How to Perform a Clean Installation of macOS 10.14 Mojave

[ZMacintosh]

i wonder the same thing? I'm a newbie to the Mac OS and how to do clean installs

You have two options:

• Internet Recovery – where you can reinstall the latest version of macOS that your Mac supports / is available

• Using the method outlined here, although it is convoluted, here is Apple's KB on this particular process:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

though Mojave will need a specific command to create an installer:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave\ Beta.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Mojave --nointeraction --downloadassets

 

[wesley96]

From your screenshot it looks like you have a 256GB SSD drive in your iMac already. Which would explain why you have APFS working.

I think you are confusing me with someone who posted a screenshot. I haven’t uploaded mine here, although yes, I have a SSD-only setup (tad larger at 4TB), that’s why I said mine did not have a Fusion Drive.

 

[Marx55]

Mind providing a bit more detailed steps? Guys here are confused with your way.

It is utterly easy.

1. Download macOS installer in any Mac.
2. Open it and install into desired disk, like pendrive.
3. Boot from such pendrive and install any macOS (previously downloaded) into any disk.

 

[ThirteenXIII]

It is utterly easy.

1. Download macOS installer in any Mac.
2. Open it and install into desired disk, like pendrive.
3. Boot from such pendrive and install any macOS (previously downloaded) into any disk.

doesn't make sense, it will take significantly more time to run your method of installing a full OS on an external drive then, option boot to the recovery partition of THAT newly created drive than it would be to simply run the commands that have been posted, multiple times, even from apples website just to create the installer media (recovery disks).
The single command will create the recovery/installer in less than 5 minutes most likely. which is the whole point of this article. lol

 

[iTurbo]

Will this clean install method (original post) work using an SDXC card instead of a USB thumb drive on my 27" iMac (late 2012)?

 

[kagharaht]

What if you have media from like Family Videos you custom tag. I have family DV tapes I converted to work on iTunes Library and custom tags and artwork. Do I have to rebuild those from scratch?

 

[uneeko1ne]

You have two options:

• Internet Recovery – where you can reinstall the latest version of macOS that your Mac supports / is available

• Using the method outlined here, although it is convoluted, here is Apple's KB on this particular process:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

though Mojave will need a specific command to create an installer:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave\ Beta.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Mojave --nointeraction --downloadassets

Thank you for the info

 

[Knosis]

This article guides you through the process of performing a clean installation of macOS 10.14 Mojave using the bootable USB drive method, rather than upgrading your Mac using Apple's standard installation package, which retains existing user data and any user-installed apps.

Creating a bootable USB drive provides you with a convenient way to install a fresh copy of macOS Mojave on multiple Macs. Performing a clean install can also remove annoying quirks and strange behaviors that your Mac may have inherited over time, and often helps to reclaim disk space caused by junk files left by third-party apps.

The following procedure works with the latest public beta of macOS Mojave, which you can download by enrolling in the Apple Beta Software Program. It will also work with the final version of Mojave, once it's released in the fall. To follow the steps, you'll need an empty 8GB or larger USB thumb drive (USB-C or USB-A, depending on your Mac) and an hour or two of downtime while the installation procedure completes.

Also, be sure to perform a full backup of your Mac beforehand using Time Machine, so that you can restore your original system from the Recovery partition if something goes wrong.


Click here to read more...

Article Link: How to Perform a Clean Installation of macOS 10.14 Mojave

[doublepost=1536518780][/doublepost]I can't the the beta to install on my machine because I have a fusion drive. I thought apple said that Mojave would support fusion drives. Does anyone know what's up with this issue?

 

[tricil]

What if you have media from like Family Videos you custom tag. I have family DV tapes I converted to work on iTunes Library and custom tags and artwork. Do I have to rebuild those from scratch?

yeah sounds like those files are in your Users folder. make sure you back it up and bring it over or just upgrade and not clean install.
[doublepost=1536521604][/doublepost]

You have two options:

• Internet Recovery – where you can reinstall the latest version of macOS that your Mac supports / is available

• Using the method outlined here, although it is convoluted, here is Apple's KB on this particular process:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

though Mojave will need a specific command to create an installer:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave\ Beta.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Mojave --nointeraction --downloadassets

I take it the "download assets" is the mojave-specific option here? Makes sense because the installer is only a few MB

 

[tricil]

I don’t have a Mac handy, but what part didn’t work? Can you not choose an empty volume as a destination?

the specific error it throws when you try and to this on an APFS Volume is this:

To use this tool, you must download the macOS installer application on a Mac with 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. For more information, please see the following: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201372.

 

[redpandadev]

Has anyone ever done a file comparison of the entire drive (diff, maybe?) with the following methods:

A) Clean install High Sierra (or any previous version)
B) Upgrade to latest version

-vs-

Clean install latest version

I'd bet that the result is nearly identical. The only files that would have any difference is some caches (removable) and some extras that were included in the previous version but not the newer version (wallpapers come to mind). I might try this one day just for the sake of having some hard data. I'm in the no need to do a clean install just do an upgrade camp, but I guess my mind could be changed if the outcome of the above scenario showed something more significant...

 

[ZMacintosh]

yeah sounds like those files are in your Users folder. make sure you back it up and bring it over or just upgrade and not clean install.
[doublepost=1536521604][/doublepost]

I take it the "download assets" is the mojave-specific option here? Makes sense because the installer is only a few MB

The download assets is an optional flag you dont have to include it, but it will help to download any model/device specific software/firmware ahead of time (typically good for enterprise environments that may have restricted network access unless you have profiles installed).

But the reason the installer is ~20MB vs 5-8GB is you may need to try downloading a different version of the installer as it detects an existing similar OS.

you can also try this terminal command to clear out the software update catalog and relaunch the App Store and try to download the full installer again:

sudo softwareupdate --clear-catalog

 

[Icy1007]

APFS is coming for Fusion drive users in the near future.

 

[tricil]

Has anyone ever done a file comparison of the entire drive (diff, maybe?) with the following methods:

A) Clean install High Sierra (or any previous version)
B) Upgrade to latest version

-vs-

Clean install latest version

I'd bet that the result is nearly identical. The only files that would have any difference is some caches (removable) and some extras that were included in the previous version but not the newer version (wallpapers come to mind). I might try this one day just for the sake of having some hard data. I'm in the no need to do a clean install just do an upgrade camp, but I guess my mind could be changed if the outcome of the above scenario showed something more significant...

The table on this page kind of goes with you:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Command (⌘)-R
Install the latest macOS that was installed on your Mac, without upgrading to a later version.*

Option-Command-R
Upgrade to the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.**

Shift-Option-Command-R
Requires macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later Install the macOS that came with your Mac, or the version closest to it that is still available.

 

[waziazi]

If I have the beta installed and they release the final version, will all I have to do is do an update and thats it? No major changes?

I am debating weather I should wait for the final release or just do a clean install with the beta. Thoughts?

 

[JPamplin]

I've had a 2011 27" iMac with 2 SATA3 500GB Samsung EVO's in a RAID0 boot volume. Using Apple's Disk Utility.

Can I FINALLY install Mojave on this volume? 10.13 wouldn't even allow it, so I've been on 10.12.6 for a couple of years.

 

[Macrox14]

As the final version is released, this totally worked to me:
https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/9il6un/tip_you_can_do_a_clean_install_to_macos_mojave_by/

PS Don’t forget to delete the disk in Disk Utility

 

[burkettkl8]

Hi,

I just have a few quick general questions about this update...

1. If it shows up in my updates through the current App Store and it has the Free Upgrade button attached to it, can I still go ahead and upgrade to it without going through this process provided or would it be best to go through this process anyway?...
Here is what I'm currently using:

• Device: Mid-2014 MacBook Pro w/ Retina Display
• OS: macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra

It appears that I don't have a Fusion drive to worry about as others on this blog are concerned about...

2. I can provide some screenshots if requested...
3. I'm disabled and may need some assistance with explanations and walk-throughs as I'm not very tech-savvy with new upgrades such as these... Previously, I've done them through this process and they've all been successful thus far... So, please be mindful when responding to this reply...
4. Is this the new process of receiving upgrades in the future?...

Thanks so much for understanding and look forward to hearing from you all soon...

Sincerely,

Kayla Burkett from Ohio

 

[ChrisChaval]

being a completely new OS version (10.14), in other words an upgrade, you will not find Mojave just checking for updates. You will need to search for it using the search feature of the App Store

the OS is free to download and the installer weighs around 6 gb so it will take some time to download

minor updates to this new OS you will see in the App Store as updates, as usual (e.g. 10.14.1, .2, .3 etc)

If I were you I would just do a complete time machine backup and then launch the Mojave installer from within high Sierra, instead of doing a clean install (what people are discussing in this thread)

once the installer has been completely downloaded, the upgrade procedure will launch automatically. from there you are just a few clicks and reboots away from mojave

to be on the safe side, just make sure you back up your data before upgrading (you never know ..)


having said that, please keep in mind that it might be better to wait for version 10.4.1 oder 10.14.2 before upgrading, as .0 releases tend to be buggy

If you do not desperately need Mojave for some reason, it might be advisable to wait, as downgrading to high Sierra is possible but requires some work (in that case, a reinstall from your high Sierra Time machine backup would be the easiest and fastest option)

 

[vulcanite]

I tried this method of clean install as described in the article. There is a problem with the USB installer though, it didn't detect either my Magic Mouse 2 or Magic Trackpad. The installer was stuck at the screen trying to detect a wireless keyboard and mouse. Unfortunately, I didn't have a spare wired mouse. The trick is to connect the trackpad to the iMac's USB port using the lighting cable. The trackpad was immediately detected and the installation proceeded with no hassles from there on.

 

[ChrisChaval]

I did two clean installs (MB Air and Mac mini) without any issues

 

[Tofupunch]

I personally prefer using Disk Utility to create a brand new partition and initiating the Mojave installer from the existing High Sierra partitions... It is the equivalent of a clean install and I have found no drawbacks so far...

Could you outline the steps for me? When the dialog box asks if i want to create a new partition or a volume, would i be selecting partition? Trying to do a clean install without too much fuss.
[doublepost=1539034964][/doublepost]

Won't ⌘⌥R do the same? Just launch disk utility in Recovery mode to erase the drive, then let it install.

would i have to download mojave onto a usb to do this? Or would i just download mojave from the app store, then go into recovery mode? does this step require adding a partition or a volume? Trying to do a clean install but this is my first time. Thanks!

 

[burkettkl8]

Thanks so much... I will try to wait it out a little longer... Fortunately, I don't need this one right away...

Thanks again for all your help...

Kayla

 

[username:]

It did not install onto my USB. Also now my USB won't work at all. So I have a broken USB drive that worked excellently before I tried this. Thanks MacRumors!

 

[Taylormade2]

Attempted these instructions but received an error "You must specify a volume path."

Used this instead from another article and it worked:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Corsair -- /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app