How to Create a macOS Bootable USB on Windows 11

Computers, including macOS systems, can sometimes experience problems that prevent them from starting up properly. In such cases, having a bootable USB for macOS can be invaluable. Even if your macOS computer is unresponsive, it is possible to create a bootable USB using a Windows 11 computer. To make the process as beginner-friendly as possible, we’ve outlined the necessary components and steps below.

To create a bootable USB for your Mac using Windows 11, you’ll need:

• 16gb usb drive
• Mac OS .dmg file

If you don’t already have the .DMG file, you can download older versions directly from the Apple website, which can be updated after installation. Alternatively, you can obtain newer versions from third-party websites. Please be cautious, however, as third-party sources may contain malware, viruses, or may even be illegal. We strongly recommend using official channels whenever possible.

For your convenience, we will guide you through the official method to create a bootable macOS USB in a clear and informative way to download the macOS .DMG file and write to the USB drive.

Downloading macOS DMG File

To obtain the macOS DMG file, visit support.apple.com using your favorite browser. Then, scroll down on the page and right-click on any of the options available for macOS and click the ‘Save As’ option. Then, choose your preferred download location.

Preparing a USB Drive for macOS

After downloading the macOS DMG file, you need to create the USB disk first and then download a third-party tool that can create a bootable USB for macOS on your Windows 11 computer.

Insert the USB disk if you haven’t already. Once the system has detected it, go to the Start menu and type Terminal to search. Then, right-click on the ‘Terminal’ tile and select the option ‘Run as administrator’.

After that, click on the chevron icon (downward facing arrow) and click on the ‘Command Prompt’ option.

At the command prompt screen, type diskpart command and hit Enter on your keyboard.

Then, type or copy+paste list disk order to continue. This will display all storage partitions.

Next, use the command select disk <number>, Here, replace the placeholder with the number corresponding to the connected USB drive that you want to create as a bootable USB. For example, we’ll use Disk 1,

Once the disk is selected, type clean and hit Enter To execute the command and clean up the disk.

Next, type convert GPT and hit Enter To convert the disk to GPT format.

type at the end create partition primary and press Enter to execute the order.

Now that you have converted the USB drive from MBR (Master Boot Record) to GPT (GUID Partition Table) system, you can proceed to write the DMG file to the USB drive.

Load the TransMac software and .DMG file onto the USB drive.

Creating a Bootable macOS USB

To write a macOS DMG file to a USB drive, we’ll be using the free trial version of the TransMac application for Windows.

To download TransMac, go to acutesystems.com/scrtm.htm and click on the ‘tmsetup.zip’ link to download the application to your PC.

Next, go to your computer’s default ‘Downloads’ directory and double-click on tmsetup.zip file to open it.

Then, double-click on setup.exe file to run the installer.

On the installer window, click on the ‘Next’ button to proceed.

Then, click on the option ‘I accept the agreement’ and then click on ‘Next’.

Click ‘Next’ on the Choose destination option screen. If you need to change the default installation directory, click on the ‘Browse’ button, choose a location and press the ‘Next’ button.

On the Choose Additional Tasks screen, click on the ‘Next’ button to proceed.

Finally, click on the ‘Install’ button to start the installation for TransMac.

After the installation is complete, click on the ‘Finish’ button to exit the installer.

Now launch TransMac by double-clicking on the ‘TransMac’ app icon on your desktop.

On the TransMac trial screen, click the ‘Run’ button to continue with the 15-day trial run.

Now, even if you have already prepared USB with GPT partition, it is better to repeat the step using TransMac’s built-in utility to format and create MacOS compatible USB drive once again.

Right-click on the USB drive in the left pane and click on the option ‘Format Disk for Mac’.

After that, click on the ‘Yes’ button to confirm.

When asked to name the disk, provide a suitable name for the drive and click on the ‘OK’ button. We are naming it “macOS_Bootable”.

On the last warning screen, click on the ‘Yes’ button to continue.

Once the disc is formatted, again right-click on the USB drive from the left pane and click on ‘Restore with disc image’ option.

You will get another warning screen dialog, click ‘Yes’ to continue.

Finally, on the ‘Restore Disk Image to Drive’ dialog box, click the ‘Ellipsis’ button below the ‘Disk Image to Restore’ prompt and choose the macOS DMG file you downloaded to your computer earlier. Then, click on the ‘Yes’ button to initiate the process.

Sit back, relax and wait for TransMac to restore the macOS DMG file to your USB drive.

Booting Your Mac From a Newly Created macOS Bootable USB

Once TransMac has successfully restored/written the disc image to the USB drive. Safely plug-out the USB drive from your Windows 11 PC.

Shut down your Mac (if it isn’t already), insert the bootable macOS USB drive into your Mac’s USB port, and power it on. Make sure you hold down the ‘Option’ key while switching on your Mac.

Your Mac will take you to the Startup Disk Manager screen. You should be able to see the macOS bootable disk there and then you can select it to install macOS from the bootable USB.

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conclusion

Creating a bootable USB for macOS using a Windows 11 computer is an important tool for troubleshooting and fixing startup issues on Mac computers. By following the detailed steps above, you can safely download the macOS DMG file and use TransMac to create a macOS bootable USB drive.

With a macOS bootable USB in hand, you can easily restore your Mac to a working state, even if it’s unresponsive. Remember to always use official channels to obtain macOS DMG file to ensure the safety and legitimacy of your operations.