Create Linux USB Installer on macOS

Overview

This guide shows you how to create a bootable Linux USB installer using macOS. Works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. The resulting USB will boot on standard x86_64 PCs.

What You Need

Method 1: Using Terminal (dd command)

This is the universal method that works on any macOS version.

Step 1: Convert ISO to DMG (Required for macOS)

# Convert the ISO to a raw disk image
hdiutil convert /path/to/linux.iso -format UDTO -o /tmp/linux.img

This creates /tmp/linux.img.cdr — the .cdr extension is added automatically.

Step 2: Identify Your USB Drive

# List all disk devices
diskutil list

# Insert your USB, then run again to identify it
# Look for something like /dev/disk2 (unmounted)

Warning: Double-check the disk identifier. Using the wrong one will erase your Mac's drive.

Step 3: Unmount the USB Drive

# Replace disk2 with your actual disk identifier
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk2

Step 4: Write the Image to USB

# Write the image (this may take several minutes)
sudo dd if=/tmp/linux.img.cdr of=/dev/rdisk2 bs=1m

# Use rdisk (raw disk) for faster writing
# You won't see a progress bar — be patient

Step 5: Eject and Verify

diskutil eject /dev/disk2

Method 2: Using Etcher (GUI)

BalenaEtcher is a free, cross-platform tool with a visual interface.

  1. Download from etcher.balena.io
  2. Open Etcher and select your Linux ISO file
  3. Select your USB drive
  4. Click Flash! and wait for completion

Method 3: Using Unetbootin

  1. Download from unetbootin.github.io
  2. Select "Diskimage" and choose your ISO
  3. Select your USB drive under "Drive"
  4. Click OK to begin writing

Note for Apple Silicon Users

The USB created above will boot on standard x86_64 PCs. If you want to install Linux directly on your Apple Silicon Mac (not via USB), see our UTM Virtual Machine guide or look into native ARM64 Linux distributions like Ubuntu for ARM.

Troubleshooting