Boot Buddy For Mac

Installing macOS these days means that you need to have an Internet connection to download the latest release from the Mac App Store.

However, you can also use a bootable USB installer if you know how to make one, seeing that Apple no longer sales such devices since they launched Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

If you do not have the knowledge to create your own macOS USB installer drive using the Terminal, you can always use helper tools such as Boot Buddy, a minimalist and streamlined app designed to help you install macOS without having to wait for the install app to be downloaded from the Mac App Store.

Boot Buddy features a simple user interface which allows you to pick the source macOS installer and the destination USB drive with a free partition it should use to create a new bootable USB installer.

Moreover, although it only allows you to create bootable USB drives using Mac OS 10.9 installers and up, Boot Buddy did not notify us that the OS X 10.8 installer we used is not supported.

Once you click you select them and click the Create button, you will only have to enter your password to allow Boot Buddy to start writing all the necessary files to transform your everyday USB disk into a powerful macOS bootable drive, which should help you save lots of time if you need to install Apple's latest OS release on multiple Macs.

As advertised by Boot Buddy's developer and as we've also observed, the app will finish creating your USB installer in about two to three minutes, maybe a little longer depending on your Mac's hardware.

To use your new macOS USB drive, you just have to restart your Mac and choose it as the boot drive by holding down the ⌥ (Option) key on the keyboard until the boot drive selection screen appears.

After you've booted your Mac using your newly created drive, you just have to follow the on screen directions, and you'll have a fresh macOS installation in no time.

As for downsides, Boot Buddy would benefit from automatic detection of macOS installer apps available in the /Applications folder, as well as drag and drop support for adding the source installer app and the destination drive easier.

In a nutshell, Boot Buddy is the right tool to have in your Mac's Applications folder if you want to save time if you have to install macOS multiple times during the same day or if you do not have an Internet connection available to download the latest macOS release from the Mac App Store.