I purchased a used 2018 Mac mini desktop and wanted to put a fresh installation of the latest macOS 10.15 Catalina on it. Below are the steps I took.

Note: The instructions below are the same for macOS 10.13 High Sierra and macOS 10.14 Mojave.

MacOS Catalina, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, is now available as a free software update. With macOS Catalina, users are able to enjoy Apple Arcade, a groundbreaking new game subscription service featuring new, exclusive games from some of the world’s most creative developers. How to Perform a Clean Install of macOS Catalina. Download macOS Catalina from the Mac App Store Direct Link. Once the download is complete, close the installer window by selecting the Quit. Download macOS Catalina 10.15 Installer It may seem quite simple to download an update for macOS by going to System Preferences Software Update. But, the size of these updates varies based on. To make a bootable copy of the MacOS Catalina installer follow these steps. First, use the direct download link which should open in the App Store. Click 'Get' in order to begin the download. Second, when the download finishes, you can follow the instructions if needed on how to make a bookable MacOS installer for Catalina. The problem we face when putting Catalina on older Macs is that, hidden deep within the operating system itself, there is a script that checks what machine you are trying to install it on. If this script detects that your chosen machine is too old, the Catalina installer will quit automatically.

Download macOS Catalina

You will need a Mac to download macOS Catalina; you can download Catalina from The Mac Go. (The Mac mini came with macOS 10.14 Mojave so I used it to download Catalina.)

Go to the Mac App Store, search for “macOS Catalina”, and download it. It will be saved to the “/Applications/Install macOS Catalina” location. If the installer automatically launches, just close it.

Note: If you plan to run the installer first to update your current macOS version to Catalina, you will want to move the “Install macOS Catalina” application out of the “/Applications” directory; otherwise, the installer will delete itself from the “/Applications” directory when the upgrade completes. For example, you can move the “Install macOS Catalina” application to the “~/Downloads” directory and run it from there.

Format USB Flash Drive

Because macOS Catalina is 8.4GB in size, you will need a 16GB USB flash drive. You don’t need to delete the existing content on the drive because we will blow it all away in a subsequent step.

If the USB flash drive is not already formatted as “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”, format it like so:

1. Plug the USB flash drive into your Mac.
2. Launch the “Disk Utility” application.
3. On the left-hand pane, select the USB drive (not the partition under it, if any).
4. Click on the “Erase” tab (or button at the top).
   1. Input a name like “Catalina” (this name will be overwritten later).
   2. Select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” for “Format”.
   3. If available, select “Master Boot Record” for “Scheme”.
   4. Click the “Erase” button at the bottom. Click the “Erase” button in the warning popup dialog if you get one.
5. The format operation may take several minutes to complete. (USB 2.0 and large capacity drives may take longer.) After the format completes, the partition will be mounted under “/Volumes/Catalina” (or whatever name you selected above).
6. Close the “Disk Utility” application.

Write macOS Catalina to USB Flash Drive

To create a bootable USB macOS Catalina installer, run the “Terminal” application and this command:

Note: If the createinstallmedia command returns a “Failed to start erase of disk due to error (-9999, 0)” error, then your current Mac OS X version does not fully support the createinstallmedia tool. Use a more recent macOS version (at least Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan) or manually create the USB installation drive using instructions from Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

The “createinstallmedia” program will erase the USB flash drive, create a new partition named “Install macOS Catalina”, and copy the installation files to that partition. The output will look like:

The above process took 20-30 minutes using my Kingston USB 2.0 flash drive.

Boot From USB Flash Drive

Note: Apple’s How to create a bootable installer for macOS page suggest using the “Startup Disk” configuration (under “System Preferences”) to select the USB flash drive as the startup drive. Then on restart, the Mac should boot from the USB flash drive. Unfortunately, the “Startup Disk” did not list my USB flash drive as a startup option, so I was not able to use this method.

To boot a Mac with the USB flash drive:

1. Insert the USB flash drive.
2. While holding the “option” key down, turn on the Mac to display the Startup Manager.
3. You should see one or more icons, one of which should be called “Install macOS Catalina” for the USB flash drive. (The internal hard drive may not be visible if it does not have a valid, bootable partition installed.)
   • Note: If you don’t see the USB flash drive’s “Install macOS Catalina”, try removing and re-inserting the USB flash drive while viewing the Startup Manager screen. The USB flash drive should then appear after a few seconds.
4. Select the “Install macOS Catalina” (with left/right arrow keys) and hit the “return/enter” key to boot from the USB flash drive.

It may take 5-10 minutes to load the installer from the USB flash drive. Sometimes the progress bar may appear to be frozen or the screen will go black for a minute or two. Be patient.

External Startup Disk Not Allowed

On a newer Mac with the T2 security chip, booting from an external drive may be disallowed by default. Attempting to boot from a USB flash drive will result in a “Security settings do not allow this Mac to use an external startup disk” warning message.

To allow booting from the USB flash drive, do the following:

1. Hold down “Command-R” (hold down both the “Command ⌘” and “R” keys) when you start the Mac to launch macOS Recovery. You can release the keys when you see the Apple logo.
   • Tip: An easier alternative is to hold the “Option/Alt” key on boot to launch the Startup Manager. Then just click and release “Command-R” keys to launch macOS Recovery.
2. The macOS Recovery screen contains a top-level “macOS Utilities” menu.
3. Click on the “Utilities” menu and select “Startup Security Utility”. Input your administrator password when prompted.
4. In the Startup Security Utility, under “Allowed Boot Media”, select the “Allow booting from external or removable media” option.
5. If the Mac won’t have access to the Internet (either by wire or wirelessly) when installing macOS Catalina, make sure to select either the “Medium Security” or “No Security” option under the “Secure Boot” section. (You can change the option back to the default “Full Security” afterwards.)
6. Quit the macOS Utilities to restart the Mac.
7. On restart, follow the directions in the previous section to boot from the USB flash drive.

Erase the Internal Hard Drive

When the installer finishes loading, you will see a “macOS Utilities” screen appear. It looks the same as the “macOS Recovery” screen with one difference. In the “macOS Utilities” window, the second option will say “Install macOS” instead of “Reinstall macOS”. In “macOS Recovery”, the “Reinstall macOS” option would just re-install the same version of macOS. The “Install macoS” option will install the macOS Catalina version on the USB flash drive.

Before installing macOS, I wanted a clean slate so I erased the internal hard drive like so:

1. Select the “Disk Utility” option and click the “Continue” button on the bottom to launch the “Disk Utility” application.
2. On the left-hand pane, select the internal hard drive (not the partition under it, if any).
3. Click on the “Erase” button at the top.
   1. Keep the default “Macintosh HD” name or input a new one.
   2. Select “APFS” for “Format”.
   3. Click the “Erase” button at the bottom. The SSD (Solid State Drive) format took less than a minute to complete.
4. Close the “Disk Utility” application.

Install macOS Catalina

Warning: If your Mac has a T2 security chip and you left the “Full Security” option configured in the Startup Security Utility, make sure that Internet access (wired or wireless) is available before starting the macOS Catalina installation. You can configure the wireless network by clicking on the wireless icon at the top-right corner of the macOS Utilities screen.

Back at the “macOS Utilities” window, do the following to start the macOS Catalina installation:

1. Click on the “Install macOS” option and click the “Continue” button.
2. The “macOS Catalina” installer’s splash screen will appear. Click the “Continue” button.
3. Click on the “Agree” button to agree to the license. A popup confirmation window will appear; click on the popup’s “Agree” button.
4. Select the internal hard drive and click the “Install” button.

My Mac mini took 20-30 minutes to complete the macOS Catalina installation. I think there were a couple of reboots in-between. And a few times, the screen would go black for a minute or two. Be patient and give the process an hour or more to complete.

If you run into problems installing macOS Catalina, check the “What Does Giving Up Mean?” section (at the bottom) of Install macOS Sierra Using Bootable USB Flash Drive for possible solutions.

Note: macOS Catalina seems to have an issue with my Dell 24in U2410 monitor. During the initial bootup screen, the monitor shows a blank screen with a message, “The current input timing is not supported by the monitor display”. Thankfully, the monitor works correctly after the bootup completes. And later, this warning message no longer appeared on bootup.

Enjoy your fresh installation of macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Get AnyDesk for macOS

Download the new version for macOS Catalina. This can be done by checking the app store for updates (for macOS High Sierra and earlier) or checking system preferences for updates (for macOS Mojave or later). Check the time on your macOS. A wrong date on your macOS can cause serious installation problems for you. I have successfully created a macOS Mojave bootable USB from macOS. Then I thought I should back up the partition of the macOS installer and share it with everyone who wants to use it from Windows. I have created two partition image files, the first is Clover Bootloader and the second one is macOS installer. Important - end of support for macOS 10.10 (Yosemite): Version 6.0.2 is the last to support macOS 10.10 (Yosemite). We strongly recommend upgrading to newer macOS version in order to receive further AnyDesk updates. This is how to install macOS Sierra on your desktop computer without a mac. Use this tutorial to get your potential hackintosh setup running quickly in only an hours time with a recent generation of Intel CPU/Mobo combo. This guide has been configured to run up to macOS Sierra 10.12.6. Although Apple has hidden Sierra in the App Store following the release of High Sierra, but it can still be.

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AnyDesk for Mac provides the features and tools you need to connect with desktops or servers in any location. Our remote desktop app ensures a stable, secure, and super-fast connection. It can be individually tailored to your specific operations, thanks to flexible license models. Set up is quick and simple.

Stable and Secure - The AnyDesk Remote Desktop for macOS

The macOS desktop client from AnyDesk brings high frame rates and low latency, amounting to reliable stability and breathtaking speed. AnyDesk’s proprietary DeskRT codec compresses and transfers image data efficiently without loss of quality and ensures near-instant response times.drop support:
Address book supports moving and copying items via drag'n'drop. Create desktop shortcuts for AnyDesk sessions via drag'n'drop

12 Nov 2020

• Support for new macOS:
  Added support for new macOS 11 Big Sur.
• Support for new hardware:
  Added support for new Apple Silicon hardware.
• File manager layout bug:
  Fixed issue with File Manager UI layut under certain situations.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

7 Oct 2020

• Session recording:
  Separated settings for incoming and outgoing automatic session recording.
• Security improvement:
  Security improved for configurations with AnyDesk service installed.
• Remote mouse cursor shape:
  Fixed bug when remote mouse cursor has a wrong shape when using specific applications.

22 Sep 2020

• Important - end of support for macOS 10.10 (Yosemite):
  Version 6.0.2 is the last to support macOS 10.10 (Yosemite). We strongly recommend upgrading to newer macOS version in order to receive further AnyDesk updates.
• Settings improvement:
  Improved Settings for Interactive access.
• User interface fixes:
  Fixed menu actions for File Transfer and VPN sessions. Main window startup position issue fixed. Main window startup position issue fixed.
• Screen recording permissions:
  Fixed Screen Recording permission detection for Chinese users.

26 Aug 2020

• Improved iOS support:
  Support for improved connections to iOS devices.
• Speed dial bugfix:
  Fixed disabled context menu on Speed Dial items.

6 Aug 2020

• Two-Factor Authentication:
  When enabled, an additional dialog will be shown after authentication by password or token, requesting a time-based one-time password provided by a third device. This feature requires an app supporting TOTP..
• Wake-on-Lan:
  When enabled, devices running AnyDesk that are currently in sleep mode can be woken up by other AnyDesk devices in the same local network.
• Speed dial improvement:
  Hide individual item groups in Speed Dial.
• Keyboard layout:
  Fixed bug when keyboard layout does not match to input into Unattended Access password dialog.
• Speed dial bugfix:
  Fixed issue which prevented renaming of Speed Dial items.
• Incorrect online state:
  Fixed issue when sleeping mac reported incorrect online state.
• Important - support for macOS 10.10 (Yosemite):
  We plan to discontinue macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) support soon. We strongly recommend upgrading to newer macOS version.

17 Jul 2020

• VPN connection:
  With this mode two PCs can be put into a private network over a secured connection.
• Support for 2FA:
  Added support for connecting to Two-factor authentication enabled hosts.
• TCP tunnel automated action:
  Run user script when TCP tunnel is connected.
• Installation procedure:
  Drag'n'drop to Applications folder installation method is offered by default now (legacy install method is still supported).
• New menu option:
  Install Anydesk Service menu option added.
• Support for macOS Big Sur beta:
  Fixed application crash on macOS Big Sur beta.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

15 Jun 2020

• Bugfix:
  Fixed software update notification.

10 Jun 2020

• Address Book view mode:
  Thumbnail view mode has been added to Address Book.
• Split Full Screen experience:
  Split Full Screen experience enabled for Connection Window and Address Book.
• Automatic startup:
  Option to disable automatic startup of AnyDesk has been added.
• Compatibility with mobile devices:
  Keyboard input from mobile devices improved.
• Connection type icon:
  Connection type icon is now displayed correctly.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

7 May 2020

• Access Control List:
  New feature Access Control List (or white list for incoming connections) is now available.
• Multiple sessions:
  Added support for multiple session windows.
• Address Book:
  Address Book improved for better usability.
• Privacy permissions:
  Improved macOS privacy permissions handling.
• Compatibility:
  Improved compatibility with 3rd party software.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

21 Apr 2020

• Crash bugfix:
  Fixed a crash when user account picture is not set.

17 Apr 2020

• TCP Tunnels:
  New TCP Tunneling (or Port-Forwrding) feature added.
• Address Book new design:
  Address Book has been completely redesigned for easier usage.
• Start/Stop of session recording:
  It is now possible to start/stop recording during the active session.
• New information windows:
  Added new System Information window and redesigned the About window.
• Discovery feature security:
  Significantly improved security of Discovery feature.
• Accept window security:
  Significantly improved security of Accept window.
• Power usage improvement:
  Optimised power usage for mac laptops.
• Improved mouse scrolling:
  Mouse scroll sensitivity adjusted.
• Remote restart:
  Fixed remote restart issue on some configurations.
• UI bug fixes:
  Fixed Password change UI for unattended access. Fixed Proxy configuration settings UI.

2 Apr 2020

• Error handling:
  Improved error handling.
• Privacy permissions:
  Better macOS privacy permissions handling.

Download Os Catalina Installer Usb

7 Feb 2020

• Enhanced usability:
  Host key option allows users to use Right Command key to control the local macOS while connected to remote device.
• Improved compatibility with Android devices:
  Added support for Home and Back buttons when connected to Android device.
• Installer improvement:
  Reduced number of user password requests in AnyDesk installer.
• AnyDesk remote update:
  Fixed issue when user is not able to reconnect after updating AnyDesk remotely.
• Custom Client on Yosemite:
  Fixed crash on macOS 10.10 Yosemite related to custom AnyDesk configurations.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

14 Jan 2020

• File manager:
  File Manager upload function fixed.
• Reconnect after AnyDesk update:
  Fixed issue when user unable to reconnect after installing AnyDesk update.
• Connection retry attempt:
  Fixed crash on multiple connection retry attempt.
• Keyboard input:
  Improved keyboard input handling.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

11 Dec 2019

• Accept window minimize:
  It is now possible to minimize the Accept window into the Dock.
• Installation process:
  Installation process has been improved.
• Recent sessions list:
  Fixed display of client name in recent sessions list.
• Remove displays:
  Fixed indicator of remote displays.
• Chat:
  Fixed crash on incoming chat message.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

Catalina Os Installation Time

4 Dec 2019

• New Privacy feature:
  Enabling privacy mode during a session will turn off the monitor on the remote side so the screen content is hidden.
• Blocking user input:
  Mouse and keyboard input can now blocked for the computer being controlled.
• Automatic screen lock:
  New option to automatically lock remote screen when session ended.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

18 Nov 2019

• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

Macos Catalina Unable To Install Macos

5 Nov 2019

• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

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21 Oct 2019

• New features:
  Incoming connections are now displayed in the AnyDesk Dock icon
• Bugfix:
  Fixed issue when user is unable to reconnect to macOS Catalina and Mojave after remote restart.
• Fixes:
  Fixed couple of small bugs.

10 Oct 2019

• Fixes:
  Fixed update function in new version notification and minor bugfixes.

Catalina Os X Installer

8 Oct 2019

• Fixes:
  Fixed crash on macOS 10.15 Catalina for remove keyboard input.

8 Oct 2019

• New features:
  Added Discovery feature and better support for macOS 10.15 Catalina
• Fixes:
  Minor bugfixes

6 Jun 2019

• Redesign:
  New user interface design.
• Fixes:
  Minor bugfixes.

Installer Mac Os Catalina Sur Vmware

12 Oct 2018

• File manager:
  File Manager now available on macOS.
• Screenshots:
  Screenshots are now stored to the Desktop.
• Speed Dial items:
  Solved loss of Speed Dial items issue.

13 Jul 2018

• Enhanced Usability:
  Implemented custom context menu for AnyDesk ID (claim alias, show alias/show id, copy address).
• Claim Alias now available:
  Implemented claim alias feature for macOS, users can now choose an alias.
• Keyboard Usability:
  During a session, the hotkeys of macOS are disabled locally so they can be transmitted to the remote side.
• Incoming file manager session refreshes:
  Folder content was not refreshed on the remote side on copying files. The file manager view now refreshes automatically.
• Compatibility for file manager session:
  Incoming file transfer sessions did not allow to change directory to folders containing a space character.
• Usability:
  Select and Copy using Command+C now works on the AnyDesk ID.
• Keep session alive:
  AnyDesk now prevents macOS from going to sleep mode when there is an active session.
• Request elevation improved:
  Fixed an issue in the request elevation feature.

14 Jun 2018

Macos Catalina Cannot Be Installed On Untitled

• Fixed Bug:
  In some cases, the installation did not work at the first attempt. This should now always succeed on the first entry of the admin password.
• Fixed Bug:
  The clipoard did not work when connecting to macOS. The clipboard should now work in any case, including clipboard file transfer. Please click the file button at the top of the AnyDesk window in order to receive files from the clipboard on macOS.
• Fixed Bug:
  Improved stability.
• Fixed Bug:
  Removed the warning that the file is downloaded from the internet.

11 Apr 2018

• Address Book:
  The macOS version now supports your license’s shared address books.
• Session recording and playback:
  Implemented recording and playback of sessions.
• Connect to the login screen:
  The macOS version also runs as a service and supports connections to the login screen, full unattended access, and user switching.

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