This image file contains a bootable system and the files necessary to install OS X Mavericks. In order to create a bootable copy of the OS X Mavericks installer, you must locate the InstallESD.dmg file that's hidden in the OS X Mavericks installer you downloaded from the Mac App Store. A USB flash drive that's at least 8 GB in size a larger flash drive is fine, too.If needed, you can re-download OS X Mavericks A valid copy of OS X Mavericks purchased and downloaded from the Mac App Store.If you prefer to use an internal or external drive, the process is similar, and this guide should work just fine for you. You can also use an internal drive or partition if your Mac has more than one internal drive installed.įor this guide, we're going to concentrate on creating a bootable USB flash drive to hold the OS X Mavericks installer.

But you're not limited to these two options you can use any type of bootable media, including external drives connected via USB 2, USB 3, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and Thunderbolt. The two most common are probably USB flash drives and optical media (a dual-layer DVD). You can create the physical backup of Mavericks on a number of different types of media. The second way and the one we will take you through here is a manual method that uses the Finder and Disk Utility to create the bootable installer. You can find out more about this method in the guide How to Make a Bootable Flash Installer of OS X or macOS. It does work very well when a USB flash drive is a targeted destination. It's only real disadvantage is that it doesn't work directly to burn a bootable DVD. The first one makes use of Terminal and a hidden command that is deep within the Mavericks installer package that can create a bootable copy of the installer on any mounted bootable media such as a flash drive or external drive. There are two different methods that can be used to create a bootable Mavericks installer. Two Methods of Creating a Bootable Mavericks Installer If you would like to have a physical backup of the OS X Mavericks installer, our guide will show you how to create it. That's all well and good for many Mac users, and very convenient as well, but we like to have a physical copy of the installer, just in case we need to reinstall the OS or wish to install it on another Mac we own, without going through the download process again.

With just a click or two, you can download and install the software from the online store.Īs with previous downloadable OS X installers, this one assumes that you're ready to go it launches the OS X Mavericks installation app as soon as the download is complete. This has several advantages, the biggest of which is almost immediate delivery. OS X Mavericks is the third version of OS X to be sold primarily as a download from the Mac App Store.

Os x mavericks usb installer