How to Create macOS High Sierra Bootable USB for Reinstall

[Wyattk]

I was gifted a MacBook Pro 2013, which is a pretty old device now. Unfortunately, the internal hard drive is formatted and no OS on it. I am going to use it as a backup device and need to install a new OS on it.

Currently, only Windows 11 laptop is available at hand. Is there any way to create a macOS High Sierra bootable USB on Windows 11 so I can reinstall macOS on this old MacBook Pro?

Thanks

[#2]

@WyattkYou can use the diskpart command to create High Sierra bootable USB on a Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC. However, you should download a copy of macOS High Sierra dmg file first.

After that, Insert the USB flash drive into your Windows 11 computer and open Command Prompt as Administrator.  In the Command Prompt window, type diskpart and press Enter. This will open the Diskpart utility.

Type list disk and press Enter to display a list of all disks connected to your computer. Identify the disk number of your USB flash drive. Now, enter format fs=exfat quick and press Enter to format the partition with the exFAT file system.

Now, close the command prompt and unzip the high sierra dmg file with WinZip or 7-Zip. Finally, copy all files and folders to target USB drive. This is a simple process to make a high sierra bootable installer on Windows 11.

[#3]

@Wyattk  If you don't  like the command line appoach, then there is a simple and direct way to create a High Sierra bootable USB on a PC. You just need to download High Sierra bootable dmg and burn the dmg file to USB drive. That is all of it. This is the easiest way to make a bootable macOS USB on any PC or Mac without restrictions.

P.S. I am following this useful guide and managed to create three bootable USB for macOS High Sierra, Catalina and El Capitan (less than 10 mins).

[#4]

When you format your USB drive using the diskpart command if you want to create a macOS High Sierra bootable USB on Windows 11, you'll wipe out any existing files and data on the drive. Make sure you don't have any important files on that drive, or you'll lose them forever! It's like erasing your phone without backing up – not a great idea.

Using the exFAT file system on your bootable USB drive might limit its compatibility with certain devices or computers. If you plan to use this USB drive on older machines or ones that don't support exFAT, you might encounter issues.

[#5]

Creating a macOS High Sierra bootable USB on a PC is essential for installing or reinstalling macOS on compatible Apple devices. One efficient way to accomplish this is by using DMG Editor, a user-friendly tool designed for creating bootable USB drives from DMG files on Windows. This guide will walk you through the necessary steps to create a macOS High Sierra bootable USB on a Windows PC.

Step 1: Insert a USB flash drive with at least 16GB of storage into your PC. Backup any important data on the USB drive, as it will be erased during the process.

Step 2: Download macOS High Sierra dmg file from a reputable website.

Step 3: Import the dmg file into DMG Editor software and select the USB drive.  Click on the "Burn" button to begin creating the bootable USB drive. The process will take some time, depending on the speed of your USB drive and computer.

Step 4: Insert the USB drive into the Mac where you want to install macOS High Sierra. Power on the Mac and immediately press and hold the Option (⌥) key. Select the USB drive from the list of bootable drives and press Enter to start installing macOS High Sierra on your Mac from USB drive.

[#6]

That is a major headache, If you're thinking of using a VM to create a High Sierra bootable USB on pc. Setting up a VM can be a daunting task, especially if you're new to virtualization. It can be frustrating and time-consuming. You'll need a macOS installation image and potentially a valid Apple developer account, which can add more complexity to the process.

[#7]

Trying to create a macOS High Sierra bootable USB on Windows 11 can be a bit of a wild ride. The first danger zone is downloading the macOS installation files. You'll need to find a legitimate source, like the Mac App Store or an Apple developer account. Don't even think about using shady sites or torrents - you'll end up with malware or corrupted files.

Once you've got your files, you'll need to use some software to create the bootable USB drive. There are a few options out there, like TransMac or Etcher, but be careful which one you choose. Some of these tools can be finicky, and you don't want to end up bricking your USB drive.

[#8]

@Wyattk  Stay away from TransMac! Wasted 59 USD and the USB is not recognized by my Mac. I tried this app because it was recommended by another member in this community. So I bought a license without hesitation.

After failure, I researched on the Internet and heard a lot of users report issues with USB compatibility and bootability, which can be critical when trying to set up a new macOS installation. Additionally, the process can sometimes be slower compared to other tools due to its file transfer protocol. You'd better go with other tools in order to make a High Sierra bootable on Windows PC. I learned my lesson. Please avoid it for everyone who read this reply in future!

[#9]

@WyattkYou can use the free virtualbx app to make a macOS virtual machine on Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC. After that, boot into VM and use the official createinstallmedia command to create High Sierra bootable USB on PC.

To create a macOS virtual machine on a PC with VirtualBox, first, download and install VirtualBox along with the Extension Pack. Download a macOS ISO image, and open VirtualBox to create a new virtual machine, selecting "Mac OS X" as the type and the corresponding version. Allocate at least 4GB of RAM and 30GB of disk space, configure the virtual machine settings to use 2 CPUs, enable "EFI" under "System," and attach the macOS ISO to the virtual CD drive. Apply necessary EFI firmware settings using command line instructions specific to macOS. Start the virtual machine, and follow the installation prompts to install macOS on the virtual hard disk.

After that, copy and paste this command to make bootable USB from Install macOS High Sierra app:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

[#10]

@Wyattk  As a Mac repair specialist, I frequently create a bootable installer for various macOS versions. Recently, I upgraded to an M1 MacBook Air and discovered that the "createinstallmedia" command line app no longer works for me, returning an error message stating "Killed: 9".

This limitation highlights an important consideration: you must create your installer disks on machines compatible with the operating system being installed. This issue affects not only M1 Macs like mine but also Intel-based Macs, albeit to a lesser extent. The createinstallmedia command is more widely compatible on Intel machines, but even then, it's essential to ensure that the machine is capable of running the target operating system.

In short, you can't use the official createinstallmedia command to create High Sierra bootable USB on M1 Mac. You have to download the High Sierra disk image file (.dmg) and burn it to a USB drive. This will make it as a bootable device. You can do this on any Windows PC or Mac, including the M1, M2 and M3.