#How to format thumb drive for mac clean install download#

You can download the macOS Monterey installer from the App Store: Step 2: Download the macOS Monterey Installer Because of this, it’s best to do your backup via Time Machine. 💡 Disk Drill may not be able to maximize its data recovery if the drive is encrypted by M1 or T2 chips, which have added security features.

#How to format thumb drive for mac clean install install#

Once your file has been created successfully, you’ll be ready to clean install macOS Monterey.Once you’ve named your file and selected a location to safely store the backup, clicking “save” will begin the creation process.Select your main system disk and click the “Create backup” button. You’ll now be shown a list of available disks that can be backed up into a.Click “Byte-to-byte Backup” from the “Extra Tools” menu in the left column.Download, install and open the Disk Drill app.Should something go wrong with your macOS Monterey install, you’ll be able to quickly and simply restore your old setup from this.

#How to format thumb drive for mac clean install update#

Read also: Recover Lost Files After a macOS Monterey Update The app also has a useful installer tool for making bootable macOS USB sticks, and it can even back up your entire disk to a. Use Disk Drill to make an image of your entire diskĭisk Drill is a really handy (and free) app that allows you to recover lost or deleted data. Once you have Time Machine up and running, you can click the Time Machine icon in the top right of the menu bar, then click “back up now” to ensure you have a recent backup of your computer.

#How to format thumb drive for mac clean install free#

Once the disk gets full, Time Machine will free up space by overwriting the oldest copies first. Time Machine works silently in the background, storing snapshots of your system every hour for 24 hours, then daily backups for one month, and, finally, weekly backups for all previous months.

Select the disk you’d like to use for backups.

Plug in a USB hard drive with enough space for your backup.

Luckily, Apple’s built-in Time Machine app makes this process extremely simple: In fact, regardless of whether you’re upgrading your operating system or not, it’s still prudent to keep your system backed up at all times. When you clean install macOS, ideally, you should always make backup copies of your Mac just in case something goes wrong.

You have a complete backup of your old installation in case something goes wrong.

All of your files and folders can be easily added back to your new install.

As you can imagine, that means that before attempting to use your USB installer that you’ll want to ensure that:

Step 1: Backup your existing installationĪs you’re going to completely clean install macOS Monterey, your computer’s drive and all of the files stored on it will be completely wiped and replaced by the new operating system. Here’s the official list of supported devices: You can still clean install macOS Monterey on an older Intel machine, but it’s worth noting that most computers over 5-6 years old probably won’t be compatible. MacOS Monterey is the first major release from Apple that will contain features that only work with the new Apple M1 chips found in the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini - and a further tier of features will only work on the more powerful 16 GB versions of those devices. Will you risk losing any of your files?ĭoes the idea of wiping your current operating system fill you with dread? Well, with our step-by-step guide, you needn’t worry about losing any of your precious files, and we’ll help you to create several backup options just in case things don’t work out according to plan.Ĭonvinced? Great! Let’s dive right in… Is your Mac compatible? It will also remove any transient files and incorrect settings in your Library folder - things that could potentially cause issues days, weeks, and months down the road. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this “standard” method of installation, but wiping the disk entirely and performing a true “clean install” will remove any potential problems, from outdated or third-party software.

#How to format thumb drive for mac clean install upgrade#

Typically, when you’re offered an operating system upgrade from the Apple App Store, you’re encouraged to simply download the new version and to overwrite your existing setup, without wiping the entire disk and erasing your data. When we talk about a “clean install” of macOS Monterey, we mean erasing the main disk of all its files and then installing the new operating system on the freshly wiped drive.

Why perform a clean install of macOS Monterey? In this guide, we’re going to walk you through the steps required to clean install macOS Monterey, including backing up your existing files and creating a bootable USB stick that will be used to perform the installation. Apple released macOS 12 Monterey on Monday, October 25.

MacOS 12 Monterey is the name of Apple’s latest operating system, an evolution of the current Big Sur platform that offers new features and tweaks to some of the Cupertino giant’s most popular apps and services.