If attempting to make a usb drive that can be booted from a mac, follow the instructions below. Format a usb drive to provide a single fat32 partition featuring mbr. When you hear the startup chime, press and hold the option key. Ubuntu forums tutorial howto make usb boot drives ubuntu forums tutorial howto help usb boot drives ubuntu forums tutorial how to create an external usb bootable linux hard drive without dual boot unetbootin for linux, windows, mac os x. This article provides you the quick and easy steps to install and dual boot ubuntu on macos catalina 10. Youll be able to quickly boot ubuntu, linux mint, kali linux, and other mainstream linux distributions on your mac.
Creating a bootable ubuntu usb stick from microsoft windows is very simple and were going to cover the process in the next few steps. Use tools installed by default on the usb stick to repair or fix a broken configuration. As i said earlier, creating a bootable usb in mac os x is a tricky procedure, be it for ubuntu or. Sep 09, 2015 ubuntu create bootable usb ubuntu in this quick tutorial i am going to show you how to create a bootable usb stick for ubunut in mac osx. Now, well need to install and open etcher for macos a free. If youre using a keyboard made for a pc, such as a keyboard with a windows logo, try a keyboard made for mac. Jun 28, 2016 after a lengthy bit of browsing i decided that i could not easily find a tutorial for installing and booting linux from a external usb that works on macs, so i thought that i might make one.
Just like the live cd, a live linux usb allows you to boot ubuntu on your machine without needing to install it on your harddrive. Make sure that it has at least 12gb of available storage and is formatted as mac os extended. With the option key pressed on your keyboard, boot up your mac. In disk utility, from the left hand pane, select the usb drive to format.
Mac linux usb loader allows you to create bootable live usb drives for ubuntu and other linux distributions without burning a cd. This video describes how to install the ubuntu iso onto a usb drive on os x10. How to make a bootable ubuntu usb on windows, mac and linux. If you cannot boot from the usb drive on your mac, try burning a dvd. Quick ways to install and dual boot ubuntu on macos. This guide provides 2 ways to boot a mac from a usb flash drive.
While you can connect an external cddvd drive to your mac and boot from standard linux live cds and usbs, simply connecting a linux live usb drive created by standard tools like universal usb installer and unetbootin to a mac wont work. How to create a bootable linux usb flash drive, the easy way. Unetbootin for mac os x can be used to automate the process of extracting the ubuntu iso file to usb, and making the usb drive bootable. This is a step by step tutorial shows you how to install the real ubuntu os on usb a mac. But if you would prefer to use a usb, please follow the instructions below. Test out the ubuntu desktop experience without touching your pc. Immediately after the startup chime press the option key sometimes marked alt. Click on the gold disk labeled efi boot, which will bring you to the ubuntu boot menu. If youre using boot camp to start up from microsoft windows, set startup disk preferences to start up from macos instead. Make sure that you prepare a usb flash drive with at least 2gb of space. This means that booting via a usb port does not work. Insert your usb flash drive that has the ubuntu installer on it.
May 23, 2017 apples made it difficult to boot nonmac os x operating systems off of usb drives. Connect the usb flash drive or other volume that youre using for the bootable installer. If you have a mac, then disk utility will help you create your bootable usb drive. How to create a bootable usb drive for ubuntu using mac or. To create this bootable usb drive, also known as a live usb, you will need access to a usb drive with at least 2 gb of storage and a functioning computer, but it does not matter if it is a mac or. This works in most cases, where the issue is originated due to a system corruption. But most linux distributionslike ubuntu only offer an iso disc image file for download. In case you want to use the ubuntu live usb stick on a mac, insert the usb stick and restart or power on your mac while holding the option key. Aug 20, 2016 perhaps your macs system has run into some problems or isnt working correctly. Install or upgrade ubuntu, even on a mac test out the ubuntu desktop experience without touching your pc configuration boot into ubuntu on a borrowed machine or from an internet cafe use tools installed by default on the usb stick to repair or fix a broken configuration creating a bootable usb stick is very simple. We would encourage mac users to download ubuntu desktop edition by burning a cd for the time being.
Select the usb drive from which to boot by using the left and right arrow and enter keys. Apples made it difficult to boot non mac os x operating systems off of usb drives. Open terminal, which is in the utilities folder of your applications folder. During installation setup, you should go with install ubuntu alongside mac os x. Installing ubuntu on an external ssd drive on a macbook. Ubuntu create bootable usb ubuntu in this quick tutorial i am going to show you how to create a bootable usb stick for ubunut in mac osx. In this guide, im going to show you how to create a usb drive that contains all of the necessary files to boot your windows pc or mac into ubuntu. Here are the steps to install and dual boot ubuntu on mac. Unetbootin can be downloaded from the unetbootin github website.
To select the ubuntu iso file you downloaded previously, click the select to the right of boot selection. This process is not as long, so do not worry about having to read any longer written steps. The resulting usb drive, however, can be booted on pcs only. Maybe you just want a different flavor of macos other than your current version. Ubuntu installation on usb stick with pure efi boot mac. If youve ever wanted to try linux distros such as ubuntu, you must have noticed that you can use a usb drive to create a bootable live usb for it. Dec 21, 2016 to live boot into linux on mac, you will first have to create a live usb for the distro you want. How to booting a live linux usb with a mac computer mactip. Moreover, if you ever mess up your bootloader and are unable to boot refind can help you boot into your os if it exists. Is there a way to allow me to boot your instructions and, how to create a bootable ubuntu usb drive, for pc, on a mac to use mac to create a ubuntu usb drive that can be used on a pc.
It can create bootable usb for both bios and uefi systems also it can create bootable usb of several operating systems such as windows, ubuntu, linux, etc. Create an ubuntu bootable usb on mac, windows or ubuntu. Since this is a native application, no downloads are required. You should be able to boot ubuntu directly from the usb stick without having to perform an install. The result was a mac mini that would boot ubuntu trusty in pure efi mode, with no refind and no os x, and with an ubuntu entry in the mac s bootloader menu.
Ubuntu installation on usb stick with pure efi boot mac compatible. Apr 05, 2018 it is easy to dual boot ubuntu on mac. Go to disk utility program from launchpad a rocket symboled icon in the bottom plank. To use any of these key combinations, press and hold the keys immediately after pressing the power button to turn on your mac, or after your mac begins to restart. You simply have to follow the process as described below. Perhaps your mac s system has run into some problems or isnt working correctly. There are a few ways to get a create live usb sticks that will boot on your mac. Installing ubuntu linux or any other linux distro really onto a usb drive for use with. You can go the freeware route for an easy option, or put a little bit of time into creating the drive yourself using terminal. To install or just to test drive ubuntu on your mac, this is the perfect solution to get you started. How to boot a mac from usb drive with pictures wikihow. How to create and boot from a linux usb drive on mac. Alternatively, we also have tutorials to help you create a bootable usb stick from both microsoft windows and.
Oct 19, 2017 there are a few ways to get a create live usb sticks that will boot on your mac. A bootable usb drive is the best way to install or try linux. Now you need to take steps to be able to dual boot your mac into macos as well as the new ubuntu os. If the issue is with your computer or a laptop you should try using reimage plus which can scan the repositories and replace corrupt and missing files. So far, youve worked on getting your mac ready to receive ubuntu and prepared a bootable installer you can use for the process. Note that resizing partitions is inherently dangerous, so back up your data before beginning. Installation is very easy and automated, once you choose ubuntu installer usb drive from refind screen. Insert the live linux media, restart your mac, press and hold the option key, and select the linux media on the startup manager screen.
How to create a bootable ubuntu usb drive, for pc, on a mac. Your mac will now use the bootable usb drive to boot into ubuntu. Linux os ubuntu 8 gb usb flash drive preloaded with ubuntu desktop 12. You can boot the usb by using the mac startup manager, which can be found quite easily. There might be some problems with the bootloader, but it can be overcome easily. Holding that key gives you access to os xs startup manager. Apr 30, 20 the resulting usb drive, however, can be booted on pcs only. If this is the only iso file present in the downloads folder you will only see one file listed. This will launch apples startup manager which shows bootable devices connected to the machine. Demonstrating multi bootable oses on a pc with single hdd, contains. Ubuntu doesnt offer the safe mode and automatic repair tools youll find in windows, but it does offer a recovery menu and a reinstall option that keeps your files and programs if you cant boot anything not even a usb drive or cd you may need to configure the boot order in your bios. Jul 31, 2018 by default, mac starts from its builtin hard disk, but a startup disk can be any storage device that contains bootable contents that compatible with your mac. How to create a bootable installer for macos apple support.
When grub loads, select try ubuntu without installing and press enter. When you see a blue screen with some options, choose the one that says try ubuntu without installing, and press returnenter. Install ubuntu on the external ssd start up an ubuntu live session. Your usb stick should appear as goldyellow and labelled efi boot. Installationfromusbstick community help wiki ubuntu. Opening it will bring you to the standard ubuntu boot menu, where you can choose try ubuntu to launch a live image.
Jul 05, 2017 if you just want to try linux on your mac, you can boot from a live cd or usb drive. Creating a bootable ubuntu usb stick is very simple, especially from ubuntu itself, and were going to cover the process in the next few steps. Note that ive only applied this process to my situation. Note the bootable usb drive will work only on systems with uefi firmware.
Windows, ubuntu linux, phoenixos android x86 and macos mojave 10. The newly created ubuntu usb drive is now ready to be inserted into a mac as a livedrive from which you can run. Select the untitled partition, click erase, and rename it to ubuntu boot loader. Should that fail, connect the disk directly into your macs usb port. To use your bootable media on a mac device, insert the usb stick and restart or turn on the device while holding the optionalt key to launch startup manager. Press the power button to turn on your mac or restart your mac if its already on. You can go the freeware route for an easy option, or put a little bit of. How to create a bootable ubuntu usb drive for mac in os x. Apple doesnt want you to boot an os other than os x off usb. Apr 01, 2020 mac startup key combinations learn about the mac features and tools that you can access by holding down one or more keys during startup. Now your flash drive is ready to boot on any mac or efi compatible pc. Create the following directories on your usb drive. Next, well need to reformat the usb stick with the disk utility software. If you want to use your usb stick with an apple mac, you will need to restart or poweron the mac with the usb stick inserted while the optionalt.
Use this flash drive to not only install ubuntu but also to confirm that ubuntu can run on your mac. Type or paste one of the following commands in terminal. How to create a bootable usb stick on macos spin up ubuntu vms on linux, mac or windows with multipass you can download, configure, and control ubuntu server virtual machines with. You should be able to try this on your system without fear of irreversibly altering your primary hard. How to create a bootable ubuntu usb drive, for mac, in os x. One usb drive and make boootable usb drive and start linux from dual boot system. Unetbootin downloads the ubuntu iso, converts it to an image format the mac can use, creates the boot chain needed by the installer for the mac os, and then copies it to the usb flash drive. Rufus create bootable usb drives the easy way from windows. Unetbootin allows you to create bootable live usb drives for ubuntu, fedora, and other linux distributions without. Unetbootin allows you to create bootable live usb drives for ubuntu, fedora, and other linux distributions without burning a cd. The builtin tool will be able to directly burn the dmg file to a disk or drive. The problem with naively installing ubuntu on an external drive is that your mac might not recognize it as bootable, due to its custom implementation of the efi and uefi specs. How to start up your mac from a bootable cddvd, usb thumb. Does anyone know if it is possible to boot ubuntu with a usb drive, and then have everything from ubuntu save to an external hard drive that is connected to the mac via usb.
Alternatively, we also have tutorials to help you create a bootable usb stick from both ubuntu and apple macos. Download ubuntu desktop, ubuntu server, ubuntu for raspberry pi and iot devices, ubuntu core and all the ubuntu flavours. Sep 14, 2015 using an external hub to connect several usb storage devices may cause your mac to fail to recognize them at boot time. Creating bootable usb using rufus is a natural process because it is a portable application so that we dont have to install it on our computer. Youll need a thirdparty tool to turn that iso file into a bootable usb drive. Ubuntu is an opensource software platform that runs everywhere from the pc to the server and the cloud. Mac mini 2,1 uses an 64bit efi firmware but also support bios boot compatibility. Learn how to make a ubuntu bootable usb drive for mac os x. If this doesnt help, there may be a hardware problem with your computer. Mar 23, 2018 select the untitled partition, click erase, and rename it to ubuntu boot loader.
How to install and dualboot ubuntu on mac make tech easier. I have done a ton of research and have failed to find a straight. Carry your linux around in a usb, boot it on mac or pc. Follow the guide down below to create a bootable usb stick from a mac. For example, if you install macos or microsoft windows on a usb drive, your mac can recognize that drive as a startup disk. It is a gui graphical user interface tool that allows you to burn or flash your favorite operating system to a sd card or usb drive. Boot into ubuntu on a borrowed machine or from an internet cafe use tools installed by default on the usb stick to repair or fix a broken configuration creating a bootable ubuntu usb stick from microsoft windows is very simple and were going to cover the process in the next few steps. Try connecting the usb drive to another port on the hub. This basically means that you dont have to install the distro on your system, and you can just boot into it from the live usb, and test it out. Your bootable linux usb drive is now ready, you can now skip to the. Restart your mac after connect bootable drive on it. Ubuntu create bootable usb ubuntu in this quick tutorial i am going to show you how to create a bootable usb stick for ubunut in mac. So, now that you have created your live usb, packed with the linux distros that you want to test out or use, you can move onto actually booting it.
How to make a bootable ubuntu usb on windows, mac and. Howto create a bootable usb drive etcher is a cross platform tool, which means it will work on windows, mac, and linux distributions. If necessary, using os xs disk utility, adjust the sizes of your partitions, making room for linux. Unlike other tools, bootable usb drives created with mac linux usb loader can be booted on your mac, dont require formatting your drive, and they even work on certain pcs as well. How to install ubuntu on macbook using usb stick community. If youre already on ubuntu, you dont need a windows or mac computer to create a bootable usb drive with ubuntu you can do it straight from your current os. The first task in installing and configuring ubuntu on your mac is to create a live bootable usb flash drive that contains the ubuntu desktop os. Tutorial install linux ubuntu on usb drive for use with a mac. Create a bootable usb stick on macos tutorials ubuntu.