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Nguyenais's avatar
Nguyenais
Bronze Contributor
Jan 15, 2025

How to install macos using usb drive? Need help on this!

Hi there, I am interested in giving a try on macOS so I bought an used MacBook Air. However, the internal SSD is wiped and no os on this Mac. As a long-time Windows user, I’m not familiar with the M...
Gianmais's avatar
Gianmais
Iron Contributor
Jan 15, 2025

While creating a bootable USB drive for macOS on a Windows machine is possible, it’s definitely fraught with challenges and risks. If you’re doing this just to test things out, you might want to consider alternative methods like borrowing or using a friend's Mac to set up that USB installer first. Or go for a virtual machine if you just want to dabble and don’t want to commit to the hardware quest yet. 

Common Errors to Avoid When Installing macOS Using a USB Drive on a Windows Computer:

1. Make sure to format the USB drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and set it to GUID Partition Map.
2. When preparing for installation, follow a detailed guide that walks you through adding a bootloader. This will help you boot macOS and navigate your Hackintosh smoothly.
3. Before booting, dive into your BIOS/UEFI settings and disable any Secure Boot features and enable UEFI mode if available. This is crucial for getting macOS to even fire up.

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