Learn how to put macOS Tahoe on a USB thumb drive so you can install macOS 26 on multiple Macs without downloading the huge software file each time.
Just like macOS Sequoia and previous macOS versions, you can create a bootable installer for the latest macOS Tahoe. To be clear:
- Most users don’t need to create a bootable installer for macOS, as one can upgrade to macOS Tahoe directly by going to System Settings > General > Software Update.
- Secondly, if you face issues on your Mac and need to reinstall macOS, you can do that pretty easily without losing personal data, as explained in our linked tutorial.
However, if the above methods fail or if you’ve more than one Mac and want to install macOS Tahoe on those machines, creating a bootable installer is ideal, as it eliminates the need to download the massive macOS Tahoe package file each time on individual devices.
What you need
- Internet on your Mac to download the macOS file for the first time.
- A USB flash drive of 32 GB or more. Consider using a faster USB 3.0 thumb drive, as it will save you a lot of time. Importantly, make sure nothing of value is saved on this drive, as it will be formatted and erased in the process.
Create a bootable USB installer for macOS Tahoe 26
1) Download the macOS Tahoe installer file (around 16 GB in size) by using one of the links below:
Note: There are other ways to download the macOS installer, like using the Terminal (softwareupdate --list-full-installers followed by softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 26.0) or the Apple App Store. As of writing, macOS Tahoe is available to download from Terminal, but not from the Mac App Store.
2) Once the installer is downloaded, double-click to open and install it. You don’t have to change the install location or do anything out of the ordinary. We’ve explained this process in our guide on installing macOS Tahoe on a different partition of the same Mac.
3) After the file is installed, go to your Mac’s Applications folder and make sure “Install macOS Tahoe.app” or “Install macOS Tahoe Beta.app” is there. If you choose a different install location in the previous step, move this file to the Applications folder.
4) Rename “Install macOS Tahoe.app” or “Install macOS Tahoe Beta.app” to just “Tahoe.app.” Note that renaming the file isn’t necessary to create a bootable installer; however, renaming simplifies the process, and you can use the Terminal command below without making any changes.
5) Connect a USB thumb drive to your Mac.
6) Open the Apple Disk Utility app, select your external thumb drive, and click Erase from the top. Then, do the following and hit Erase:
- Name: macOSTahoe
- Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
- Scheme (if you see it): GUID Partition Map
Again, you can assign any name to the drive, such as MyVolume, Tahoe, or SanDisk, and then edit the Terminal command accordingly. But to ensure you don’t have to change the Terminal command below, simply follow my instructions. Once the drive is erased, move to the next step.
7) Open Terminal on your Mac, type or paste the following command, and press the return or enter key.
sudo /Applications/Tahoe.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/macOSTahoe
8) Carefully type your Mac’s admin password and press the return key. Note that you won’t see anything in the Terminal window when you type the password.
9) Type “Y” and press the return key to permit the Terminal to erase the external disk and carry out the rest of the process.
Now, sit back and let Terminal create the bootable installer. It will erase the disk, copy essential files, and make the disk bootable.
Don’t quit Terminal or eject the external USB drive even if “Copying to disk” reaches 100%. Consider this process complete only after you see Install media now available at “/Volumes/Install macOS Tahoe.”
Your external USB drive is now a bootable installer for macOS Tahoe 26. Eject it safely, and you can now use it to install macOS Tahoe on one or more Macs.
Install macOS Tahoe 26 using a USB bootable installer
Before you begin, check if the Mac in question supports macOS Tahoe. All Macs with Apple silicon chips (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel Macs from 2019 or later are compatible. Also, make sure you have access to Wi-Fi, as your computer needs an Internet connection to reach Apple’s authentication servers (but don’t worry; it won’t download the huge macOS file again).
1) Shut down your Mac and wait for a minute.
2) Connect your USB flash drive to your Mac.
3) Press and hold the power button on your Apple silicon Mac until you see the “Loading startup options” on the screen. If you’ve a Mac with an Intel processor, press the Mac’s power button and immediately hold the Option key; you can learn more about it here.
4) Startup Manager will display icons of all bootable volumes detected on this computer. Select the one labeled “Install macOS Tahoe,” and click Continue. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to install macOS 26 on this computer.
What are your reasons for creating a bootable USB installer for macOS 26?
Also, check out: 15 new things to try in macOS Tahoe 26