If you have more than one Mac you want to upgrade to macOS 10.15 Catalina but don't want to waste so much bandwidth downloading it for each machine, one option is to create a bootable installer on a spare USB flash drive. Here's how to do it with the Terminal.
Dec 17, 2019 I took out my HDMI cable, plugged in the USB-C and the external monitor. I expected a grandiose welcome of a fine HP display. Unfortunately, HDMI was totally dead. I was using a working Macbook Pro, with Catalina as the latest OS. Apple released a new update for Mac OS Catalina. After the update, the problem has been resolved, the HDMI bug. That’s it; your Bootable USB flash drive is ready to install Catalina on Mac. Create Windows Bootable USB with UUByte ISO Editor. If you’re on a Mac running macOS Catalina or even an older version, you’ll need a special utility to burn ISO files to flash drives to create bootable Windows installation media. With the release of MacOS Catalina, there have been reports that DisplayLink drivers may have some issues with this new OS after the update completes. Video functionality has not been enabled One such issue is the user only being able to see a black screen on one or both monitors. MacOS Catalina 10.15 requires the user to permit 'Screen Recording' in order for DisplayLink devices to work properly. The message is generated by the OS. Apr 24, 2020 Third-party apps, like Duet Display, have provided similar functions to Sidecar long before Apple launched its native support in Catalina, and more enterprising Mac users can also follow a Reddit.
One of the problems with the release of a major operating system update like macOS Catalina is the amount of times it has to be downloaded. As Apple usually intends each Mac or MacBook needing to be updated to download it, the process isn't really efficient enough for instances where many Mac desktops need the upgrade, like in a school or business if there isn't device management or macOS Content Caching for whatever the reason.
The strain could also be felt by users who own multiple Macs but also have a limited data allowance from their Internet provider, or a small amount of bandwidth that could make updating multiple machines take a very long time and saturate the available connection.
While in the olden days it was possible to get the software update on physical media, Apple doesn't offer that option anymore. However, it is still possible to create your own media, such as a spare USB thumb drive, that can do the same job.
The first hurdle is to actually get the macOS Catalina installer onto a Mac. This is an unavoidable part of the process and will require just over 8 gigabytes of drive capacity to store.
Go to the Mac App Store and search for Catalina using the search bar, then click on View next to the macOS Catalina listing. Alternately, open the Mac App Store Preview page for macOS Catalina here then select View in Mac App Store.
Click on Get. This will load up the Software Update utility, which will ask if you want to download macOS Catalina. Click Download.
After the download has finished, macOS will automatically start the installer. Press Command-Q to quit the installer before it continues, as the update will be deleted upon installation.
Creating the Bootable Drive
You need an external drive to turn into a bootable version, and since it needs to be portable, your best choice is a USB thumb drive with a capacity of 16GB or more. Be aware that the drive will be wiped as part of the process, so ensure there isn't any precious data on the drive that could be lost if it isn't backed up elsewhere.
Connect the external drive to your Mac, and make a note of the external drive's name as it appears within macOS. This is important, as using the wrong name could lead to another connected drive being wiped by mistake.
Open Terminal within the Utilities folder within the Applications folder and enter in the following command by copying and pasting it directly into the window. Make sure to change the element titled 'USBdrive' for the name of the drive you intend to become the bootable installer.
Once pasted and corrected, press enter, then enter your password for macOS and press enter again.
Terminal will then warn of the USB drive being wiped as part of the process. Type 'Y' and press enter. Leave the Mac alone as it formats and copies over the installer.
Once Terminal says 'Install media now available,' it is safe to right-click the removable drive on the desktop renamed 'Install macOS Catalina' and select the 'Eject' command. It is now safe to remove the drive from the Mac.
Upgrading another Mac
Before proceeding, ensure there are adequate backups available for the Mac you are about to upgrade before the process starts.
With the target Mac you want to upgrade turned off, connect your external drive. When turning on the Mac, hold down the Option key on the connected keyboard to bring up the Startup Manager.
The Startup Manager is used to boot from a different drive from the default. In this case, select 'Install macOS Catalina.'
The Mac will then bring up a macOS Utilities window. To perform a straight update, select 'Install macOS' and follow the prompts.
The macOS Utilities menu also allows you to erase the Mac's drive, which you can optionally do if you do not wish to save any of the data and want a completely clean slate for the installation.
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You can make all of your displays mirror each other, or extend your workspace with different apps and windows on each display. If you use an external display with your Mac notebook, you can also use closed-display mode.
Check your requirements
Check the ports on your Mac to find out whether you need an adapter.
Check how many displays your Mac supports: Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, click Support, then click Specifications. On the webpage that appears, the number of displays your Mac supports appears under Video Support.
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Use extended desktop mode
Maximize your workspace with extended desktop mode, which lets you enjoy full-screen apps and windows on each monitor. Then, use Mission Control to organize apps and windows across your displays. If your Dock is on the bottom of your screen, it appears on any of your displays when you move your pointer to the bottom edge of your display.
Turn on extended desktop mode
Make sure that your external display is turned on and connected to your Mac.
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Displays.
Click the Arrangement tab.
Make sure that the Mirror Displays checkbox isn’t selected.
Arrange your displays or change your primary display
So that you can move apps and windows across your displays in one continuous motion, arrange your displays to match the setup on your desk. You can also change your primary display, which is where your desktop icons and app windows first appear.
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Displays.
Click the Arrangement tab.
To change the position of a display, drag it to the desired position. A red border appears around the display as it's moved.
To set a different display as the primary display, drag the menu bar to the other display.
Use video mirroring
With video mirroring, all of your displays show the same apps and windows.
Turn on video mirroring
Make sure that your external display is turned on and connected to your Mac.
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Displays, then click the Arrangement tab.
Make sure that the Mirror Displays checkbox is selected.
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Use AirPlay
With Apple TV, you can mirror the entire display of your Mac to your TV, or use your TV as a separate display. To turn on AirPlay, follow these steps:
Make sure that your TV is turned on.
Choose in the menu bar, then choose your Apple TV. If an AirPlay passcode appears on your TV screen, enter the passcode on your Mac.
Mirror your display or use your TV as a separate display:
To mirror your display, choose , then choose Mirror Built-in Display.
To use your TV as a separate display, choose , then choose Use As Separate Display.
To turn off AirPlay, choose , then choose Turn AirPlay Off.
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If you don't see in the menu bar, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Displays, then select the 'Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available' checkbox.
Learn more about how to AirPlay video from your Mac.