In this step-by-step tutorial, I will walk you through three methods for downloading macOS installer files, which are used for installing macOS on a different partition and creating a bootable USB installer.
Installing macOS on a second volume/partition lets you have two or more macOS versions (such as Tahoe and Sequoia) on the same computer.
And creating a bootable USB installer allows you to have macOS on a thumb drive and install it on various computers without having to download the massive file each time.
For both of the above, you need the macOS installer file. Here are three ways to get it.
Before you begin
- Make sure you have at least 20 GB of free space on your Mac.
- You need a stable Internet connection to download the file.
- Officially, your Mac can only install the macOS version it initially came with and future supported versions. For instance, my M2 Mac mini came with macOS Ventura (year 2022) out of the box. So, I can download and install macOS Ventura (2022) up to macOS Tahoe (2025). I can’t install macOS Monterey (2021) or older on this machine.
Method 1. Using direct Apple links
The upside of this method is that you only need to click a link to download the macOS installer, followed by a simple installation process. The chances of failure are extremely low, unless you run into Internet issues.
1) Do a web search for direct download links for macOS installers. One of the sites I trust is Mr. Macintosh, which provides Apple links to download all beta and non-beta versions of macOS. Here are the links for a few recent versions of macOS (non-beta). Click one to start the download.
2) Once the full InstallAssistant.pkg file is downloaded, double-click to open it.
3) Go through the simple installation process. You don’t necessarily have to change the installation location or do anything out of the ordinary.
4) After the installation is successful, you’ll see a pop-up asking if you’d like to keep the PKG file or move it to the Trash. You can free up space by moving it to the Trash and emptying it. But I recommend emptying the Trash after following step 5 below.
5) Go to the Applications folder in Finder or Applications overlay in macOS Tahoe/Launchpad in earlier versions. You’ll find the macOS installer (Install macOS name) here, as seen in the screenshot below.
Method 2. Using Terminal
Terminal is one of the easiest official ways to download the macOS installer. You don’t have to get intimidated by it, and the entire process is straightforward. Here are all the steps.
1) Open the built-in Terminal app on your Mac.
2) Type the following command and hit the return/enter key.
softwareupdate --list-full-installers
Terminal will take a moment to find all available software that’s compatible with this particular Mac. It won’t show macOS versions that your Mac doesn’t support.
If you also want to see the latest beta software in Terminal, first go to System Settings > General > Software Update > info button ⓘ next to Beta Updates and choose developer or public beta. Then reopen Terminal and re-run the above command.
3) Once you’ve a list of all supported macOS versions, enter the command below, followed by the version number.
softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version number
For instance, I want to download macOS Tahoe version 26.1, so I will add 26.1 at the end of the above command. It will look like this:
softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 26.1
4) Terminal will start downloading the installer file. You can check the progress right there.
5) Once the process completes, Terminal will show “Install finished successfully.” You can close it now.
6) Go to the Applications folder in Finder, and you’ll see the macOS installer you just downloaded (Install macOS name).
Method 3. Using Apple App Store
All recent macOS versions, except for the latest macOS Tahoe 26, are available for download from the official Mac App Store. You can use it to download a supported version of the macOS installer on your computer.
1) Open the Mac App Store and search for the macOS version name, such as macOS Sequoia. Note that the App Store may not always show the relevant result. So, visit this App Store story page to find recent macOS installer download links. Or, use the direct links provided below to open the respective page in App Store:
- Download macOS Sequoia
- Download macOS Sonoma
- Download macOS Ventura
- Download macOS Monterey
- Download macOS Big Sur
- Download macOS Catalina
- Download macOS Mojave
- Download macOS High Sierra
- Download macOS Sierra
- Download OS X El Capitan
Some super old macOS versions are also/only available for download using direct links:
- Download macOS Sierra 10.12
- Download OS X El Capitan 10.11
- Download OS X Yosemite 10.10
- Download OS X Mountain Lion 10.8
- Download OS X Lion 10.7
2) Click the GET button in the Mac App Store, and it will open the Software Update screen in System Settings, showing a pop-up. Click Download here to start the process.
Don’t worry; this won’t overwrite your current macOS installation with the new one. Software Update in System Settings will just download the macOS Installer, leaving your current macOS untouched.
You can see I already have macOS Tahoe installed on my Mac mini, but I’m still downloading the two-year-old macOS Sonoma.
Note: The GET button will be grayed out or you’ll see an error if your Mac isn’t compatible with that particular macOS version you’re trying to download.
3) Once the download is complete, check the Finder Applications folder to make sure of it.
What to do next?
Once you’ve the macOS Installer (Install macOS name) in the Finder Applications folder, you can use it to get macOS on a second volume/partition or create a bootable USB installer:
- How to install macOS Tahoe 26 on a different partition of your Mac
- How to create a bootable USB installer for macOS Tahoe 26
What if the process fails?
The direct Apple link method: Try resuming the download, or click the link again to restart it.
Terminal method: If the process fails, you’ll see the “Install failed with error: An internal error occurred” message in Terminal. Running the above-mentioned command again and re-downloading the same macOS build should resume it from right where it failed. You can also retry after a few hours.
App Store method: Even after the full macOS file is downloaded, you may see an error pop-up in System Settings saying something like, “This installer cannot be used from the version of macOS you are running.” Ignore it and check your Finder Applications folder. You should see the macOS Installer there. If not, download using other methods.
Which is your go-to method to get macOS Installers?
Also, check out: 15 new things to try in macOS Tahoe 26