Make a bootable USB stick on your Mac — to install Windows, macOS or Linux.
Free, simple, and it picks the right settings for you.
⬇︎ Download for Mac · macOS 13 or newer · Apple silicon and Intel
A bootable USB stick lets you install an operating system on a computer. RufusAdvanced makes one for you:
- 🪟 Windows 10 / 11 installer for a PC
- 🍎 macOS installer for a Mac
- 🐧 Linux (Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Debian and more), to try or install
It can also download Windows, macOS and Linux for you, straight from Microsoft, Apple and the Linux projects.
- Download the latest version — the file ending in
.dmg. - Open it and drag RufusAdvanced into your Applications folder.
- Open RufusAdvanced from Applications. If your Mac says it can't be opened, go to System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. (This happens because the app isn't registered with Apple — it's safe and open source.)
Already use Homebrew? Run brew install --cask hashim1999164/tap/rufusadvanced instead.
- Plug in a USB stick.
⚠️ Everything on it will be erased — copy your files off first. - Choose what to put on it: drag a file (
.iso,.dmg, macOS installer…) onto the window, or click macOS, Windows or Linux to download it. - Pick your USB drive and click Create USB, confirm, and type your Mac password. Wait until it says Your USB drive is ready.
That's it — the right settings are chosen automatically. (Want every option, like Rufus? Switch to Advanced at the top of the window.)
Click macOS, then Get Installer next to the version you want. The app downloads it from Apple, installs it into Applications, checks it, and selects it for you. Then click Create USB.
Click Windows, choose the version and your language, click Get download links, then Download & Use. When it's done, pick your USB drive and click Create USB. The options to skip the TPM / Secure Boot check and the Microsoft account sign-in are already turned on.
What size USB stick do I need? 16 GB or more for Windows and macOS. 8 GB is usually enough for Linux.
Why does it ask for my password? macOS only lets you write to a USB stick after you confirm with your password.
Can it erase the wrong disk? No. Your Mac's own disks are never shown — only USB sticks and SD cards.
How do I start a computer from the USB stick? On a PC: plug it in, turn the PC on and press the boot menu key (often F12, F11, F8 or Esc), then pick the USB stick. On a Mac (macOS installer): hold the power button (Apple silicon) or Option ⌥ (Intel) while it starts, then pick the installer.
macOS installer: "The bless of the installer disk failed"? macOS is protecting the USB drive. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access, turn on RufusAdvanced, reopen it and try again.
Something went wrong? Click Log at the bottom of the window, copy it, and open an issue — we'll help.
Is it free? Yes. Free and open source.
More details — every feature and option, the command line tool, building from source: docs/DETAILS.md. Want to help? See CONTRIBUTING.md.
RufusAdvanced is an independent project inspired by and partly based on Rufus by Pete Batard (not affiliated). Credits: docs/DETAILS.md. License: GPLv3.