There can be various situations in which you need to completely re-download macOS Big Sur installer from Apple, specifically, its latest version. In some cases, you can simply go to the Mac App Store and get the latest version, however, sometimes, you might need to use workarounds to download a copy. Here are all the various methods to re-download macOS Big Sur installer from Apple.
Re-download macOS Big Sur installer
Download from Mac App Store
The simplest method to download the installer is to head to the Mac App Store, and search for macOS Big Sur. The search results will point you to the page for macOS Big Sur, and you can simply click on ‘Get’ to re-download it. You can also click this direct link to directly go to the page.
However, if the download does not work for you due to any issue, you can follow our next method.
Download using Terminal commands
You will need to use a command to re-download macOS Big Sur installer using Terminal. Note that this is an easy-to-use command, so you do not need to be an expert to follow these steps.
- Open Terminal on your Mac by searching for it in your Applications folder, in Launchpad, or typing it in Spotlight search.
- Type the below command in the Terminal and hit return.
softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer
- You should see a message that says “Scanning for installer”. Once the download completes, you will get see a message “Install finished successfully”. Make sure to not put your Mac to sleep, or close the lid on your MacBook until the download completes, otherwise, you will have to restart the download.
Once the download completes, you will see the full installer in your Applications folder, or by opening Launchpad.
The most common use that requires users to fully re-download macOS Big Sur installer is in situations where they need to create a macOS Big Sur bootable USB installer which can be used to clean install the operating system on any Mac. A full download is also useful for situations in which users need to install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Macs, as the installer needs to be patched before creating a bootable USB drive.
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