{"id":35879579,"url":"https://github.com/longqt-sea/macos-iso-builder","last_synced_at":"2026-05-08T09:02:30.336Z","repository":{"id":321629017,"uuid":"1086588294","full_name":"LongQT-sea/macos-iso-builder","owner":"LongQT-sea","description":"Generate bootable macOS installer ISO or DMG images directly from Apple servers via GitHub Actions - no Mac required. 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A script (`mkmaciso`) that uses only macOS built-in tools and commands to download and install the full macOS installer from Apple's servers into **/Applications**, and then creates bootable ISO/DMG images.\n2. GitHub Action workflows that run `mkmaciso` on Azure datacenter-hosted Mac minis if you don't have macOS.\n\n## Before you start\n\nCheck [Release page](https://github.com/LongQT-sea/mkmaciso/releases/latest) first - someone might've already built what you need. If not, see [How to use](#how-to-use) to build your own.\n\n\u003e [!Important]\n\u003e GitHub-hosted runners are a free public resource — please use them responsibly.\n\n## Disk Image Formats\n\n| | ISO | DMG |\n|---|---|---|\n| Best for | Virtual Machines | Bootable USB |\n| VM Support | Attach as virtual DVD | Attach as virtual hard disk |\n| Layout | Hybrid UDF/HFS | Raw GPT disk image |\n\n**ISO files** - These work great for VMs *(Proxmox, QEMU, VirtualBox, VMware)*. Just attach them like a virtual DVD. They'll even mount in Windows if you need to poke around inside.\n\n**DMG files** - Flash these to a USB drive with [Rufus](https://rufus.ie/en/#download) *(Windows)*, `dd` *(Linux)*, or `asr` *(macOS)* to make bootable installation media. For VM use, convert them to `.vhd` *(for Hyper-V)* or `.vmdk` *(for VMware)* with `qemu-img`. QEMU/Proxmox can use the raw disk image without conversion.\n\u003e Note: DMG files ship with a `.img` suffix *(e.g. macOS_Sequoia.dmg.img)* so Rufus can find them without switching to \"All files\" in Explorer.\n\n## Supported versions\n\nPretty much everything from OS X Lion (10.7, 2011) through the latest macOS Tahoe (26, 2025). Full list:\n\nLion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia, Tahoe.\n\n---\n\n## How to use\n\n### Don't have macOS? Use GitHub Actions\n\n\u003e [!TIP]\n\u003e \u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003e \u003csummary\u003eClick here to watch a visual guide (GIF)\u003c/summary\u003e\n\u003e\n\u003e ![How to fork and run workflow](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LongQT-sea/macos-iso-builder/main/.github/how_to_fork_and_run_workflow.gif)\n\u003e\n\u003e \u003c/details\u003e\n\n1. [Click here](https://github.com/LongQT-sea/macos-iso-builder/fork) to Fork this repository (requires a GitHub account).\n2. Navigate to the **Actions** tab in your forked repository.\n3. Click the green **\"I understand my workflows, go ahead and enable them\"** button.\n4. Select a workflow from the left sidebar:\n   * **Recovery ISO** *(recommended)* - Small recovery image, builds in 2-5 minutes. Good for VMs.\n   * **Full Installer** - Complete offline installer, 5-18GB, takes 5-60 minutes to build.\n5. Click the **\"Run workflow\"** button and configure the workflow inputs:\n\n   * **macOS version** – Choose a version (*Sequoia*, *Sonoma*, etc.).\n   * **Image format** – Choose `iso` for virtual machines or `dmg` for bootable USB drives.\n6. Click the green **\"Run workflow\"** button to start the build, then wait for the workflow to complete.\n7. Once completed, reload the page and scroll down to the **Artifacts** section. Click the artifact link to start downloading (e.g., `macOS_Sequoia_15.7.4.iso`).\n8. **Recovery ISO** artifacts are zipped — unzip before use.\n\n---\n\n### Already have macOS? Run `mkmaciso` locally\n\nQuick run using Terminal.app (change `tahoe` to whatever you want):\n```bash\ncurl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LongQT-sea/mkmaciso/main/mkmaciso | bash -s tahoe\n```\n\nOr download the script first, then run with parameters:\n```bash\ncurl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LongQT-sea/mkmaciso/main/mkmaciso\nchmod +x mkmaciso\n./mkmaciso --help\n```\n\nRunning `./mkmaciso` without arguments gives you an interactive menu.\n\n---\n\n## Tips\n\nFor VMs, just attach the ISO as a virtual CD drive. Proxmox users — if you want better performance, look into GPU passthrough. I have another repo ([OpenCore-ISO](https://github.com/LongQT-sea/OpenCore-ISO)) that might help with installation, and one for [Intel iGPU passthrough](https://github.com/LongQT-sea/intel-igpu-passthru) specifically.\n\nFor bootable USB drives, after you flash the DMG there will be leftover space on the drive. You can use that to create a FAT32 partition for your EFI folder if you need one.\n\nIf you're using `dd` on Linux, triple-check your target device. `dd` doesn't ask for confirmation.\n\n## Requirements for mkmaciso\n\n- macOS 10.9 or newer (11+ is better)\n- Intel Mac recommended, Apple Silicon works but with some limitations\n- 20-40GB of free space while building\n- Internet connection\n- sudo access\n\n## Credits\n\nApple for macOS and their update servers, [Mavericks Forever](https://mavericksforever.com/) for documenting the Mavericks recovery protocol, and the [InsanelyMac community](https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/338810-create-legit-copy-of-macos-from-apple-catalog/) for their research on downloading macOS directly from Apple's catalog.\n\n## Legal stuff\n\nThis tool downloads macOS images directly from Apple's official servers. Users are responsible for complying with [Apple's Software License Agreement](https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/). macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc.\n\nLicensed under GPLv3.\n","project_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Flongqt-sea%2Fmacos-iso-builder","html_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/projects/github.com%2Flongqt-sea%2Fmacos-iso-builder","lists_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Flongqt-sea%2Fmacos-iso-builder/lists"}