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Apple has just released the final version of macOS Big Sur to the public. You can start upgrading your compatible Mac devices by downloading Big Sur from the App Store or Settings > Software Updates. But if you prefer to completely wipe out your Mac and do a fresh install of macOS Big Sur, you will need a bootable media.

1. #1552: macOS 11.2.2 defangs non-compliant USB-C hubs, starting seeds with HomeKit, do you still need a bootable backup? If you’re using a recent MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Big Sur and a powered USB-C hub or dock, be sure to read our coverage of macOS 11.2.2, which protects those Macs from damage caused by non-compliant USB-C gear.
2. Bootable USB installers offer an easy way to upgrade multiple Macs to macOS Catalina, to perform clean installs of MacOS Catalina, to perform maintenance from a boot disk like formatting disks, modifying disk partitions, and performing restorations, and much more. We’ll walk through how to create a boot USB install drive for MacOS Catalina 10.15.

The macOS installation process will start and your Mac will reboot a few times. Once finished, you should see the macOS setup screen. After you are done with onboarding, you will see the desktop and are all set to start using macOS Big Sur. The same bootable media you just made can be used to install macOS Big Sur on all your (compatible) Macs. The specifics of this procedure will vary depending on whether you’re doing it on a Windows, Linux, or macOS/OS X system. Creating a Bootable Kali USB Drive on Windows (Etcher) Plug your USB drive into an available USB port on your Windows PC, note which drive designator (e.g. “F:') it uses once it mounts, and launch Etcher.

I perform a fresh install every time Apple releases a major macOS version – which usually happens once a year. This time too, I will update my Macbook Air by performing a fresh install. And to do that, I will make a bootable SD card. You can also use a USB stick aka pen drive aka flash drive and perform a fresh install.

In this quick tutorial, I will share how I make a bootable macOS memory card or USB stick, wipe my Mac, and perform a fresh install. You will need a stable internet connection and a storage media with minimum 16GB space. Before you begin, make sure you have taken backup of your Mac.

Step 1: Download macOS Big Sur

Open App Store and search for macOS Big Sur. Click Get and the Software Update window will open. Click upgrade now and it will start downloading the macOS update. If you don’t see macOS Big Sur in App Store, follow this link and choose open link in App Store.

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The installer is 12GB so be patience.

Once it finished downloading, the macOS installer is placed under Applications and will run automatically. Close the setup window.

Step 2: Preparing the Storage Media

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Insert the storage media you would like to use. I use a 64GB micro SD card with my MacBook Air. You can use a USB-C to USB adapter for Mac models without USB A ports and memory card slot.

Open Disk Utility.

Select the storage medium you just connected from the list on left and click Erase. Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from Format dropdown. Type BigSur or any other name you like. Make it simple because you will use this name in the next step.

Click Erase and wait until the media is erased.

Step 3: Making the Bootable Media

Now open Terminal and type the following command. Make sure you don’t leave any spaces. Replace BigSur with whatever name you chose in Step 2.

Press enter.

Enter your password, type Y and press enter again. The process takes roughly 20 minutes. After it’s finished, you will notice that the name of your USB stick/SD card has been changed to Install macOS Big Sur.

Step 4: Installing macOS Big Sur from Bootable Media

Right. Now you have a Big Sur bootable media. It’s time to start the installation process.

Restart your Mac. When it’s booting up (right after the chime sound), press and hold Option key until you see a screen with an option to select the startup disk.

Select Install macOS Big Sur and click continue. Let the installer load.

Now you will see the macOS Recovery screen which will ask you to select a user account which you know the password of. Choose your administrator account and enter password. Note that this is the user on your current macOS setup.

Click Disk Utility and continue. Select the volume where macOS is currently installed on your Mac. Click Erase. Leave all options as default. Click Erase again.

After the process finishes, close Disk Utility and you will return to the recovery screen. Choose ‘Install macOS’ this time and click continue.

The macOS installation process will start and your Mac will reboot a few times.

Once finished, you should see the macOS setup screen. After you are done with onboarding, you will see the desktop and are all set to start using macOS Big Sur.

The same bootable media you just made can be used to install macOS Big Sur on all your (compatible) Macs. This approach helps save bandwidth if you have more than one devices while also letting you erase all data and perform a clean install. It will also come in handy as a recovery media if your Mac software misbehaves in future.

That’s all, folks. This was a tutorial on making a bootable macOS Big Sur installation media. I hope you found it useful and I’d like to thank you for reading.

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If you’re using a recent MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Big Sur and a powered USB-C hub or dock, be sure to read our coverage of macOS 11.2.2, which protects those Macs from damage caused by non-compliant USB-C gear. Thinking about starting seeds soon? Josh Centers shows how you can use a smart outlet and simple HomeKit automations to give your garden a head start. Finally, faced with issues surrounding bootable duplicates in Big Sur, Adam Engst re-evaluates his longstanding advice that a bootable backup of your Mac is an essential part of a backup strategy. With Apple making it increasingly difficult to make bootable duplicates, are they still necessary in an era of cloud computing and multiple devices? Notable Mac releases this week include CleanMyMac X 4.8, Fantastical 3.3.5, Little Snitch 5.1.1, Firefox 86, Downcast 2.9.61, and GraphicConverter 11.4.

Some third-party, non-compliant, powered USB-C hubs and docks are bricking recent MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. Apple has updated Big Sur to prevent the problem; the question is if Macs running Catalina or Mojave might still be at risk.