How to Create a Bootable macOS El Capitan 10.11 USB Flash Drive

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Introduction

In this internet world, having a bootable Mac OS USB flash drive for your Mac operating system can be very useful to have on hand. Whether you need to reinstall your operating system, perform system repairs, or troubleshoot Mac OS issues, a bootable USB drive can be a true lifesaver. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of how to create a bootable macOS El Capitan 10.11 USB flash drive, ensuring you have a reliable tool at your disposal.

Before starting make sure you have the following items ready:

  • A Mac computer running OS X 10.6.8 or later.
  • An 8GB or larger USB flash drive.
  • A stable internet connection.
  • Access to a Mac running a newer version of macOS to download the El Capitan installer.

Release Date and System Requirements

macOS El Capitan 10.11, often referred to as simply “El Capitan,” was the twelfth major release of Apple’s Mac operating system.

  • El Capitan was officially released by Apple on September 30, 2015 and was first announced during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 8, 2015.
  • System requirements for macOS 10.11 El Capitan
    • Mac computer with an Intel processor (Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon)
    • 2 GB of RAM (memory)
    • 8 GB of available storage space
    • Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later (Snow Leopard or later)
    • Some features required compatible internet service provider
  • Apple ended support for El Capitan in September 2021, Apple typically offers support for the three most recent major releases. Considering this, it is likely that El Capitan reached its end of support from Apple sometime after the release of macOS 10.14 Mojave.

macOS El Capitan is compatible with the following Mac computers:

  • iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)

Check Your Current Mac Model

To check your current Mac model, you can follow these steps:

  • Click on the Apple logo () in the top left corner of your screen.
  • Select “About This Mac” from the dropdown menu. A window will appear with an overview of your Mac’s information.
  • In the “Overview” tab, you should see information about your Mac, including the model name and the release year.

If you need more specific information about your Mac’s hardware configuration, you can click on the “System Report…” button in the same window. This will open the System Information application, where you can find detailed information about your Mac’s hardware components and specifications.

Download the El Capitan Installer

  • On a Mac running a newer version of Mac OS, open the App Store.
  • Search for “El Capitan” in the App Store, or directly visit the following link: Download El Capitan
  • Click the “Download” button to download the El Capitan installer. The file will be saved in the Applications folder by default.
  • You can also download El Capitan directly from the Apple web site without having to go through the App Store at the following link: Download macOS El Capitan 10.11.

Prepare the USB Flash Drive       mac os el capitan usb flash drive

  • Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac.
  • Open the “Disk Utility” application. You can find it in the Applications/Utilities folder or by searching for it using Spotlight (Cmd + Space).
  • In Disk Utility, select your USB flash drive from the list of drives on the left-hand side.
  • Click on the “Erase” tab.
  • Choose “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” as the format and give it a name (e.g., “El Capitan USB”).
  • Click the “Erase” button to format the USB flash drive. This will erase all existing data on the drive, so make sure you have a backup if necessary.

Create the Bootable USB Flash Drive

  • Open Terminal from the Applications/Utilities folder or by searching for it in Spotlight.
  • In Terminal, type the following command and press Enter:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/El\ Capitan\ USB –applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app –nointeraction

  • You will be prompted to enter your administrator password. Note that when typing the password, you won’t see any characters on the screen.
  • Ensure that you replace “El\ Capitan\ USB” in the command with the name you provided to your USB flash drive.
  • Terminal will display some progress messages, and the process may take a while. Be patient and do not interrupt it.
  • Once the process is complete, Terminal will display “Copy Complete” and “Done.” This indicates that the bootable USB flash drive has been created successfully.

Install El Capitan

  • Keep the USB flash drive connected to your Mac.
  • Restart your Mac and hold down the “Option” key immediately upon hearing the startup chime.
  • The Mac will display the Startup Manager, showing all available boot drives.
  • Select the USB flash drive labeled “Install macOS El Capitan” using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
  • Press Enter to start the installation process.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to install macOS El Capitan on your Mac.

Congratulations! You have successfully created a bootable macOS El Capitan USB flash drive. This can be useful for installing or upgrading macOS on multiple computers, performing clean installations, or troubleshooting startup issues. Remember to safely eject the USB flash drive after use. Enjoy your El Capitan experience!

The Mac Medic Utility Option

If you don’t want to go through the process of downloading the El Capitan installer and making a bootable USB flash drive, there’s another option available. You can buy the Mac Medic Utility for macOS El Capitan, which comes on a bootable USB flash drive. It also includes clear instructions on how to perform a full installation or upgrade of El Capitan on your Mac. To purchase the Mac Medic Utility for El Capitan, simply click on the following link: Mac Medic Utility for El Capitan.

Conclusion:

A bootable macOS El Capitan USB flash drive is a handy tool for fixing problems, reinstalling the operating system, or troubleshooting issues with your Mac. This guide has give you the simple steps to create a bootable USB flash drive drive. Remember to store the USB drive safe place where it can easily be accessed if your computer develops system issues. Also make sure to update the USB when newer OS versions are available. With this tool, you’ll be prepared to tackle any Mac-related problems with confidence.

Article 107: MacMedicStore.com