Forum Discussion
How do you burn Windows 11 ISO to USB on Mac?
I recently ran into a problem where my Windows PC was damaged, and now I'm left with only my Mac to work on. I need to create a bootable USB drive with Windows 11 using my Mac, as I have the ISO file but I'm unsure of the correct tools and procedures to burn ISO to USB on Mac. Given that Macs handle file systems differently, I'm looking for advice on how to properly format the USB and burn ISO file to USB on Mac effectively. If anyone has experience with this or knows any reliable methods, could you please share your insights?
In the past, you can burn ISO to USB with the Bootcamp app. However, it is no longer available on Apple Silicon and modern macOS version such as Monterey, Ventura or Sonoma. Fortunately, there is a couple of nice apps out there for doing this on Mac.
Here is a step-by-step tutorial with screenshots that shows you how to burn Windows 11 ISO to USB on any Mac:
https://www.smartpcguide.com/create-windows-bootable-usb-on-mac
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In the past, you can burn ISO to USB with the Bootcamp app. However, it is no longer available on Apple Silicon and modern macOS version such as Monterey, Ventura or Sonoma. Fortunately, there is a couple of nice apps out there for doing this on Mac.
Here is a step-by-step tutorial with screenshots that shows you how to burn Windows 11 ISO to USB on any Mac:
https://www.smartpcguide.com/create-windows-bootable-usb-on-mac
- I just tried championincharge 's recommendation by watching that YT video and it worked like a charm!
- Macs and PCs have different file systems, which can lead to compatibility issues. You might encounter problems with certain applications or drivers not functioning properly or at all. So no matter which software you use to burn Windows ISO to USB on your Mac, you need to know what kind of challenges you're going to face.
I totally get your frustration – setting up a bootable USB for Windows 11 on a Mac can be a bit tricky, but it's definitely doable. Here’s a simple way to get it done using the dd command on your Mac. It’s a bit of a nerdy method, but it works like a charm. Here’s what you need to do:
Get Your USB Ready:
- Plug in your USB drive. Make sure it’s at least 8GB.
- Open Disk Utility (you can find it in Applications > Utilities).
- Select your USB drive and click on “Erase.”
- Format it as “MS-DOS (FAT)” and choose “Master Boot Record” for the scheme. Give it a name like “WINUSB” or whatever you prefer.
- Click “Erase” and wait for it to finish.
Find Your USB’s Device Identifier:
- Open Terminal (also in Applications > Utilities).
- Type diskutil list and press Enter.
- Look for your USB drive in the list and note its identifier (something like /dev/disk2).
Unmount the USB:
- In Terminal, type diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk2 (replace /dev/disk2 with your USB’s identifier).
- Burn the ISO to the USB on Mac:
Now for the fun part. In Terminal, type the following command:
sudo dd if=/path/to/windows11.iso of=/dev/disk2 bs=1m- Replace /path/to/windows11.iso with the actual path to your Windows 11 ISO file, and /dev/disk2 with your USB’s identifier.
- Press Enter and wait. This can take a while, so be patient. You won’t see any output until it’s done.
- Eject the USB: Once the process is complete, type diskutil eject /dev/disk2 (again, replace /dev/disk2 with your identifier) and press Enter.
Boom! Your USB drive should now be a bootable Windows 11 installer. Just plug it into your PC and boot from the USB to start the installation process.
Thanks for instructions!
Note: if you don't see “Master Boot Record” scheme dropdown then in View menu select "Show all devices" (or just press Cmd + 2). Now there should be your UDB Drive with one or more children items. Use the top level item for Erase.
thanks you so much!
If dd responds "Resource Busy", go back to DiskUtility.app, select the thumb drive and click the Unmount button. Then try the command line again.
Thanks! I was so confused why it wasn't working!
Have you tried Boot Camp Assistant? It is a utility included with macOS that allows you to install and run Windows on your Mac. It provides an easy way to burn ISO to USB on Mac for Windows installations, making it particularly useful for users who need to install Windows on a PC.
Step 1. Plug in an 8GB+ USB drive.
Step 2. Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities), select the USB, click Erase, choose MS-DOS (FAT) and Master Boot Record, then Erase.
Step 3. Open Boot Camp Assistant:
- Go to Applications > Utilities > Boot Camp Assistant.
- Check "Create a Windows 7 or later install disk".
- Select your Windows 11 ISO and the USB drive, then click Continue.
- Let Boot Camp Assistant do its thing. It'll create the bootable USB.
Boot Camp Assistant quickly quits on an Apple Silicon Mac. It won't work.
