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Catalina Internet Recovery

Use Internet Recovery to Reinstall macOS Probably the best way to reinstall macOS on Mac even without a recovery partition is to use internet recovery. Moreover, modern Macs can boot directly from an internet connection without relying on the recovery partition. Method 3: Use Mac Internet Recovery. If you have internet connectivity on your mac, then you can successfully try this procedure: 1. Restart your Mac. When you hear the startup music, long press Option + Command + R until you see a globe appear and a status bar. If you use Wi-Fi, select your available Wi-Fi.

  1. Macos Catalina Internet Recovery
  2. Catalina Internet Recovery Not Working
  3. How Do You Fix Internet Recovery On A Mac
  4. Catalina Internet Recovery Download


Catalina on (1) 2011 MacBook Air 13″, buttery smoothly. Only 4GB’s but works buttery smoothly. Catalina on (1) 2008 iMac 24″, internet, mail photo’s, and all default apps work fine, but only 4GB ram so it can be a tad slow. 8GB’s might be better. Catalina on (1) Late 2012 iMac 27″, buttery smoothly (officially supported machine). MacOS Catalina, aka macOS 10.15, is an older version of the operating system that runs on the Mac. MacOS Catalina's name was inspired by Santa Catalina Island, popularly known as Catalina and one. How to create a bootable macOS Big Sur USB install drive Step 1: Download macOS Big Sur. After Big Sur launches later this year, you’ll be able to download it directly from the Mac App Store.

These advanced steps are primarily for system administrators and others who are familiar with the command line. You don't need a bootable installer to upgrade macOS or reinstall macOS, but it can be useful when you want to install on multiple computers without downloading the installer each time.

What you need to create a bootable installer

Macos Catalina Usb Restore

Catalina
  • A USB flash drive or other secondary volume formatted as Mac OS Extended, with at least 14GB of available storage
  • A downloaded installer for macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or El Capitan

Download macOS

Mac Os Catalina Recovery Usb Flash Drive

  • Download: macOS Big Sur, macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave, or macOS High Sierra
    These download to your Applications folder as an app named Install macOS [version name]. If the installer opens after downloading, quit it without continuing installation. To get the correct installer, download from a Mac that is using macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. Enterprise administrators, please download from Apple, not a locally hosted software-update server.
  • Download: OS X El Capitan
    This downloads as a disk image named InstallMacOSX.dmg. On a Mac that is compatible with El Capitan, open the disk image and run the installer within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. It installs an app named Install OS X El Capitan into your Applications folder. You will create the bootable installer from this app, not from the disk image or .pkg installer.

Use the 'createinstallmedia' command in Terminal

  1. Connect the USB flash drive or other volume that you're using for the bootable installer.
  2. Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  3. Type or paste one of the following commands in Terminal. These assume that the installer is in your Applications folder, and MyVolume is the name of the USB flash drive or other volume you're using. If it has a different name, replace MyVolume in these commands with the name of your volume.

Big Sur:*

Catalina:*

Macos Catalina Internet Recovery

Mojave:*

High Sierra:*

El Capitan:

* If your Mac is using macOS Sierra or earlier, include the --applicationpath argument and installer path, similar to the way this is done in the command for El Capitan.

Macos Catalina Recovery Usb Windows


After typing the command:

  1. Press Return to enter the command.
  2. When prompted, type your administrator password and press Return again. Terminal doesn't show any characters as you type your password.
  3. When prompted, type Y to confirm that you want to erase the volume, then press Return. Terminal shows the progress as the volume is erased.
  4. After the volume is erased, you may see an alert that Terminal would like to access files on a removable volume. Click OK to allow the copy to proceed.
  5. When Terminal says that it's done, the volume will have the same name as the installer you downloaded, such as Install macOS Big Sur. You can now quit Terminal and eject the volume.

Use the bootable installer

Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:

Apple silicon

Mac Os Catalina Recovery Usb Stick

  1. Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
  2. Turn on your Mac and continue to hold the power button until you see the startup options window, which shows your bootable volumes and a gear icon labled Options.
  3. Select the volume containing the bootable installer, then click Continue.
  4. When the macOS installer opens, follow the onscreen instructions.

Macos Catalina Usb Restore-v1.1.dmg

Intel processor

  1. Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
  2. Press and hold the Option (Alt) ⌥ key immediately after turning on or restarting your Mac.
  3. Release the Option key when you see a dark screen showing your bootable volumes.
  4. Select the volume containing the bootable installer. Then click the up arrow or press Return.
    If you can't start up from the bootable installer, make sure that the External Boot setting in Startup Security Utility is set to allow booting from external media.
  5. Choose your language, if prompted.
  6. Select Install macOS (or Install OS X) from the Utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.

Learn more

For more information about the createinstallmedia command and the arguments that you can use with it, make sure that the macOS installer is in your Applications folder, then enter the appropriate path in Terminal:

  • Big Sur: /Applications/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
  • Catalina: /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
  • Mojave: /Applications/Install macOS Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
  • High Sierra: /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
  • El Capitan: /Applications/Install OS X El Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

A bootable installer doesn't download macOS from the internet, but it does require an internet connection to get firmware and other information specific to the Mac model.


Mac recovery mode is a lifesaver during crises. Depending on the type of crisis, you can choose among four options available in Mac recovery mode. there might be some complications that can be resolved by normal recovery mode but it has its own set of limitations. If there is one option that could come in handy regardless of the severity of the problem, it is Mac Internet recovery mode. Learn why Mac internet recovery mode is crucial and let’s discuss how to use internet recovery mode on Mac.

What is Internet Recovery on Mac?

Internet recovery mode is completely different when compared to the Mac recovery mode. Every Mac has a designated recovery partition of 650 MB which is completely independent of the other drives.

Hence in case of corruption or inaccessibility of Mac, we can make use of Mac recovery mode and reinstall macOS or restore from the Time Machine Backup to fix any problem in the operating system. To enter the recovery mode press the “command+R” buttons while Mac is restarting. You will see the following options:

  • Restore from Time Machine Backup
  • Reinstall macOS
  • Get online help
  • Disk utility

When you select “Reinstall macOS” the recovery partition (650 MB) is accessed where a fresh copy of macOS exists to begin the reinstallation process from scratch. Please note that this process will completely erase your Mac or MacBook volumes, so be cautious while using Mac recovery mode.

Even though the recovery partition is independent, there might be complications that might damage your entire Mac hard drive. In such a situation, normal recovery mode will not work and you will be stuck in a Mac grey screen.

The best part about Mac internet recovery is it can work even if your Mac is not booting. And since internet recovery directly accesses Apple servers, it also works when the recovery partition is damaged.

How to Access Internet Recovery Mode on Mac?

Generally, when normal recovery mode is not working, Mac automatically takes you to internet recovery mode. You will also see a spinning globe that signifies you are being sent to internet recovery mode.

If you want to manually launch the internet recovery mode, you need to hold Option+Command+R keys while restarting the Mac. Wait till the spinning globe appears and leave the keys. Later a progressive bar appears below the spinning globe icon. After the progressive bar is completely loaded you will see the macOS utility window with the same options as normal recovery mode on Mac or MacBook.

  • Restore from Time Machine Backup
  • Reinstall macOS
  • Get online help
  • Disk utility

Internet recovery mode will access the Apple server to fix any issue, so when in internet recovery mode, you need to connect it to any Wi-Fi or ethernet port.

How do I connect my Mac to WIFI in recovery mode?

Once in internet recovery mode, on the top right corner, you will see the Wi-Fi icon. Click on the Wi-Fi icon, select your network to enter the password, and click on connect.

What can You do with Internet Recovery Mac?

Mac internet recovery mode has the exact same options as normal recovery mode but there is a difference in the functionality. For example, when you select “Reinstall macOS” on internet recovery mode, your Mac will download the older version or the macOS that came with the Mac during the time of purchase.

For example, if you bought a Mac with Mojave and later updated it to Catalina, reinstalling macOS using internet recovery mode will completely erase everything on the storage drive and install Mojave. This is why you need to recover Mac hard drive before reinstalling the macOS. You can take a sigh of relief as you can upgrade it to Catalina after the installation is completed.

Pro Tip:

You can create a Mac bootable drive, later you can use the same bootable drive and log into Mac and recover crucial files. Here is how to create a bootable drive using the internet recovery mode.

Catalina Internet Recovery Not Working

How to Create a Bootable Drive Using Mac internet Recovery Mode

To create a bootable drive, you need a 12GB or larger flash drive and connect it to your Mac. Now launch internet recovery mode, select the “Reinstall macOS” option, and click on continue. Accept all the terms and conditions and follow general steps until your installation setup asks you to select a storage drive.

You will see the notification “Select the disk where you want to install macOS”. Be cautious and select the pen drive or the external storage drive you connected. After selecting the USB flash drive click on next and wait for the installation to complete.

After creating the bootable drive, restart your Mac, while booting into the operating system Mac will ask you to select from which drive you want to boot into macOS. Select the Bootable drive to log into your Mac. And now you can try to access the data.

Internet Recovery Mac Not Working? This can be the reason why?

How Do You Fix Internet Recovery On A Mac

Generally, internet recovery mode needs a certified internet connection that accepts WAP, WEP, and 802.1 IP or internet protocols. Typically, any home internet connection accepts all the aforementioned protocols. However, if you are using any proxy or PPPoE connection, internet recovery will not work. Hence, if the internet recovery mode on Mac is not working once verify the connection or try to connect to a different network.

How Long does Internet Recovery Take?

Catalina Internet Recovery Download

It depends on your internet connection; internet recovery mode demands a high-speed broadband connection.