A broken Mac computer with Mac OS X. A trial copy of the TransMac software. One high quality USB flash drive with 16GB of storage. A copy of Apple’s macOS (DMG file). Now that you have all the necessary ingredients, you’re ready to make a Mac OS X bootable USB using the DMG file of the operating system with the steps below. Also, the converted file may have an additional.dmg extension added to it by Mac OS X. Don’t worry, it’s normal. Step 4: Get the device number for USB drive The next thing is to get the device number for the USB drive. Rufus is a great application for burning ISO to USB. Unfortunately, there is no Mac version yet. So for burning ISO to USB on Mac, you have to use third-party alternatives like UUByte ISO Editor to get it done. The suggestions in this post almost do the same thing as Rufus on Windows so don't worry about the functionality. Double-click on InstallESD.dmg to mount it on the desktop; Make the OS X Mountain Lion Install Drive. Launch Disk utility and connect a USB drive to the Mac; Select the USB drive from the left menu and click on “Erase” tab, choose “Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)” as the format, then click on the “Erase” button in the corner.
Looking for the best ISO to USB burner for Mac? It's possible, but ISO is not native file type in Mac OS X or macOS environment, so you need to use workaround methods or employ a third-party ISO burning utility for Mac to get this done. This article covers three ways to burn ISO to USB stick on a Mac computer, powered by macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Serria and earier Mac OS X systems.
The first thing you need to know is that you can't use an ISO disk image file on a Mac, since Apple primarily uses the DMG format. However, if you merely want to burn ISO to a USB stick, that's definitely possible. The only thing you can't do is run an ISO file on an Apple computer. Let's look at the various ways to burn ISO to USB on a Mac machine.
[Notice]: There are different types of ISO images (Windows, Linux, Raspbian OS, etc.) and they apply different booting schemes. So basically, there is not a perfect software out there that can burn all ISO images successfully. You should try another suggestion if one failed.
[Update 1]: If you have any question during ISO burning process, please check out the FAQ Part at the end of this article.
[Update 2]: New version of UUByte ISO Editor for Mac now supports large Windows 10 ISO image (over 5GB) and macOS Big Sur.
Part 1: How to Burn ISO to USB on Mac with Terminal Software
Terminal is Apple's command line equivalent of Command Prompt in Windows and Terminal in Linux. Using this command line utility, you can burn an ISO file to an external DVD or USB disk. If you did not t have any experience with text command, then this is not recommended because it is too risky to damage the local disk with wrong input. Terminal allows you to do several system-level operations, so don't input anything other than the commands specified in the process outline shown below:
Step 1: Click Terminal icon from the Dock. Or Go to the Applications folder on Mac and find the Terminal app in Utilities folder.
Step 2: Copy the ISO file in a convenient location so your command doesn't have to be too long. Saving it to desktop or downloads folder is usually a good idea. Make sure you remember the name of the ISO file because it will be used in the command.
Step 3: If your ISO file is in your Desktop, then run the following command (press Enter after typing the command): cd desktop
Step 4: Now run the following command (hit Enter after typing): hdiutil burn filename.iso
Step 5: Once you run the command, your ISO file will be burned to the USB drive in your default optical drive. If you haven't inserted a disk, you will be prompted to do so. There is no need to run the command again after inserting the USB.
Cons:
- Dangerous and not safe for beginners.
- Sharp learning curve.
- Bad support for USB 2.0 device.
- Lower success rate.
If you want to avoid any kind of command line work and if you're running one of the newer versions of macOS, then it's better to use a third-party software like the one described in Part 2 below.
Part 2: Easily Burn ISO to USB on Mac via UUByte ISO Editor (Bootable USB Creator)
Sofware being powered by a graphics user interface are always welcomed because of user friendly operation. So the second suggestion in here is UUByte ISO burner software called ISO Editor for Mac. It is popularly regarded as the best ISO burning software for Mac. It allows you to burn, extract, edit, copy and create ISO almost as if it was a native file format on Mac. The utility has been fully tested on a wide range of storage media brands as well as all versions of macOS and Mac OS X.
The biggest advantage is that you do not need any technical expertise whatsoever to use this software. It is highly intuitive, and in a matter of minutes you can burn your ISO to USB or DVD. More importantly, the USB is bootable in default. This flexibility makes it the most user-friendly Mac app for handling ISO disk images in a number of ways. The next section shows you how to easily and quickly burn any ISO file to a disk or drive to create bootable USB on your Mac.
Key Features of ISO Editor for Mac
- Designed by great UI.
- Powerful Burning options.
- Able to make bootable USB or DVD.
- Support the latest macOS Big Sur and Catalina.
- Support new version of Windows 10 ISO (20H2).
- Include other useful ISO tools such as edit, extract and create.
Step 1: Download UUByte ISO Burner for Mac
Download and install ISO Editor for Mac to your computer and launch the program. Click on the Burn module on the first page, which will take you to the ISO burning utility.
Step 2: Insert USB Drive on Mac and Import ISO Image
Insert a USB flash drive into your Mac. Select the ISO file to be burned to the media. If you want a different partition style or file system, make those changes on this page. If you don't know what they mean, leave them in default mode.
Step 3: Start Burning ISO to USB on Mac
Click Burn and the ISO file will be burned to USB drive in around 5 minutes. Please wait and be patient. Make sure the computer not going into sleep mode during the burning process.
[Update]: If the Windows ISO image file is too large (Over 5GB), you will see the following screenshot. This process will cut install.wim file into small parts so it can be copied to FAT32 partition. You have to wait a few minutes for the task to be done.
UUByte ISO Editor for Mac has overall of 95% success rate, so no wasted disks or wasted time when you use this software. The software's reliability, flexibility and speed have made this the go-to Mac application for handling ISO disk image files.
Part 3: Disk Utility - The Default ISO to USB Buner (Solid for Old Macs)
Disk Utility is a built-in tool that comes with Mac OS X and macOS. Using this function, you can easily burn your ISO to a disk after mounting it. Disk Utility is primarily meant to view and repair hard drives and other drives, but also has added functionality. Follow the process below to get your ISO burned to a writable DVD or CD.
Step 1: Go to the Applications folder using Finder or by clicking the shortcut on the bottom right of your screen. From there, go into the Utilities folder and click on Disk Utility to launch the app.
Step 2: Open your ISO file and mount it as a virtual drive. This is done automatically when you click on File >Open Disk Image… in the top menu.
Step 3: When you see your ISO file in the left panel, that means it was mounted properly. You can now insert an USB and click on the Burn option to burn the target ISO file to the USB drive.
This method is only meant for OS X 10.10 and earlier versions. With Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple removed the ability to burn ISO to a USB. If you have one of these higher versions, you can try the above methods.
Part 4: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why file copying process failed?
The USB will be formatted to FAT32 in order to create a working Windows partition on Mac. This means you can not copy a file larger than 4GB. This is one of the biggest issue with FAT32 file system. We noticed that the latest Windows 10 ISO downloaded from Microsoft.com will over 5GB and the install.wim file is obviously larger than 4GB. That's why file copying process faile during burning process. The solution is to download an old version of Windows 10 from other sources.
Q: Why my USB drive is not bootable by using hdiutil command?
It is a common case for Windows ISO image because this command does not write Windows bootloader to USB drive. You have to format the drive to FAT32 first in Disk Utility.
Q: Can not select USB drive in UUByte ISO Editor?
If the USB drive could be recognized by Mac but not in UUByte ISO Editor, then it is highly possible that your Mac is in Dark Mode. To fix this, please switch to Light mode instead.
Q: Should I format USB stick to NTFS?
No. Mac can only see USB drive formatted with exFAT or MS-FAT. NTFS is not supported by Mac in default. So you can not write ISO image to NTFS USB on Mac. FAT32 is more recommended!
Q: How much time it takes for burning ISO to USB?
For high-speed USB drive (3.0 or 3.1), it can be done within 10 minutes. For low-speed USB drive, it takes much longers (more than 20 minutes).
Q: Can I use UNetbootin for burning Windows 10 ISO?
No. USB will not be bootable if you are using UNetbootin to burn ISO to USB on Mac.
Q: Can I use Etcher for burning Windows ISO?
No. You will receive 'Partition table missing' error when importing Windows ISO into Etcher app on Mac.
Summary
To be honest, Burning ISO to USB was not challenging at all on Mac in the past. But the situation was changed since the release of macOS. Many apps was not supported or updated to Catalina, Mojave or High Serria. So for the new Mac computer, UUByte ISO Editor is the best option out there in 2020.
Have you ever been faced with the need to install a new operating system on a crashed PC but realize that you don't have the installation disc? For most people, such a case is always discouraging and disheartening because they know that the only way to install a new OS is to use an installation disc. Actually, all you need is a USB with a good capacity and a utility like Rufus. Rufus is a free, portable open-source utility that you can use to create bootable USB flash drives. Rufus is small in size, but it surprisingly has everything you need as far as the above are concerned.
Does Rufus Have a Mac Version?
Rufus is primarily a Windows application and currently, it supports 64 or 32 bit Windows XP/7/8/10 only. This means that you can not use Rufus on the normal Mac computers. If you need to run Rufus on a Mac, then it will be imperative for the computer to have a dual boot Windows installed on Mac. However, this is not an easy task at all.
To those in the dark, this simply means that you will need to have a Windows Operating system installed in your Mac computer. However, if you didn't want to have two operating systems running on the same machine so that you can access Rufus, there are quite a number of alternatives you can use to achieve the same functionalities of Rufus on Mac.
Rufus for Mac Alternative 1: UUByte ISO Editor
UUByte ISO Editor is by far one of the best ISO toolkits for those who want a seamless process in creating, burning, extracting and editing ISO images. Unlike Rufus, it has both Windows and Mac versions so you don't have to worry about not having Rufus for Mac or the need to install two operating systems in your Mac.
This ISO editor can effortlessly burn ISO image to DVD, CD or USB which you can then go ahead and use as a bootable disc for new installation. The tool is also versatile enough to create an ISO archive from folders or external sources, in addition to extracting or mounting ISO files to Mac or Windows computers. With over 220,000 users worldwide, it is a clear winner among the ISO toolkits available in the market today.
Why Choose UUByte ISO Editor
- Full ISO toolkit for Windows and Mac.
- Easily create bootable USB or DVD from Windows ISO.
- 5X faster burning speed.
- Excellent customer support.
How to burn ISO to USB on Mac using UUByte ISO Editor: Please download UUByte ISO Editor for Mac and install the app. Then drag and drop the app icon to Application folder so you can open the app from Launchpad. After that, insert a USB stick and click 'Burn' button at the first screen. Now import Windows ISO to the program and start burning ISO to USB by clicking 'Burn' button at the bottom of the Window. Finally, wait for 10 minutes to get the job done.
Rufus for Mac Alternative 2: UNetbootin
Universal Netboot Installer Unetbootin, is another cross-platform utility toolkit that makes a great alternative to Rufus on Mac. It has the ability to load and install various Linux distros on Mac. It is easy to use and supports a myriad of platforms. All you have to do is select an ISO file or the specific distribution you want to download and then simply choose the target drive. It also comes with a nice GUI, which further adds to the user experience during use.
Pros:
- Support Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Able to download Linux ISO within the program.
- Easily create ISO image from files or folders.
Cons:
- Non-native user interface.
- Lower success rate on new USB drives.
- Lack support for CD or DVD.
Rufus for Mac Alternative 3: Etcher
Etcher is another great Rufus alternative for Mac. It has been designed to allow you to easily and comfortably burn ISO images to USB drives and SD cards. The utility comes with an advanced interface which may be intimidating on first glance, but after going through the simple user guide, getting around to use the utility becomes a breeze.
Simply download this tool, launch it, and then choose the IMG file you are interested in burning. You will then select the location of the target USB drive or SD card and then wait for it to do its magic. It is lightweight and relatively fast, so you won't have to wait for a whole day for the burning process to end.
Mac Terminal Dmg To Usb
Pros:
- Polish user interface.
- Support USB drives as well as SD cards.
- Easy to use.
Mac Dmg To Usb
Cons:
- Being loaded slowly on startup.
- Get stuck at burning process easily.
- Poor support for Windows 10 ISO.
Mac Os Dmg To Usb Bootable
Verdict:
Mac Dmg To Usb
Rufus is a great application for burning ISO to USB. Unfortunately, there is no Mac version yet. So for burning ISO to USB on Mac, you have to use third-party alternatives like UUByte ISO Editor to get it done. The suggestions in this post almost do the same thing as Rufus on Windows so don't worry about the functionality. Go ahead and pick up the best one according to your experience.