Forum Discussion
How to create Catalina boot USB installer on Windows PC?
I'm a technical writer and web designer, so I have a good handle on software and tools. However, I'm more familiar with macOS environments and usually work with a MacBook M1. I recently ran into a situation where I need to reinstall macOS Catalina on an older Mac, but I only have access to a Windows machine right now.
Can anyone provide a step-by-step guide or point me to reliable resources for creating Catalina boot USB installer on Windows? The official createinstallmedia command does not work on Windows PC!
It now becomes much simple to create macOS bootable USB on a Windows PC with the help of dmg burning tool. First, download macOS Catalina dmg file from a legit website and burn it to USB drive. This process will extract the dmg file and make the USB bootable. Here is a step-by-step guide you can follow:
https://www.howtogeeker.com/make-macos-bootable-usb-on-windows
P.S. Please use a fast USB drive. This will save time!
Azraelen Creating a macOS Catalina bootable USB on a Windows PC using the command line requires a few steps involving specific tools. First, obtain the macOS Catalina DMG file from a trusted source. You'll need this to create the bootable USB.
Insert your USB drive (at least 16GB) into your Windows PC. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and use the following commands to format the USB drive.
diskpart list disk select disk <disk number> clean create partition primary format fs=ntfs quick exitRight-click your USB drive in the left pane and select "Restore with Disk Image." Select the macOS Catalina DMG file and start the process. This will take some time, so be patient. Once the process is complete, your USB drive will be a macOS Catalina bootable USB, ready for installation on a compatible Mac.
Creating a macOS Catalina boot USB installer on a Windows PC is indeed a bit different since the tools and commands available on macOS are not natively available on Windows. However, you can still achieve this by using third-party tools like TransMac. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you create a bootable USB installer for macOS Catalina using a Windows PC.
What You'll Need:
A USB flash drive: At least 16 GB in size (all data on this drive will be erased).
A clean copy of macOS Catalina: You’ll need a DMG or ISO file of the macOS Catalina installer.
TransMac: A software tool (trial version available) that allows Windows machines to read and write Mac-formatted drives.Azraelen Create a macOS virtual machine. First, download and install a virtualization software like VirtualBox or VMware Workstation on your Windows PC. Obtain a macOS Catalina ISO file and create a new VM, configuring it with enough resources (at least 4GB RAM and 30GB storage). During the VM setup, select the macOS ISO file as the startup disk. Once the VM is created, start it and follow the installation steps to set up macOS Catalina on the virtual machine.
After macOS Catalina is running on the VM, connect your USB drive to the Windows PC and make sure it's recognized by the VM. Open the Terminal application in macOS and use the `diskutil` command to format the USB drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with a GUID Partition Map.
Next, download the macOS Catalina installer from the App Store. Once downloaded, use the `createinstallmedia` command in Terminal to create the bootable USB. The command will be something like:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/YourUSBDriveName.Th is free but complicated process to make Catalina bootable USB on Windows PC. I'd also happy to hear other easy solutions as well.
- Are you going to creat a macOS Catalina bootable USB installer on a Windows PC using a virtual machine (VM)? It can come with its own set of challenges. You've got to deal with downloading and installing virtualization software (like VirtualBox or VMware), then configuring settings for the VM. This might involve messing around with things like CPU cores, RAM, and storage, which can be a headache if you're not familiar with it.
- It is a very challenge task for creating a macOS Catalina bootable USB on a Windows PC, as the necessary tools and macOS file formats are typically tailored for macOS environments. While it is possible to use third-party software like DMG Editor, these methods can be complicated and may not yield the same reliability as using a Mac.
Borrowing a Mac is the best choice as it provides direct access to macOS’s Disk Utility and Terminal commands, ensuring a smooth and seamless process for creating the bootable USB drive, ultimately leading to better compatibility and fewer potential issues during installation. Azraelen One thing to note is that you can't create Catalina bootable USB on Apple M1 or M2 Mac. Apple Silicon is a totally different architecture and only modern macOS at latest Ventura can run on Apple Silicon chip. The Install macOS Install app is too old to run on M1/M2/M3 Mac. If you are going to borrow a Mac to create a Catalina boot USB, then get an intel Mac instead.
- Creating a macOS Catalina bootable USB installer on a Windows PC using the command line can be a risky method. When you're using Command Prompt to format your USB drive, there's less room for error. Messing up the format (like choosing the wrong file system) could render your USB drive useless for the task at hand. If you accidentally format the wrong drive, you could wipe out important data— and that's always a heart-sinking feeling!
