How to Boot with a USB Stick on MacOS – Guide

In 2006, Apple and Microsoft’s rivalry peaked with the “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” hype. However, in 2009, Apple and Microsoft announced their new partnership which will let users debate the merits of their machines.

MSPs must be well versed in Windows and Mac support to provide customers with the care they need when they experience difficulties on any type of operating system. Mac in particular is a particularly difficult platform to support. Our step-by-step instructions for starting a Mac from a USB drive can help you do just that.

How to boot a Mac from USB

Final note

How to Boot with a USB Stick on MacOS If you’re looking to boot your Mac with a USB stick, there are a few things you’ll need to know. First, make sure your computer is up and running. If it isn’t, you’ll need to install the drivers for the USB drive before you can use it. Second, if your computer has an optical drive (like most laptops), you’ll also need to install that too. Finally, if your computer doesn’t have an optical drive or if it’s not compatible with USB drives, you’ll need to find a way to connect the stick to your computer using some form of cable. Once everything is set up and working correctly, you can start booted from the USB stick by following these steps:

  1. Open Finder and select the file called “bootmgfw” from the Applications folder. This will open up Apple’s Boot Manager.
  2. In Boot Manager, locate and select the USB stick that you just inserted into your Mac. The device should now be listed in blue under “USB Devices.”
  3. Click on the “Add” button next to the device and enter in its path (C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\Apple\Boot Camp\bootmgfw). The path should look something like this: C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\Apple\Boot Camp. If everything goes according to plan, Finder will now show a list of devices attached to your Mac - including the newly added USB stick! You can now choose which one of those devices will be used for booting up your Mac.