How to make a bootable USB flash drive with OS X El Capitan

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Apple allows you to upgrade to the new OS X El Capitan directly from your installed OS X Yosemite, but it is recommended that you do a clean install at least once every couple of years. To do this, you need a bootable USB stick, which is very easy to create by following our instructions.

There are several ways to create bootable discs, here are two of the most popular. We will need:

• Mac;
• a flash drive with a volume of 8 GB or more (USB 2.0 is also suitable);
• DiskMaker X utility;
• OS X El Capitan installer (download from the Mac App Store from the Updates section).

Method one

This option is for those who do not like to tinker with the "Terminal": it is clearer, but it will require more manipulation from you. So let's get started.

1. Connect the USB stick and launch DiskMaker X.

   

2. The utility will offer to select the OS, the boot disk for which we want to make. Select Yosemite (10.10).

   

   

3. Next, click Select an Install file and specify the OS X El Capitan installer from the Programs folder.

   

   

4. Then we confirm that we want to use a USB drive and select our flash drive.

   

5. We confirm the formatting, agreeing to delete all data on it.

   

6. Click Continue and enter the administrator password.

   

7. The copying process will start, and we just have to wait for it to complete.

   

8. Ready!

Method two

And this option is for those who do not shy away from the command line. As befits in such cases, we will manage with just one command and a couple of preparatory steps.

1. We connect our USB flash drive, open Finder and rename it to Untitled.

   

2. Go to the "Programs" folder and rename our installer to modest install.

   

3. Launch "Terminal" (folder "Programs" → "Utilities" or via Spotlight) and paste the following command there:

   sudo /Applications/install.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia -volume / Volumes / Untitled -applicationpath /Applications/install.app -nointeraction

4. We confirm the action by entering the administrator password.

   

5. Now we just wait while all the installation files are copied.

   

6. Ready!

That's it, you can safely start installing the new OS X El Capitan. Just remember to make a backup first so you can transfer all your data or keep it in case something goes wrong.