How to create a MacOS Golden Gate USB installation drive (Video)

In this hands-on guide, I’ll show you how to convert a USB drive macOS Golden Gate USB Installer. Having access to the macOS Golden Gate USB installer is useful for upgrading macOS Tahoe or earlier versions of macOS on multiple Macs, among other use cases. Watch my full hands-on video tutorial and be sure Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Mac guides and tutorials.

Before starting, remember to have a USB installer no Requirement to install macOS Golden Gate. You can use macOS Software Update to download and install it once it’s released and even in beta. As mentioned at the beginning, one of the main advantages of creating a macOS Golden Gate USB installation drive is that it allows users to install macOS on multiple Macs and/or speeds up the process on a Mac with a slower internet connection.

Selecting a USB drive

You will need a free USB drive with at least 16GB of storage space to follow this guide. Almost any drive will work, including an SSD, but I use a portable SanDisk flash drive with both USB-C and USB-A connections for added convenience. You can do it purchase the same USB flash driveWith 128 GB of memory, at a very reasonable price.

macOS Golden Gate USB installation video tutorial

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Download the macOS Golden Gate installer

You can download the macOS Golden Gate installer in several ways, but I prefer to use Terminal. software update command. To do this, open a new Terminal window and do the following:

Step 1: Step 10: Copy and paste the following command in Terminal:

softwareupdate --list-full-installers

Note: If the macOS Golden Gate version you want to download is beta, you need to enable Beta Updates. Parameters → General → Software updates before running the Terminal command above.

Step 2: Copy and paste the following command in the terminal. Be sure to replace the version number with the desired version found through Step 1. After placing the command, press Return on your Mac’s keyboard. The macOS Golden Gate download will begin and save the installer to your Mac’s Applications folder as follows Install macOS Golden Gate. It will say “Install macOS Golden Gate Beta” for the beta version.

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 27.0

Create the MacOS Golden Gate USB installer

Step 3: go to Finder → Applicationsand right-click on it Install macOS Golden Gate beta → Display the contents of the package. Then open Content → Resources.

Step 4: Type in the terminal window sudo space followed.

Step 5: Drag and drop create installation media from Resources select the directory directly in the Terminal window, and then type --volume space followed.

Step 6: Plug your USB Drive into your Mac and open it in Finder. Make sure you don’t need anything on it. If there is existing data on the disk you need, back it up first, as the following steps will completely erase its contents.

Note: APFS formatted disks cannot be used to create USB installers. If your USB Drive is APFS formatted, open it Applications → Utilities → Disk Utilityselect the driver and click on it Delete. Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for Format, then click Delete.

Step 7: Open Finder → Go → Go to the folder… then type / Volumes and press “return” on your keyboard to explore all connected volumes.

Step 8: Identify the USB drive you connected in step 6. Double check that you have selected the correct USB drive; otherwise, you risk erasing the contents of the wrong drive. Once identified, drag and drop the USB drive volume onto the Terminal window.

Step 9: press Come back on your Mac keyboard to process a Terminal command. When prompted, enter your administrator password, then press Return on your Mac keyboard again. When prompted, type “y” and press Come back on your Mac keyboard again.

Note: If you have not already granted security permission, Terminal may request access to files on a removable volume (USB drive). If so, click OK Allow the driver access to the Terminal.

Step 10: The installation process will begin by cleaning the contents of the connected USB drive. After that, it will copy the necessary installation files to it. This process takes a few minutes to complete, so please be patient.

After the installation process is complete, you can remove the disc and keep it handy for when you need it.

Adoption of 9to5Mac

Creating a macOS Golden Gate USB installer drive can save you a lot of time if you ever plan to install macOS Golden Gate on multiple Macs. It’s also useful when dealing with slower internet connections, so you won’t have to reload the installer during a fresh install.

This tutorial works for macOS Golden Gate latest version and macOS Golden Gate beta version. If you plan to install the beta version of Golden Gate, I would recommend installing it to a separate APFS volume and keeping your macOS Tahoe installation. By doing this, you can evaluate the macOS Golden Gate beta without fully committing to a potentially unstable beta release on your primary Mac installation volume.

What are your thoughts on macOS Golden Gate beta? Are you planning to install the beta version or are you waiting for the final release this year? Vote in the comments with your thoughts.