How to Create a macOS Golden Gate USB Installation Drive (Video)

In this how-to guide, I’ll show you how to transform a USB drive into a macOS Golden Gate USB Installer. Having access to a macOS Golden Gate USB installer is useful for upgrading from macOS Tahoe or previous versions of macOS on multiple Macs, among other use cases. Take a look at my full hands-on video tutorial and make sure subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Mac guides and tutorials.

Before you begin, remember that a USB installer is included. No a requirement to install macOS Golden Gate. Upon release, and even in beta, you can use macOS Software Update to download and install it. As noted at the beginning, one of the main benefits 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.

Select a USB drive

You will need a blank USB drive with at least 16 GB of storage to follow this tutorial. Almost any drive, including an SSD, will work, but I’m using a portable SanDisk flash drive with USB-C and USB-A connections for added flexibility. Can buy the same USB flash drivewith 128 GB of storage, for a very reasonable price.

macOS Golden Gate USB Installer Video Guide

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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 domain. To do this, open a new Terminal window and do the following:

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

softwareupdate --list-full-installers

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

Step 2: Copy and paste the following command into Terminal. Make sure to replace the version number with the desired version found in Step 1. After pasting the command, press Return on your Mac keyboard. The macOS Golden Gate download will begin and save the installer to your Mac’s Applications folder as Install macOS Golden Gate. For the beta version, it will say “Install macOS Golden Gate Beta.”

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

Create the macOS Golden Gate USB Installer

Step 3: Navigate to Discoverer → Applicationsand right click on Install the macOS Golden Gate beta → Show package contents. Then open Contents → Resources.

Step 4: In the Terminal window, type sudo followed by a space.

Step 5: Drag and drop createinstallmedia from Resources folder referenced directly in the Terminal window and then type --volume followed by a space.

Step 6: Plug your USB drive into your Mac and open it in Finder. Make sure nothing is needed on it. If there is existing data on the drive you need, please backup it first, because the following steps will completely erase its contents.

Note: Drives formatted with APFS cannot be used to create USB installers. If your USB drive is APFS formatted, open Applications → Utilities → Disk Utilityselect the drive and click Delete. To format, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and then click Delete.

Step 7: Open Discoverer → Go → Go to folder…then write /Volumes and press return on your keyboard to scan 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 deleting the contents of the wrong drive. Once identified, drag and drop the USB drive volume into the Terminal window.

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

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

Step 10: The installation process will begin by purging the contents of the connected USB drive. Thereafter, it will copy the necessary installation files. This process takes a few minutes to complete, so please wait patiently.

Once the installation process is complete, you can eject the disk and have it on hand for when needed.

9to5Mac’s opinion

Creating a macOS Golden Gate USB installation disk 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 there’s no need to download the installer again during a fresh installation.

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

What do you think of the macOS Golden Gate beta? Are you thinking about installing the beta version or are you waiting for the final version later this year? Express your thoughts in the comments.