OS X Installer USB Tutorial

Create a Bootable OS X Installer USB

Requirements:

Mac OS X 10.7+

Purchased copy of OS X/macOS

8GB+ USB Drive formatted as OS X Extended (Journaled)

1. Download the OS X Installer from the Mac App Store.

Important: You can only do this with versions you have previously purchased or downloaded

• Open the App Store app
• Go to the Purchased tab
• Find the OS X version you want to install 
• Click the download button and allow it to complete the download while you continue the tutorial

2. Format your USB drive as OS X Extended (Journaled)

• Open Disk Utility
• Select the USB drive in the lefthand column
• Click Erase and select OS X Extended (Journaled)
• Disk Maker X Method: Name it whatever you would like and click Erase again
• Apple Method: Name the USB OSXINSTALL and click Erase again

Disk Maker X Method (Easier)

3.Download Disk Maker X

Download - Version 5.0.3 - Yosemite, El Capitan, and Sierra

Download - Version 5.0.3 - Mavericks, Yosemite, and El Capitan

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Download - 3.0.4 - Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks

Download - 2.0.2 - Lion (with DVD support)

Download - 1.7 - Lion (with 4GB USB support)

4. Select the OS X version you want to use

Disk Maker X - 5.0.3

Disk Maker X - 3.0.4

5. Follow through the prompts until it is complete:

Click Use this copy

Click An 8 GB USB thumb drive

Select the USB drive you named and click Choose this disk

Click Erase then create disk

Click Continue 

Allow it to finish copying and erasing files, and then it will be bootable!

That's it! Hold the alt/option key on a Mac while it boots and you should be able to install OS X with it, use Disk Utility to recover a drive, or use Terminal and other practical uses.

Apple Method (Requires Terminal)

3. Open Terminal

OS X El Capitan:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/OSXINSTALL --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

OS X Yosemite:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/OSXINSTALL --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app

OS X Mavericks:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/OSXINSTALL --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app

Hit enter and allow it to finish creating the installer USB. Hold the alt/option key on a Mac while it boots and you should be able to install OS X with it and use all of the other accessorizes.