How to Create a Monterey USB Installer on a Mac (Step-by-Step)

macOS Monterey was released in 2021 with some exciting new innovations and improvements that you might want to install on your Mac. However, having a bootable USB installer on hand can allow you to quickly install the latest macOS on multiple devices, perform a clean install, and update your existing system.

This article will guide you through creating a Monterey USB installer on your Mac, including the prerequisites and steps involved.

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Do I need a Monterey USB installer?

If you're wondering whether you need to create a Monterey USB installer on your Mac, the answer is yes. There are several reasons why you might want to generate a bootable USB installer for installing the latest version of macOS.

To avoid the hassle of losing crucial data, it is recommended that you back up your important files using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro tool before installing macOS.

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Backup Your Mac and Never Lose Data

Back up and restore your MacBook/iMac without Time Machine, iCloud, or an external hard drive.

Let's look at some of the most common reasons.

Perform a clean install on a Mac

If it might help to reinstall Monterey on your Mac, that involves removing the current operating system and starting over. By creating a USB installer, you can boot your Mac from a USB flash drive and install the new macOS version without losing any data or settings from your previous system. You can follow a guide on how to boot your Mac from a USB flash drive for that purpose.

Multiple Macs updated to macOS

If you need to upgrade multiple Macs to Monterey, creating a USB installer can save time and effort. Rather than downloading the installer on each device, you can use the same USB drive to install the updated version of macOS on all your Macs.

Several issues currently encountered in MacOS

Your current macOS version might have some issues, and installing Monterey could resolve them. By using a USB installer, you can reinstall the latest macOS version without the risk of human errors or data corruption from the previous system.

Upgrade the Hard Drive in Your Mac

If you're planning to upgrade your Mac's hard drive or SSD, creating a Monterey USB installer can come in handy. Instead of cloning the entire system, you can use the USB drive to install the updated macOS version on the new storage device.

To make things easier, we'll provide a video on how to create a Monterey USB installer on a Mac. The video will walk you through the process in detail. Here are some highlights:

• 01:33 Format the drive with Disk Utility
• 02:15 Locate the CreateInstallMedia tool
• 03:52 Run the CreateInstallMedia tool
• 05:00 Boot from USB to install macOS Monterey

Step 1: Download macOS Monterey on Your Mac

Go to the Mac App Store, then download macOS Monterey by clicking Get.

Note: This will begin the download in the Mac System Preferences > Software Update.

When the macOS Monterey installer finishes downloading, go to the menu bar and select Quit Install macOS Monterey. We're doing this because we don't actually want to install Monterey; instead, we'll be creating a bootable disk.

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Step 2: Format the USB drive in Disk Utility

Step 1. Insert the USB drive. The USB drive must be at least 16 GB.

Step 2: Launch the Finder and make sure there's nothing important in it.

Step 3: Now, open Disk Utility and select your USB drive. It will format the drive to APFS.

Step 4. Click the Erase button from the toolbar, select Format > Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and then click Erase.

Click on the “Erase” option.

Step 3: Create the macOS Monterey USB Installer Using Terminal

Step 1: Launch the Application -> Utilities -> Terminal (Terminal.app)

Step 2: Type sudo followed by a space.

Step 3: Drag the macOS Monterey installer into Terminal.

Fourth, type the entire command: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

Step 5. After the -volumes command, drag your USB drive into the Terminal window.

Step 6: To finalize the full path, type sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled.

Step 7. Press Enter after typing your password.

Note: When you click the button, the system will start copying to your USB drive. Depending on the speed of your USB drive, this process may take 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 4: Install Monterey using the USB installer

For Apple Silicon, follow these steps to install the Monterey USB installer:

Step 1. Connect the bootable installer to an online Mac that can run the version of macOS you need.

Step 2. Hold down the Power button to start your Mac up until you see the Startup Disk panel.

Step 3. Select the drive that contains the installer, then click “Continue.” Follow the onscreen instructions when prompted to install macOS.

For Intel Macs, do the following:

Step 1. Connect the bootable installer to an online Mac that can run the version of macOS you need.

Step 2: Start up your Mac and hold down the Option (Alt) key until you see the Apple logo.

3. When you see the black screen with the bootable volumes listed, release the Option key.

Step 4: Select the hard drive where you want Windows Setup to automatically start from, and press Enter, or click the arrow on the screen.

5. If asked, select your preferred language.

Step 6: Under the “Tools” tab, select “Install macOS,” then click “Continue” and follow the on-screen instructions.

Recover Lost Data after Installing Monterey

Losing data is unpleasant, especially after migrating to macOS Monterey. However, there's a tool that might help you recover lost data after installing Monterey: the Mac Data Recovery Wizard. It can recover data from various storage media, including retrieving data from USB flash drives, external hard drives, and memory cards.

To help you easily understand how tools Data Recovery Wizard works, here are the steps for recovering lost data:

"Select the drive you want to scan."

In the main window of tools Data Recovery Wizard, a list of drives connected to your Mac will be displayed. Select the drive from which you need to recover lost/deleted files, and then click the "Search Lost Files" button.

**Note:** Before attempting data recovery, we recommend using the "Disk Backup" feature on the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac. This helps prevent data loss. Once the backup is done, the software can retrieve data from the Mac backup, and your computer can keep writing new data.

Step 2: Select the lost data/files.

tools Data Recovery Wizard will immediately scan the disk volume you choose and display the scan results in the left pane. If you're looking for specific files, you can sort the results.

Select the lost data/files you want to recover

Step 3: Recover Lost or Deleted Data

Once you locate the files, preview them and click “Recover” to start restoring your deleted or lost Mac files.

Last Words

Creating a Monterey USB installer is a quick and easy way to upgrade or repair your Mac. You can follow along with this step-by-step guide to make a bootable installer for macOS Monterey, and use it to perform a fresh installation of the latest macOS version.

If you experience data loss after installation, you can use the tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to recover your files. Always back up your data before installing or upgrading, and ensure that you have the necessary resources and tools in place before beginning any operation.

FAQ: Creating a macOS Monterey USB Installer

This section will help you answer some common questions and clear up any confusion.

How to create a bootable macOS Ventura USB?

First, use the Disk Utility app on your Mac to format the USB device and create a bootable macOS Ventura USB installer. Then, generate the bootable installer using the Terminal app.

2. How do I obtain Monterey resources to create a bootable installer?

You'll need the Monterey installer file downloaded from the Mac App Store and a USB drive with at least 16GB of space to make the bootable installer. The installer file can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store.

3. What is the Monterey USB installer?

The Monterey USB installer is a bootable USB flash drive that contains the macOS Monterey installation files. You can use it to perform a clean installation of the new version of macOS, update multiple devices, or fix issues with an existing macOS installation.

4. How do I perform a clean install of macOS Monterey?

To perform a clean installation of macOS Monterey, you'll need to boot your Mac from the Monterey USB installer, erase your existing system drive, and then install the new macOS version on the formatted disk. This process involves using the Disk Utility and following the installation prompts.