Install Catalina Mac
- 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.
- Connect the macOS Catalina install drive to the target Mac. Hold down the OPTION key upon system boot, and continue holding Option until you see the Mac boot menu. Choose the macOS Catalina installer volume to boot from. The MacOS Catalina boot disk will allow you to install MacOS Catalina as an upgrade, and also to perform clean installations.
Step 1: Make sure your Mac is connected to a stable Internet within all the following steps. Step 2: Identify it's an Intel or M1 Mac, and immediately do one of the followings. Press and hold Command + Option + R.This allows you to reinstall the latest version of macOS that is compatible with your Mac computer from the internet.
macOS Catalina is slightly outdated since the release of macOS Big Sur in November of 2020. Nevertheless, many users prefer to stick with it because it's much more familiar visually. And it offers a bunch of expanded features, such as a screen extension with an iPad or the new Apple Podcasts app.
The problem is that it might not always work as intended. Glitches in macOS Catalina are commonplace: in fact, all existing operating systems like Mojave or High Sierra could freeze and crash from time to time. No software is immune.
But what do you do in this case? The surefire way to deal with jaded performance is to reinstall macOS Catalina altogether. Read through our guide below to learn how.
How To Reinstall Mac OS Catalina
It’s important to note that when you reinstall macOS Catalina the process simply updates the operating system and doesn’t affect any files on your hard drive or user files or even settings. That makes reinstalling principally different from performing a clean install, which erases everything.
Here are the proper steps to follow to reinstall mac OS Catalina.
1. Back up your Mac first
By default, the best thing you could do before making any significant changes to how your Mac works is to back it up. Backups are just like saves before encountering challenges in video games — represent the point you can always come back to.
There are lots of great backup solutions on the market to suit every need. If you don’t have the time to search for something specific, your Mac features a decent native option — Time Machine.
To get Time Machine started:
- Connect an external USB or WiFi hard drive to your Mac
- Go System Preferences ➙ Time Machine
- Click on Select Backup Disk…
- Press Use Disk
2. Delete junk off your Mac to speed it up
There’s nothing better than the feeling of a brand new Mac with a brand new macOS. If only the latter is new, the experience could be subpar. Trying to get the most out of macOS Catalina on your older machine might be a challenge. But don’t hurry to your local Apple Store just yet — not all is lost.
Just like the dust behind your couch or on the top of your kitchen cupboards, small bits of system files, caches, and hidden libraries tend to aggregate over the years and never get deleted, eventually slowing down everyday processes. While it’s possible to clear out some of them manually, others require specific technical knowledge and lots of time.
Luckily, there’s a professional automatic solution available — CleanMyMac X. Optimizing behind-the-curtain processes on your Mac with CleanMyMac X is no more difficult than clicking a single button:
- Download a free version of CleanMyMac X.
- Open the app and navigate to System Junk in the left-side panel.
- Click Scan and wait for the process to complete.
- When done, press Review Details.
- Uncheck anything you’d like to keep and click Clean.
Now your Mac is free of all the pointless log files, user caches, language files, old updates, and more. Which directly translates into improved processing power, memory usage, and response time. At last, your Mac is ready to take full advantage of macOS Catalina.
3. Reinstall macOS Catalina in Recovery Mode
With your Mac in top shape, it’s time to get that macOS Catalina download link. Surprisingly, you won’t find it in Software Update or even App Store (where it used to be in macOS High Sierra).
The correct way to reinstall macOS Catalina is to use your Mac’s Recovery Mode:
- Restart your Mac and then hold down ⌘ + R to activate Recovery Mode.
- In the first window, select Reinstall macOS ➙ Continue.
- Agree to the Terms & Conditions.
- Select the hard drive you’d like to reinstall mac OS Catalina to and click Install.
Automatically update all your software for Catalina
The reinstallation process will start shortly and roughly take 30 minutes. When complete, your Mac will start up as usual. No files should be lost, but it’s always a good idea to check CleanMyMac X’s Applications Updater to see if you can improve compatibility of the new macOS with any of your existing apps:
- Launch CleanMyMac X.
- In the left-side panel, navigate to Updater.
- View any available updates and their notes and click on Update.
This Updater tool in CleanMyMac X automatically searches for latest available versions of ALL your apps. One or two clicks and everything feels fresh. It even updates the macOS file itself.
Cannot Install Catalina Mac 10.15 How To Fix
Trust in your backup
Finally, in case you notice any files or apps missing, or settings misconfigured, you could open up Time Machine to restore a specific folder or the whole backup from the step one:
- Launch Time Machine from Applications.
- Simply scroll all backup versions to find the file you’re looking for.
- Click Restore.
If you decide to restore the whole backup, make sure to then repeat the whole process to optimize your Mac and reinstall macOS Catalina as detailed above. The good thing is that more often than not the reinstallation works wonders right from the first time.
If you're using one of these computers with OS X Mavericks or later, you can install macOS Catalina. Your Mac also needs at least 4GB of memory and 12.5GB of available storage space, or up to 18.5GB of storage space when upgrading from OS X Yosemite or earlier. Learn how to upgrade to macOS Catalina.
MacBook Pro
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
Fresh Install Mac Catalina
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Air
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)
iMac Pro
iMac
How To Install Catalina Mac
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)
- iMac (21.5-inch, 2017)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
- iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
- iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)
- iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
- iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)