macUSB

Download. Flash. Boot. The all-in-one USB creator for Mac

macUSB is a guided macOS application designed to simplify the process of creating bootable USB media on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. It works with local installer images in formats such as .dmg, .iso, .cdr, and .app, and it also includes a built-in macOS downloader to fetch installers directly from Apple servers. The app embraces a broad scope, extending beyond traditional macOS USB creation to include Linux and Windows media preparation as well. The design goal is to remove the guesswork and potential misconfigurations that often accompany manual terminal workflows, providing a single, coherent, all-in-one workflow.

macUSB UI preview

☕ Support the Project

macUSB is and will always remain completely free. Every update and feature is available to everyone. If the project helps you, you can support ongoing development:

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📥 How to Download macUSB

Choose one installation method:

GitHub Releases: Download the latest release from the project repository. This is the quickest path for users who want a straightforward binary distribution.
Link: https://github.com/Kruszoneq/macUSB/releases/latest
Homebrew: Install via Homebrew for a seamless macOS experience. Run:
brew install --cask macusb
Project website: Get the latest information, updates, and download options from the official site.
Link: https://kruszoneq.github.io/macUSB/

🔍 Why macUSB Exists

As Apple Silicon became the default on new Macs, building bootable USB installers for macOS Catalina and older versions surfaced persistent support challenges. Among the common pain points reported across forums and guides:

Codesign and certificate validation failures on legacy installer paths
Version-dependent compatibility constraints and tooling differences on newer hosts
Manual terminal workflows that are easy to misconfigure and hard to verify

macUSB was born from practical research and validated solutions devised during iterative troubleshooting of these legacy installer scenarios. With community feedback—especially discussions on Reddit—the project evolved beyond simple macOS USB creation. Today, macUSB includes a built-in macOS downloader and extends support to Linux and Windows media, delivering a more complete all-in-one tool for bootable USB workflows on Mac.

✅ Key Features

Built-in Downloader: Discover and download macOS installers directly from Apple servers.
Local source support: Create bootable USB media from local .dmg, .iso, .cdr, and .app files.
Checksum insight: Calculate SHA-256 checksums for recognized .iso, .cdr, and .dmg source images.
One guided flow: A single, coherent flow from source selection or download to finished bootable media.
Apple Silicon legacy support: Automatic compatibility handling for older macOS installers during USB creation.
Automatic media prep: Partition and format checks with necessary conversions when required. [^1]
Linux and Windows support: Create bootable USB media from supported Linux and Windows .iso images, with optional Windows setup automation. [^1]

[^1]: When creating macOS bootable media, APFS-formatted targets are not converted automatically. If the selected drive uses APFS, macUSB requires manual reformatting in Disk Utility before continuing.

⚡ Quick Start

1) Install macUSB using one of the methods listed in “How to Download macUSB.”
2) Open macUSB and either:

choose a local source image or installer (.dmg, .iso, .cdr, or .app), or
use the built-in Downloader to fetch a macOS installer from Apple. 3) Select the target USB drive and review the operation details.
4) Start the process and monitor bootable media creation stage by stage.
All data on the selected USB drive will be erased. 5) Use the final result screen for next steps.

Two mandatory permissions are required for reliable bootable media creation:

enable Allow in the Background for macUSB
enable Full Disk Access for macUSB

Images illustrating these permissions:

Allow in the Background:
Full Disk Access:

Additional notes on permissions:

General → Login Items & Extensions
Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access

🧭 Workflow Details

macOS Installer workflow, Linux image workflow, and Windows installer workflow are designed to be as intuitive as possible, with clear guidance at every step. The app visually guides you through review screens before you begin writing to the USB drive, ensuring you know exactly what will be created and which target is being used.

macOS Installer workflow:
Preview the selected macOS version, confirm the target USB drive, and review each step of the creation process before starting.
Image: macOS installer workflow details
Linux Image workflow:
Linux-specific guidance, including handling the unreadable-disk prompt that macOS may present during creation.
Image: Linux workflow details
Windows Installer workflow:
Windows-specific options, including setup configuration for selected Windows restrictions and first-run choices.
Image: Windows setup configuration options

🌐 Downloader Workflow

The built-in macOS installer downloader provides a smooth, three-step experience:

1) Installer List: Browse macOS installers available from Apple servers.

Image: Downloader installer list

2) Download Progress: Real-time tracking of download and preparation progress.

Image: Downloader progress view

3) Download Summary: Final status and preparation details for use in the creation flow.

Image: Downloader summary view

⚙️ Requirements

Host Computer
Architecture: Apple Silicon or Intel
System: macOS 14.6 Sonoma or newer
Free disk space:
- Downloader stage: up to 45 GB (depends on the chosen macOS version)
- USB creation stage: up to 20 GB (depends on source and system version)
USB Media
For macOS installers: at least 16 GB; 32 GB minimum for Sequoia and newer
For Windows/Linux images: 8 GB or more (depends on the size of the ISO)
Performance: USB 3.0+ recommended
Note: External HDD/SSD support is disabled by default on every app launch to improve safety and reduce the risk of accidental target selection. You can enable it in Options → Enable external drives support.
Source Inputs
macUSB can work with local sources or the built-in macOS Downloader
For macOS: .dmg, .cdr, .iso, and .app
For Windows/Linux: .iso

💿 Supported macOS Installers

macUSB recognizes and supports a wide range of macOS installers for USB creation. The system/versions below indicate broad compatibility, with exact behavior adapting to the installer and target drive:

macOS Tahoe (macOS 26): Supported
macOS Sequoia (macOS 15): Supported
macOS Sonoma (macOS 14): Supported
macOS Ventura (macOS 13): Supported
macOS Monterey (macOS 12): Supported
macOS Big Sur (macOS 11): Supported
macOS Catalina (macOS 10.15): Supported
macOS Mojave (macOS 10.14): Supported
macOS High Sierra (macOS 10.13): Supported
macOS Sierra (10.12): Supported (Only 10.12.6 is supported)
OS X El Capitan (10.11): Supported
OS X Yosemite (10.10): Supported
OS X Mavericks (10.9): Supported
OS X Mountain Lion (10.8): Supported
OS X Lion (10.7): Supported
Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6): Supported
Mac OS X Leopard (10.5): Supported
Mac OS X Tiger (10.4): Supported (Single-DVD images auto-detected; Multi-DVD may require manual detection)

Notes:

10.12.6 is the only 10.12.x variant supported.
Mavericks/Tiger notes: Mavericks Forever source and manual detection for Tiger 10.4 (Multi-DVD) paths may be required for full reliability.

🪟 Windows Support

macUSB recognizes Windows ISO images beginning with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Bootable Windows USB creation is currently supported for Windows 8 and newer, and Windows Server 2012 and newer. Prepared media is UEFI-only. When a Windows image is recognized, macUSB detects the edition automatically. 64-bit builds retain the standard detected name, while 32-bit and ARM builds are labeled accordingly (for example, Windows 10 (32-bit) or Windows 11 (ARM)).

For Windows 10 and Windows 11 sources, macUSB can prepare optional setup automation with autounattend.xml to configure chosen OOBE options, skip Microsoft Account requirements, and bypass Windows 11 hardware requirement checks as Windows Setup starts.

During Windows USB creation, macUSB formats the target as MBR with FAT32. Because FAT32 has a 4 GB per-file limit, some modern Windows ISOs may require extra preparation. If install.wim exceeds the 4 GB limit, macUSB automatically splits it into smaller .swm parts using Wimlib. Wimlib is required only when splitting is necessary and is not bundled with macUSB; it must be installed separately by the user if required.

Important note: Booting and installation were tested on a Dell OptiPlex 5040 with UEFI and Secure Boot enabled.

🐧 Linux Support

macUSB also supports creating bootable USB media from Linux ISO images. When a Linux image is recognized, the distribution, version, and architecture are automatically detected. ARM builds appear in the detected name, for example, Linux - Ubuntu 26.04 (ARM). If a valid Linux image is not automatically recognized, you can force Linux mode manually via Options → Skip file analysis → Linux.

Linux-based IMG images can be written using the Raw Image path: Tools → Write Raw Linux Image (.img). Linux support has been tested with 19 distributions using the latest releases as of April 30, 2026, with boot behavior verified on real hardware. Distributions tested include Ubuntu, Kali Linux, NixOS, Garuda Linux, openSUSE Leap, Gentoo, Rocky Linux, Linux Mint, Fedora Workstation, Manjaro, Zorin OS, CachyOS, AlmaLinux, Debian, Arch Linux, MX Linux, Pop!_OS, EndeavourOS, and elementary OS. Boot verification was performed on a MacBook Air (2017), a Dell OptiPlex 5040 with UEFI, and an Asus F52Q with Legacy BIOS.

🧩 PowerPC Notes

For those reviving PowerPC Macs, macUSB’s project website includes a dedicated Open Firmware guide based on real boot testing of PowerPC USB workflows. The guide covers:

Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard boot scenarios
Single-DVD and Multi-DVD path testing for Tiger
Open Firmware boot commands validated on real hardware, including an iMac G5

If you’re working with a PowerPC Mac, consult the step-by-step guide for setup and boot instructions. PowerPC USB boot behavior can vary by model; for example, on an iMac G5 boot was confirmed, while an iBook G4 (2003) could detect the USB device but did not boot from it in all cases.

🌍 Available Languages

macUSB’s interface follows the system language automatically. Supported languages include:

Polish (PL)
English (EN)
German (DE)
Japanese (JA)
French (FR)
Spanish (ES)
Portuguese (PT-BR)
Simplified Chinese (ZH-Hans)
Russian (RU)
Italian (IT)
Ukrainian (UK)
Vietnamese (VI)
Turkish (TR)

🛠️ Diagnostics & Support

If you need help with macUSB or want to report a problem, use GitHub Issues. Before opening an issue, consider the following steps:

Check whether the problem has already been reported
Choose the issue template that best matches your case
Attach diagnostic logs exported from Help → Export diagnostic logs…
Attach screenshots showing the issue

Access the issues page here: https://github.com/Kruszoneq/macUSB/issues

⚖️ License

Images referenced in this post (for visual context):

macUSB icon: docs/readme-assets/images/macUSBicon.png
macUSB UI preview: docs/readme-assets/images/macusb-readme-hero.gif
macOS installer workflow details: docs/readme-assets/app-screens/workflow-macos-details.png
Linux workflow details: docs/readme-assets/app-screens/workflow-linux-details.png
Windows setup details: docs/readme-assets/app-screens/workflow-windows-details.png
Downloader list: docs/readme-assets/app-screens/downloader-list.png
Downloader progress: docs/readme-assets/app-screens/downloader-process.png
Downloader summary: docs/readme-assets/app-screens/downloader-summary.png
Allow in the Background permission image: docs/readme-assets/permissions/allow-in-the-background.png
Full Disk Access permission image: docs/readme-assets/permissions/full-disk-access.png

This comprehensive guide captures the essence of macUSB: a versatile, free, and evolving tool designed to streamline bootable USB creation across macOS, Linux, and Windows, while adapting to Apple Silicon and legacy setups. Whether you’re refreshing a macOS installer on a new Mac, preparing Linux distributions for testing, or crafting Windows media for deployment, macUSB aims to be the go-to companion for macOS users venturing into bootable-media workflows.

macUSB - The All-in-One USB Creator for Mac