How do I create windows 10 bootable USB on Mac without bootcamp?

[Yrturo]

I'm running into a frustrating issue where I need to create a Windows 10 bootable USB for my Macbook Pro 2023, but every attempt to use Boot Camp Assistant has ended in errors. This has left me in a bit of a bind, as I'm keen to find an alternative method that bypasses Boot Camp altogether. The goal is to successfully prepare a USB drive with Windows 10 installation files, which I plan to use on a PC. If anyone knows how to do this directly on macOS, avoiding Boot Camp issues, I'd really appreciate a simplified guide or tool suggestions to get this done.

[#2]

I’ve been there with Boot Camp—it’s a nightmare sometimes. I ditched it for WonderISO, and it was a breeze. I just loaded my Windows 10 ISO, and bam, the bootable USB was ready in minutes. No fuss, no errors. WonderISO is definitely the way to go!

I followed this tutorial:

https://www.howtogeeker.com/create-windows-10-bootable-usb

You see, I can now install Windows 10 normally！

[#3]

It becomes much challenging to create Windows 10 bootable USB on Mac as Bootcamp is not available on Apple Silicon Mac. Instead, you can borrow another Intel Mac and use Bootcamp to make a bootable Windows 10 USB on Mac.

Step 1: Open the Boot Camp Assistant in the Utilities folder within your Applications folder. Alternatively, use Spotlight search (Cmd + Space) and type "Boot Camp Assistant" to find and open it.

Step 2: Select the "Create a Windows 10 or later version install disk" option when it appears. This option will still work for Windows 10.

Step 3: Browse to and select the Windows 10 ISO file you downloaded earlier. Choose the USB drive as the destination for your Windows 10 bootable USB.

Step 4: Boot Camp Assistant will now create the bootable USB drive. This process can take some time, depending on the speed of your USB drive and Mac.

Once Boot Camp Assistant completes the process, you will have a Windows 10 bootable USB drive ready to use. You can then use this drive to install Windows 10 on a PC.

[#4]

@Yrturo   If you only have a Mac but need to create a Windows 10 bootable USB, one option is to borrow a Windows PC from a friend, family member, or colleague. Using a Windows PC simplifies the process because you can use tools like the Media Creation Tool, which is an official utility provided by Microsoft. This tool automates the process of downloading the Windows 10 ISO file and creating a bootable USB drive. It's user-friendly and ensures that the bootable USB is configured correctly for most systems, whether they require UEFI or Legacy BIOS modes.

Once you have access to a Windows PC, simply download the Media Creation Tool from the official Microsoft website, plug in a USB drive with at least 8 GB of space, and follow the on-screen instructions. This will burn Windows 10 ISO to USB in order to make it bootable. After the process is complete, safely eject the USB drive and return the borrowed PC. Now, with your newly created Windows 10 bootable USB, you can proceed with installing or repairing Windows 10 on your target machine, whether it’s a Mac or a Windows PC.

[#5]

@Yrturo  Creating a Windows 10 bootable USB on a Mac without using Boot Camp can be done using the Terminal application and a few simple steps. First, you will need to download the Windows 10 ISO file from Microsoft's official website. Ensure you have a USB drive with at least 8GB of capacity, and remember that this process will erase all data on the USB. Connect the USB drive to your Mac and open the Disk Utility application. Select the USB drive from the list of devices on the left, then format it as "MS-DOS (FAT)" with the scheme set to "GUID Partition Map." This will prepare the USB drive for the bootable setup.

After formatting the USB drive, you will want to mount the Windows 10 ISO file that you downloaded. By double-clicking on the ISO file, it should open in Finder. Note down the volume name of the mounted ISO as you'll need it for the Terminal commands. Next, launch Terminal, which can be found in Applications > Utilities. Use the `diskutil list` command to identify the identifier for your USB drive (it will look something like `/dev/diskX`).

Once you have this information, use the following command to copy the contents of the Windows ISO to the USB drive. The command looks similar to "sudo cp -rp /Volumes/WINDOWS_ISO/* /Volumes/YOUR_USB_DRIVE/", where you'll replace "WINDOWS_ISO" and"YOUR_USB_DRIVE" with the correct names of the mounted ISO and your USB drive.

Finally, make the USB a bootable Windows 10 installer on Mac by adding the necessary boot files. In the Terminal, navigate to the USB drive using the cd command. You will need to create a directory called boot and copy the boot files over using commands like mkdir boot and then using another cp command to copy specific files from the ISO. Once this is done, you’ll have a bootable USB drive for Windows 10 installation. Eject your USB stick safely using the "diskutil eject /dev/diskX" command, and you’re ready to use it to install Windows on a compatible PC.

[#6]

The most tricky part of creating Windows 10 bootable USB on Mac is that macOS does not support NTFS file system and the install.wim file included in Windows 10 is larger than 4GB. You have to format the USB with FAT32 and split the install.wim file manually in order to make a Windows 10 bootable USB on a Mac machine.

[#7]

Despite the command and virtual machine suggestion, there are also a couple of free app such as WonderISO is capable of creating Windows 10 bootable USB on any Mac. It comes with WIM file splitting tool that help you cut the install.wim file into small pieces so it can be saved on a FAT partition on Mac. You won't need input a single command to complete the task. You should really give a try on this great solution!

[#8]

Boot Camp is not working on Apple Silicon Macs because these newer Macs are based on a different architecture, known as ARM (Apple's M1, M2, and subsequent chips), while Boot Camp was designed specifically for Intel-based Macs, which use x86 architecture. Boot Camp allows Intel Macs to dual-boot macOS and Windows by installing Windows natively on a separate partition.

However, Windows 10 and earlier versions are not designed to run on ARM-based Macs, and Boot Camp does not support ARM-based Windows versions. This is why you have to seek another way to make Windows 10 bootable USB on Mac without bootcamp.

[#9]

Creating windows 10 bootable USB on Mac without bootcamp, you're diving into a bit of a DIY job. You might end up using the Terminal or third-party apps, and if you're not super comfortable with that stuff, it can get confusing. I remember spending too much time fumbling with commands, and let's just say it is a more complex process.

[#10]

@Yrturo 

I've had similar issues before, and Boot Camp kept failing, which was annoying. I decided to just bypass it and create a Windows 10 bootabe USB on Mac. It's not hard, and I used a very simple method, which is to use Terminal.

1. Insert the USB drive: First insert the USB drive into your Mac, then open Disk Utility to format it as MS-DOS (FAT), and make sure the partition scheme is Master Boot Record (MBR).
2. Open Terminal: Open Terminal on your Mac, which is your main tool for operation.

3. Find the USB drive path:

   Type diskutil list to find the path of your USB drive, which is usually /dev/diskX, where X is the corresponding number (for example, /dev/disk2).

4. Write the Windows ISO file to the USB drive using the following command:     

       

    5. Replace /path/to/windows.iso with the path to the Windows ISO file on your computer and /dev/diskX with the path to your USB drive.

Wait for completion: After the command is executed, the copying process will begin. This process may take some time, so be patient. After the copying is completed, your USB drive can be used to install Windows 10 on your PC.

This method is quite reliable. I have used it several times without any problems. Although it requires a little operation, as long as you follow the steps, basically you will not go wrong.

[#11]

@Yrturo 

If you want to create Windows 10 bootable USB on Mac, the manual method of copying the ISO file is very simple. Basically, just copy the contents of the Windows ISO file directly to the USB drive. This method is suitable for people who are not familiar with command line operations. I have used this method before and it is very intuitive. The specific steps are as follows:

1. Format the USB drive:

First, insert the USB drive and open Disk Utility.

2. Format the USB drive as ExFAT or MS-DOS (FAT) format, and select Master Boot Record (MBR) as the partition scheme. This is to ensure that the USB drive can be recognized normally on Windows.

3. Open the ISO file:

Double-click the Windows 10 ISO file, and macOS will automatically mount it as a virtual disc, similar to opening a normal folder.

4. Copy the contents to the USB drive:

Open the mounted ISO file, select all the files in it, and then drag or copy and paste them to the USB drive you just formatted. It's just like copying files on your computer. There is nothing complicated.

Done:

After the copying process is completed, your USB drive is ready to install Windows 10 directly.
This method is very suitable for those who don't want to toss the command line tool. It is completely a graphical interface operation, just like in a folder.