your Hackintosh Catalina disk image file is in the same folder as “Restore Catalina.pkg”. If “Restore Catalina.pkg” is still in a ZIP file, double-click that file to unzip it.
So in this article, we will show you how to create macOS bootable USB on Windows 10 and targets macOS Catalina specifically, which is the latest version of Apple macOS and it is easy to download the install file. This will be a great help if there were something wrong with your Mac and a fresh install was demanded. Also if you were a Mac enthusiast and can not afford the price, then it is not a bad choice to build a hackintosh with Catalina.
Before heading to the details of each method, please make sure you have downloaded a copy of Catalina OS dmg file and a working USB drive with more than 12GB storage.
Method 1: Create macOS Catalina Bootable USB on Windows 10 via DMG Editor
There are more than one solutions to create macOS Catalina Bootable USB on Windows 10 and we will go with easy one first. DMG Editor, a popular app developed by UUByte, is a multi-functional and cross-platform image burning tool that works on Windows, Linux and macOS. It supports creating bootable USB from popular image files, including dmg, iso, zip, img. And it has full support for Linux distros and old versions of Windows OS. macOS support was not available in previous versions. But now, the latest version of DMG Editor adds better support for macOS dmg file. Let's get a try first.
Step 1.Go to UUByte official website and download Windows version of Etcher from there.
Step 2. Run the executable file and complete the installation process. After that, insert an USB drive in Windows 10.
Step 3. Open the installed UUByte DMG Editor by double-clicking on the icon shown on your home screen. Click on the 'Burn' option then. After that, add Catalina .dmg file to the software and click on 'Change' button to choose the inserted USB device.
Step 4. Finally, click on the 'Burn' button to start the dmg burning process. At this time, a progress bar is displayed on the screen and it gives you an estimated calculation for the time remaining.
Step 5. Wait about 10 minutes. It will show you a pop-up message after completing the task successfully.
The process is very quick and easy to execute. But you might have issues running Etcher app on old computers with low profile hardware. Etcher GUI is built primarily on a new Javascript framework called Electron , which consumes a lot of computing resources. So if you were going to use Etcher to create macOS Catalina bootable USB, make sure testing it on a high-profile Windows 10 PC or laptop.
Method 2: Convert .dmg to .iso and Create macOS Catalina Bootable USB
macOS Catalina install image is distributed in .dmg format and Windows 10 has no support. Hen it is almost impossible to read such files in conventional ways. So in this part, we will convert macOS Catalina dmg file into ISO and create a bootable installer by burning the ISO file to USB. This can be done with the help of third-party software.
To execute the method, you need two software. First, you need a special software to convert dmg to ISO. Second, an ISO to USB burning software to make bootable USB from ISO file. To demonstrate, we have used 7 PowerISO & UUByte ISO Editor to create macOS Catalina bootable USB from Windows 10.
Step 1: Download and install PowerISO on Windows 10.
Step 2: Insert your USB drive. Right-click on this peripheral device and choose the option to format it. After a few seconds, you will get the notification of completing the format process.
Step 3: Now, open PowerISO and navigate to Tool menu. From the pop-up list, please click the 'Convert' option.
Step 4: In a pop-up window, click the folder icon to add macOS Catalina dmg file in Source file field. And set an output file name under Destination file section. Next. choose Standard ISO Images (.ISO) from Output image file format.
Step 5: When the ISO file is created successfully. Download and install UUByte ISO Editor. Then click Burn button to open ISO burning Window. Next, add ISO file to the program and select the USB name. Wait for 7 minutes, and a bootable USB is ready!
Step 6: After getting a task completion message on screen, eject the USB and then start installing macOS Catalina from the USB drive.
The solution is simple but may need to purchase a couple of tools for executing the steps. But if you will search smartly on the internet, chances are there that you can get the required tools without paying any cost. However, if you want to bypass using any of the third-party tools, you can create the Catalina OS bootable USB by accessing macOS in a virtual machine.
Method 3: Use TransMac to Create macOS Catalina Bootable USB in Windows 10
TransMac is a single-purpose utility to open Mac disk image from a Windows PC. It's one of the quickest methods to create macOS bootable USB drive from dmg file. However, the support for Catalina is not good as Mojave and High Serrira. Plus, you have to pay for 59 USD to use the burn feature. That's why we mention this app at the end of this post.
Step 1: Download TransMac from the official site and run the .exe file to complete the installation process.
Step 2: Now plug in a USB device into the port. Now right-click on TransMac icon shown on the home screen and then choose to Run as administrator.
Step 3: After landing inside the tool's window, all disk drives will be displayed on the left side automatically. Click File -> Open Disk Image to load macOS Catalina dmf file into the program.
Step 4: Before proceeding further, you need to format your USB device to make it compatible with Mac HFS or APS partition. For doing the same, click on the 'Format Diks for Mac' option. Wait for 30 seconds to complete the process.
Step 5: Right-click on the selected USB disk. From the shown list, click on 'Restore with Disk Image'. If it shows any warning message, just click on the OK button to accept.
Step 6: After that, select the location of saved Mac OS Catalina DMG file and then click on the OK button. Now stay back and look after 20 minutes. You will get ready with a bootable Catalina USB.
TransMac is one of the easiest method to create a bootable macOS Installer USB on a Windows PC. You can use this application to burn any version of macOS operating system file to USB.
Conclusion
To conclude, we would recommend going with either the first or the second method to create bootable macOS Catalina USB. Both are super easy to follow because you don't need to install multiple tools and go through a multi-layer process to meet your requirement.
macOS 10.15, code name for Catalina, is the latest operating system shipped for Mac desktop and laptops. And it is the right time to create a bootable USB install USB based on Catalina becasue the signing certificates for old version of macOS and OS X are expired soon. It means only macOS Catalina is available for future macOS install. So before the Mac goes into trouble or just want to install a fresh copy of Catalina, it is highly recommend making a bootable USB installer right now!
Looking for make a bootable USB installer for macOS Catalina for your Mac device but don't know how? Well, this article will guide you straight away with all the preparatory tips and steps to create a bootable macOS Catalina USB install drive in minutes.
Part 1: Preparation for Making a Bootable macOS Catalina Install USB
Before we get started for creating bootable macOS Catalina install USB, there are a few things we should pay attention to. This will avaoid the portential issue within the installation process.
1. An accessible Mac computer where you can download and make the bootable installation drive.
2. An USB drive with a minimum storage capacity of 16 GB. Also, it should be formatted to APFS.
3. Make sure there are enough free space on Mac. The Installer file is over 8G.
Part 2: Download a Copy of Bootable macOS Catalina Installer
There are two ways to download macOS Catalina 10.15. The most common way is via Mac App Store or you can use the third-party apps, which is a good alternative if the operation could not completed successful in App store. This happens a lot at least on my MacBook Pro.
Step 1: Open App Store on Mac and type 'Catalina' in search bar.
Step 2: The macOS Catalina install app appears in search result and click 'Get' button. Now the Software Update interface shows up, asking if you want to download macOS Catalina.
Step 3: Confirm the operation and the system starts to download macOS Catalina Installer. Now wait for the task to be completed. You will find the an app named Install macOS Catalina in Application folder. That's the file for OS installation.
Part 3: Create Bootable macOS Catalina USB Using DMG Editor
If you have download macOS Catalina DMG file, then UUByte DMG Editor is the only tool you can find to make a macOS bootable USB from DMG disk image. However, if you downlaoded the Catalina install app from App store, please skip this part and read the following recommendations.
Step 1: Click above button to download a copy of UUByte DMG Editor.
Step 2: Install the app on a Windows PC or Mac and insert an USB drive into the computer.
Step 3: There are three options you can see from the main window. Click 'Burn' button in this step for creating bootable USB.
Step 4: Click 'Browse' button to import the macOS Catalina dmg file into DMG Editor and select the correct USB drive, where the dmg file will be copied to. Now, click 'Burn' button to initial the task.
Step 5: There is a progress bard associated to this process and you can see the estimated time. Wait untile you get 'burning completely' message. This means the burning process is finished successfully and the USB is now bootable!
Eject the USB drive from Mac and insert it to the device where macOS needs to be installed. And follow the instructions to install macOS when the installation wizard is loaded.
Part 4: Create Bootable macOS Catalina USB Using Install Disk Creator
When you get the macOS 10.15 Catalina install file, the next move is to burn the file to USB. However, it is not a single copy-paste. The bootable information should be written to USB at the same time. So you must use third-party apps to get it done. At here, we are using Install Disk Creator, one of the best GUI programs to make a bootable USB from macOS.
Step 1: Click this link to download Install Disk Creator.
Step 2: Unzip the file on Mac and drag the app icon to Application folder. Open the app from Launchpad and insert an USB drive into Mac.
Create Bootable Usb Mac Os Catalina Using
Step 3: From the app interface, click the USB drive name you just installed and add macOS Catalina Install App file in Application folder. Then click 'Create Installer' to write boot information and copy installation files to USB.
Part 5: Create Bootable macOS Catalina Install USB via Patcher App
You might get this error when trying to download macOS Catalina from App Store. And that's why we need to use third-party apps to replace Mac App Store.
macOS Catalina Patcher is a great utility for creating USB flash drive installer for Mac devices that don't support macOS Catalina. The Patcher tool is available with several new updates and features. However, these updates are not applicable for all the Mac users to upgrade their devices to the latest desktop iOS version. This tool is used for the unofficial installation of macOS Catalina on Macs that wouldn’t normally support an upgrade to Catalina.
Step 1: Connect the USB to Mac and format it to OS X Extended with Disk Utility app.
Step 2: Download the latest version of macOS Catalina Patcher. Go to Tools and click 'Download a Copy' to download the installer app.
Step 3: It will take some while to complete the download as its size is around 8GB. When the download is finished, open macOS Catalina Patcher app and click 'Browse a copy' option to add the downloaded installer file (Install macOS Catalina) in Application folder. Then choose the target USB drive and start the copying installation files to USB.
Step 4: Reboot Mac and hold on to the Option button. Startup Manager will appear on the screen. Nowm use the arrow keys to choose the bootable USB flash drive and click on Return.
Step 5: Open Disk Utility app and format the hard drive to APFS. From the Install macOS screen, select the hard drive on Mac to install the OS.
Step 6: As the installation process is done, shut down the Mac, and reboot back to the install USB drive. This is to ensure post-install patches on that device so that Catalina supports the system.
Step 7: Returning to macOS Recovery environment, hit 'macOS Post Install'. The installer will automatically choose all the accurate patches needed for your device, by default. Then hit Apply Patches and let the process complete. and allow the process to complete. After applying the patches, choose 'Force Cache Rebuild' and hit Restart. Now your device will reboot, where you can easily start the macOS Catalina installation.
Part 6: Make Bootable macOS Catalina Install USB Using Terminal
Another choice to create a bootable macOS USB is through Terminal app. It is completely free and there is no need to install addition apps. However, it takes more time to figure out how it works.
Step 1: Download a copy of macOS Catalina according to the above section.
Create Bootable Usb Mac Os Catalina Update
Step 2: Head to Applications folder. Then right-click on the macOS Catalina Install app icon and pick Show Package Contents. Access Contents and go to Resources folder.
Step 3: Open Terminal app and enter 'sudo' command.
Step 4: Drag the createinstallmedia to Terminal window through the Finder location as shown in Step 4.
Step 5: Type 'volume' and put a space. Head over to Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder, enter '/Volumes' and hit Go.
Create Macos Catalina Bootable Usb On Mac
Step 6: Insert the USB drive to the Mac device, which will then be displayed in Finder window.
Step 7: Fetch the volume of the flash drive to Terminal with a drag-and-drop. Hit Return from keyboard to give in the entire command. Then type your password when notified.
Step 8: When prompted, enter 'y' to proceed followed by hitting return from the keyboard. Now the installation erases all content on USB and the installer files will then be copied to the drive. The process will only take a little while to complete.
Create Bootable Usb Mac Catalina From Windows
Summary
Create Bootable Usb Macos Catalina
Hopefully, both the tips were helpful in guiding you on how to make bootable macOS Catalina on Mac. However, it is best to go with macOS Catalina Patcher app if your Mac device is compatible with Catalina 101.15 version and only needs a bootable USB drive to install the OS.