How To Create Bootable MacOS USB from Non Mac PC

You don’t need Apple repair services to fix a failed upgrade or boot problem.

✅ Windows/Linux PC
✅ Internet
✅ USB Drive (16GB+)
🚫 No extra Mac required
💰 Save $100–$300

Here’s a detailed, formatted context you can share with others to help Mac users recover their system without paying for service center visits:

🆘 Stuck Mac? Don’t Waste Hundreds at Service Centers — Here’s a Free Recovery Guide!

If your MacBook (2012–2017) is stuck during an upgrade (especially using OpenCore Legacy Patcher to install macOS Ventura or Sonoma), and:

• It won’t boot
• Internet Recovery isn’t working
• Main disk isn’t showing up
• And you don’t have another Mac (only Windows or Linux)…

Then you’re not alone — and you DON’T need to pay hundreds to fix it. Here’s a step-by-step rescue method using just a Windows/Linux PC and a USB drive.

✅ Why This Happens

Apple doesn’t officially support newer macOS versions on older Macs (like 2015 MacBook Pros), so people use tools like OpenCore. If anything goes wrong:

• Mac won’t boot
• Recovery mode fails
• Disk may look like it vanished
• Apple Support suggests replacement — $$$!

🛠️ Free Do-It-Yourself Recovery Steps (No Mac Needed)

1. Create a macOS Recovery USB (Catalina or earlier)

Apple stopped traditional USB creation support after macOS Big Sur. But you can still create recovery installers for Catalina or Mojave that work perfectly to get your system back.

On Windows/Linux:

• Download a macOS Recovery image (like Catalina .dmg or .img)
• 📥 Archive: https://archive.org/details/macos-catalina-recovery
• Extract with 7-Zip
• Use dd for Windows or Rufus (in DD mode) to flash to USB:
• dd if=macos_recovery.img of=\\.\PhysicalDriveX bs=1M
• Replace PhysicalDriveX with your USB drive (⚠️ Double check it to avoid overwriting another drive)
• Boot Mac while holding Option (⌥) → choose USB

2. Erase and Reinstall macOS

• Once in recovery mode, open Disk Utility
• Show All Devices → Erase internal drive as APFS + GUID
• Then choose Reinstall macOS
• Catalina will be installed → Fully functional!

3. (Optional) Upgrade to Big Sur, Monterey, or Sonoma

Once you’re back in Catalina:

• Use tools like GibMacOS to download newer versions (InstallAssistant.pkg)
• Install and patch using OpenCore Legacy Patcher

💡 Tip: Use a Virtual macOS (VM) if Needed

If you want to build full USB installers for newer macOS:

• Run macOS in VirtualBox or VMware on your Windows PC
• Use the real createinstallmedia tool inside the VM

Here’s what you can do to recover your MacBook Pro 2015 even without another Mac device:

⚠️ Situation Recap

• MacBook Pro 2015 trying to upgrade to macOS Sonoma using OpenCore Legacy Patcher
• Now stuck and won’t reboot
• Internet recovery fails, main disk not showing
• No other Mac available

✅ Step-by-Step Recovery Plan

1. Create a macOS Bootable USB on Windows/Linux

Option A: Use Windows (Easier with GUI)
You can create a macOS bootable USB from a Windows PC using GibMacOS:

• On Windows:
• Download GibMacOS from GitHub: https://github.com/corpnewt/gibMacOS
• Run gibMacOS.bat, select a macOS version like Big Sur (recommended for MacBook Pro 2015)
• After download, use MakeInstall.bat to create a bootable USB (needs at least 16GB USB drive)
• It will format the USB and create a bootable macOS installer.

Option B: Use Ubuntu (Command-line)
On Ubuntu, follow these:

• Use gibMacOS.command via Wine or manually download the .pkg
• Extract .pkg → .app → create installer via createinstallmedia (if you have access to macOS inside a VM)

But this is harder than Windows.

2. Boot from USB Installer on MacBook

• Plug in the bootable USB
• Power off the Mac
• Hold Option (⌥) key and power it on
• Select the USB installer (e.g., “Install macOS Big Sur”)

3. Use Disk Utility

• From the macOS installer → Utilities → Disk Utility
• Check if your internal disk appears
• If not, click View → Show All Devices
• Try First Aid, or Erase it if recovery isn’t possible
• Format as: APFS, GUID Partition Map

4. Reinstall macOS

• Return to the main menu → click Install macOS
• Install on the newly erased internal disk

🧯If Still No Disk Appears

• Disk may be corrupted or failed physically
• Boot USB → open Terminal → run:

diskutil list

• Check if your internal drive (usually disk0) appears
• Try to reformat using Terminal:

diskutil eraseDisk APFS "Macintosh HD" GPT disk0

If it fails or the drive doesn’t show, it’s likely hardware failure.

🛠 Optional: Use OpenCore Installer Again

If you still want macOS Sonoma, re-run OpenCore Patcher from USB after getting Big Sur working again.

You’re absolutely right — here’s an updated, concise guide based on your situation and recent changes:

💡 Goal: Reinstall macOS on MacBook Pro 2015 without another Mac

Since macOS Big Sur and later cannot be made bootable using traditional createinstallmedia methods from Windows, here’s the best working method for your case:

✅ Best Recovery Option for You (from Windows/Linux)

Option A: Internet Recovery USB (macOS Catalina or earlier)

You can create a macOS Catalina recovery USB using 7zip + dd on Windows.

Steps:

• Download the macOS Recovery Image (e.g., Catalina .dmg) from trusted source (e.g., macrecovery.net)
• Use 7-Zip to extract .dmg or .img
• Use **dd for Windows** (or Rufus` in DD mode) to write to USB:
• dd if=macos_recovery.img of=\\.\PhysicalDriveX bs=1M
• Replace PhysicalDriveX with your USB drive (use Disk Management to find it)
• Plug into Mac, boot holding Option (⌥), and launch macOS Recovery
• From there, use Disk Utility → Erase (APFS + GUID), then Reinstall macOS

Option B: Download Full Installer via GibMacOS (macOS Big Sur or Monterey)

Apple uses InstallAssistant.pkg for Big Sur+, so you can:

• On Windows, use GibMacOS
• Download Big Sur / Monterey InstallAssistant.pkg
• Transfer the pkg to a macOS virtual machine (on VMware or VirtualBox on your Windows)
• Run .pkg inside VM → It will create the installer in /Applications
• Then use USB in VM to run:
• sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyUSB

📌 Recommendation (Fastest Path)

• Use macOS Catalina recovery image + dd method to get to working macOS
• Then from there, upgrade to Big Sur via InstallAssistant.pkg
• Finally, patch with OpenCore again if you still want to reach Sonoma