When performing a clean installation of macOS Sequoia, the first step is to have a USB installer. A USB installer allows us to install the new version of Apple's operating system on multiple computers without having to download it each time. Let's see how to create this useful tool.
USB, System Download, Formatting, Creation, and… Done!
Before starting, we need a flash drive with at least 16 GB of capacity. A 32 GB drive will give us ample space. It is crucial that the drive is empty, as the process will erase all its contents.
The next step is to download the operating system installer. We do this directly from the Mac Terminal app. Search for "Terminal" in Spotlight, open the app, and enter the following command to list the available installers:
softwareupdate --list-full-installersIdentify the latest macOS Sequoia installer and proceed to download it with the following command:
softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.0Once the installer is in our Applications folder, we will prepare the USB drive. Search for "Disk Utility" in Spotlight and open the app. After selecting the USB drive from the sidebar, click Erase and choose the APFS format. Confirm to start the erasure process.
The final step is to create the installer itself. Open Finder, go to the Applications folder, and locate the installer you downloaded. Right-click, choose Show Package Contents, go into Contents, then Resources, and find the createinstallmedia file.
In Terminal, type sudo and drag the createinstallmedia file into Terminal. Add --volume and then drag the USB drive from the desktop to complete the command. It should look something like this:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ 15\ beta.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/YOUR_USB_NAMERun the command, enter your password when prompted, confirm, and the process will begin. Once finished, you will have a USB drive ready to install macOS Sequoia wherever needed.
Booting a Mac from this installer allows for a clean installation—always remembering which Macs are compatible with macOS Sequoia. Additionally, it is good to have a tool that can restore the system after a failure. A macOS Sequoia installer, easy to create, lets us enjoy Apple's new operating system in just a few minutes.
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