UPDATED 6/14: It doesn’t matter whether you’re a macOS Sierra or a Windows 10 user, it’s just a matter of time until your device refuses to start, which could happen for many reasons, including file corruption, hardware failure, and buggy update (just to name a few). If the unexpected happens with Apple computer, you can use a macOS bootable USB with the installation media to repair it.
This is one of the main reasons why you should always consider making a macOS bootable USB when your device is working properly. However, if it happens that none of your devices (MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Pro or Mac Mini) aren’t working when you need them the most, then you can use a PC to rescue your Apple device. You can use a Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7 device to quickly create a USB bootable installation media to reinstall macOS Sierra on your Mac.
The Windows USB/DVD Download tool allows you to create a copy of your Windows 7/8 ISO file on a USB flash drive or a DVD. To create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive, download the ISO file and then run the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool. Once this is done, you can install Windows 7 or Windows 8 directly from the USB flash drive or DVD. Use the the tool created by Microsoft: Windows 7 Usb/Dvd Tool. This tool can be downloaded from the official website and works for both creating USB drives and bootable SD cards, as well as DVD's. You need the Windows IMG file and then just follow the steps given by the program. I have a 64GB USB key that I am trying to use to create a bootable USB install disk. I have been sticking to using the 'Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool' to create the USB drive after having downloaded a third party application and getting a bunch of bloat ware and malware from the program (even though it was a highly rated CNET download).
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to create a macOS Sierra bootable USB installation on Windows 10, which you can use to reinstall or upgrade Apple’s OS.
Things to know before proceeding
Before you dive into this guide, you’ll need a few things, including:
- A broken Mac computer with Mac OS X or macOS Sierra (version 10.12 or later).
- A trial copy of the TransMac software.
- One high quality USB flash drive with 16GB of storage.
- A copy of Apple’s macOS (DMG file).
How to make a macOS bootable USB installation media
Use these steps to create a bootable USB drive with the latest version of macOS:
Download and install TransMac on your Windows PC. This is a paid software, but it gives you a 15-day trial, which is more than enough time. (If this works for you and want to support the developer, you can purchase the full version.)
Connect the USB flash drive you want to use to fix your Mac. If you have any data on the USB, remember to make a backup, as everything on it will be erased.
Right-click TransMac, and select Run as administrator.
If you’re using the trial version, wait 15 seconds, and click Run.
On the left, right-click the USB flash drive, select Format Disk for Mac. You want to do this before creating the bootable media because there is a good chance that the drive was formatted using a Windows device. If this is the case, chances are that it’s using a MBR partition, and the USB drive needs a GPT partition to work on a Mac.
On the warning message, click Yes to format the drive.
Enter a name for the drive, such as “macOS bootable USB” and click OK.
Click Yes to confirm.
If the formatting completed successfully, click OK to continue.
Right-click the USB flash drive, and select Restore with Disk Image.
On the warning message, click Yes to confirm the data on the USB drive will be erased.
Click the browse button on the right, locate the .dmg file with the macOS installation files.
Click Open.
Click OK.
Click Yes to create the macOS USB bootable media.
Once the process completes, you can now insert the USB flash drive on your Mac computer to install, reinstall, or upgrade the operating system to the latest version of macOS, which can be Sierra or later.
How to create a GPT partition on a USB flash drive
If the USB flash drive is not working using TransMac, it could be still a partition problem. In this case, you want to redo the entire process again, but this time use the following steps to use the Diskpart command-line utility on Windows to create the appropriate GPT partition.
Use these steps to create a GPT partition on a removable drive:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result and select the Run as an administrator option.
Type the
diskpartcommand and press Enter.Enter the
list diskcommand to view all drives connected to your computer and press Enter.Type the
select diskcommand followed the number assigned for the USB flash drive (e.g.,select disk 4), and press Enter.Enter the
cleancommand and press Enter.Type the
convert GPTcommand and press Enter.- Enter the
create partition primarycommand and press Enter to complete the process.
Windows 7 Pro Bootable Usb Download
Once you formatted the USB flash drive to a GPT partition, you can use the instructions mentioned above to use TransMac to create a bootable media, but this time skip the steps 5 through 9, and continue on step 10.
After the process completes, which can take up to an hour, connect the USB flash drive and power on your Mac holding down the Option key, select the USB drive to begin the installation of macOS.
If you’re having problems creating the bootable media, you can get a USB flash drive that comes with macOS Sierra on it with the link mentioned below. (I personally haven’t tried it, but it’s worth the try if nothing works.)