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Create a Bootable USB for macOS Ventura

I find it useful to have a bootable USB lying around, in case I need to do a clean install, or recover from catastrophic failures.

Creating a bootable USB

Creating a bootable USB is relatively straightforward:

  1. Download macOS Ventura from the App Store.
  2. Connect a 16GB or larger USB drive.
  3. Run the following command from a terminal (replacing /Volumes/Untitled with the path to your USB drive):
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --nointeraction

Booting from the USB

Booting from the USB you just created requires slightly different steps depending on the architecture of your device. If you’re on Apple silicon, do the following:

  1. Connect the USB drive.
  2. Turn off the device.
  3. Press and hold the power button until you see the startup options screen.

If you’re on a device with an Intel processor, do this instead:

  1. Connect the USB drive.
  2. Turn off or restart the device.
  3. Press and hold ⌥ Option or Alt until you see the startup manager.

Here’s an official article on startup key combinations, in case you want to know more.

See also