APFS disks may not be used as bootable install media

I’ll demonstrate how to convert a usable USB drive that you may already have lying around the house into a practical macOS Monterey install disk in this hands-on video walkthrough. This is helpful for facilitating Monterey upgrades across various Mac computers. Make sure to follow 9to5Mac on YouTube for additional how-tos, guides, and tutorials focused on Macs.

It’s crucial to remember that you can install macOS Monterey without creating a USB Installer. Download Monterey from the App Store or set up macOS from Recovery. As stated at the outset, installing Monterey on multiple computers is one of the main advantages of creating a Monterey USB Install drive.

Make sure you have access to a USB drive that can be used as the installation destination before beginning this tutorial. Generally, a USB flash drive with at least 16GB of storage will function. Because it was the only one I had at the time, I use a spare SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD in this tutorial. The SanDisk SSD is overkill given the 1TB storage capacity, it must be said.

I highly recommend the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C Flash Drive if you’re buying a new USB drive to use as an installation drive. In addition to having the required 16GB capacity, it also has a USB-C connection that works well with modern Mac computers. Finally, I think you’ll find that it’s very price-friendly.

Mac Secret Trick – Reformat APFS to Mac OS Extended with Disk Utility!! Recovery Mode Hard Drive

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I believe the problem was “I created a volume using Disk Utility.” You only added a new volume to the current APFS Container; you didn’t create a new partition.

You should be performing this on a detachable, disposable drive, SD card, or USB stick with at least 16GB of storage. Press Cmd/2 in Disk Utility to see Devices rather than just Volumes, then select Erase. GUID/HFS+ should then be amongst the options.

It is possible to force this onto your current drive, but I wouldn’t recommend it because if something goes wrong, you risk sawing off the branch you are sitting on.

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It appears that your USB stick is formatted as APFS, and the error message states that you can’t read the file.

Reformat the USB Stick using Mac OS Extended instead.

Check to see if your internal drive’s name is “Untitled”; if it is, give your USB device a different name. To view the names of all your disks, type ls /Volumes.

I experienced the same problem, but I was able to fix it by downgrading to HFS+ using Paragon free software because the Disk Utility did not offer that option.

I also faced similar issue. When I checked the disk name, I discovered that my internal disk also had the name Untitled, as can be seen below.

So I changed USB device name and it worked.

I found the solution, follow these steps, and rename the USB drive to HIGHSIERRA (also rename in code). :).

You can also download macOS Monterey Directly from Apple’s servers.

You can download the InstallAssistant from my macOS Monterey Full Installer Database. pkg file from the link below.

Watch the brief video I’ve included below to learn how to download the complete macOS Monterey Installer.

FAQ

Can you boot from APFS?

Your Mac can boot from a CCC bootable backup on an APFS volume after receiving the firmware update via the macOS Installer.

Does High Sierra install APFS?

Before version 10, APFS is not officially supported by macOS. 13 (High Sierra), and will not mount on 10. 12 and earlier.

How do I change my Mac from APFS to HD?

1. Launch Disk Utility.
2. Select the boot partition in the list at left. (Don’t select the parent hard drive. ).
3. Choose Edit > Convert to APFS.
4. Click Convert at the prompt.
5. A progress bar appears. Click Done when completed.

How do I format my Mac to APFS?

In order to add an APFS volume, click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, type “Disk Utility” into the Search field, and then click the Disk Utility icon if it isn’t already open. Enter a name for the new APFS volume. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose an APFS format.