How Long Macos High Sierra Install

Make your Mac invincible

• Macos Sierra
• Macos High Sierra Compatibility
• Download Install Macos High Sierra
• Install Macos High Sierra 10.13
• How Long Macos High Sierra Installation

The day has come, High Sierra is available for upgrade. In case you were hesitant about whether you should rush to do it, don't be. It's a solid improvement with a whole bunch of new features. The new Apple File System and the end of autoplaying videos in Safari browser alone are worth it. You can check our separate entry on High Sierra features if you want. So, let us proceed to the macOS update and preparation.

Important notice: Apple has recently pulled down macOS Sierra installer from the Mac App Store. This means that if you decide to upgrade now, the only OS you'll be able to go back to is El Capitan. We kindly advise you to consider this before upgrading and make sure you'll be willing to keep High Sierra for the next year.

Linux users on Arch or Manjaro attempting to install macOS/OSX in VMWARE, or QEMU/KVM, will greatly benefit from this tutorial. UPDATED 3rd July 2020. Docker-OSX version: good to have a look, instantly run; Virt-Manager: import macOS-libvirt-Catalina.xml script from the xml file in OSX-KVM; OpenCore script./OpenCore-Boot.sh. For the first time, macOS High Sierra was announced at the Worldwide Developer Conference 2017. Finally, the full version was released on September 25, 2017. The name of the macOS High Sierra was taken from a beautiful place located in America California. Also, macOS High Sierra's latest version code is 10.13.6. Oct 02, 2017 Why bother with a clean install of macOS High Sierra? Some users may be wondering what the point of a clean install of macOS is. The main objective is usually to start fresh, without any accumulation of old and outdated data, any prior data, files, settings, preferences, unwanted apps, or holdovers from ancient updates or long gone software. Sep 27, 2017 Then the final reboot was the long install of macOS High Sierra. To semi verify my theory, I proceeded to download macOS High Sierra again in the macOS High Sierra App Store and this time the App Store now proceeded to download the full macOS High Sierra Install App without any fuss.

Can your Mac update macOS this time?

Here are all the Mac models that are fit to run the latest OS 10.13.

Does your Mac have enough space and RAM?

Hardware requirements haven't changed since last time, so it's still like this:

A few things before you install new macOS 10.13 High Sierra

To check your available disk space, click on the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen and choose About this Mac.

Find the Storage tab and see how much free space you have. If it's low, get a Mac cleaner to free up some space. Let's talk about it in detail.

Clean up your Mac

Mac software update always works better on a clean computer, without old cache files, leftovers, and random system junk. So before you go get yourself that new High Sierra download and run it, make sure you have a clean Mac. There's a great app for that, CleanMyMac. It deals with all kinds of system and hard drive trash in minutes, so you don't have to lift a finger looking for junk manually.

Don't forget to back up important data

Another step that needs to be remembered at all times: back up. Back it all up.

Upgrades are mostly safe and stable but you really don't want to be that one accidental glitch in the system where your files get corrupted. So a proper backup is a must. You can get a powerful software for the job, Get Backup Pro. It's faster and more secure than the native Time Machine.

Check Hard Disk for Errors, Health, Bad Sectors before upgrade macOS

You might also want to check your disk for errors before upgrading.

You can do it with Disk Utility app:

1. Simply open Disk Utility app
2. Click on First Aid and run it. It will check your startup disk for possible errors and fix them if it finds anything.

And run disk bad sector checking with Disk Drill app:

Should you upgrade or get a clean install?

First, you probably want to know what's the difference between the two. Upgrade is a simple installation of a new system over the old one, where the core software gets upgraded while your files and system preferences remain intact.

A clean install, on the other hand, is a more radical way of upgrade that removes all your files on the hard drive. Now, why would you want that? Well, your system could've been misbehaving lately, your hard drive overloaded and you don't feel like cleaning it, or you just want that feeling of a brand new Mac again. In this case you'll have to upload the files you still need in the cloud or save them on another drive.

How to download macOS High Sierra

This is pretty easy, even though not always fast. Your latest macOS download is on the Mac App Store.

So, follow these steps to download and update macOS:

1. Make sure you have a fast and stable WiFi connection. Don't use public networks in cafes/hotels for upgrades, they can be of poor quality and interrupt the process.
2. Open the App Store app on your Mac.
3. Fin the last tab in the top menu, Updates.
4. Click it.
5. One of the updates is macOS High Sierra.
6. Click Update.
7. Your download has started.
8. High Sierra will update automatically when downloaded.

After you upgrade to new macOS 10.13

While you're enjoying your new system, here's how to make your experience even better. New macOS always feels like a fresh start, which means it's time to take care of your Mac. With Setapp subscription you not only get CleanMyMac and Get Backup Pro that we mentioned earlier, but a whole collection of super-handy applications.

For instance, Setapp has apps to keep your Mac safe and healthy, like iStat Menus with real-time performance analytics. You can see how your Mac is doing, is it overheating or running out of RAM, view battery life, and a whole set of other indicators. iStat Menus is a real heart monitor for computers and it lets you catch every minor issue before it gets major.

There's also Disk Drill app to recover your data. It's a handy app with a bunch of irreplaceable features like restoring your files in case the drive was corrupted, analyzing your disk to see what hogs space on it, and duplicate file removal. So everything you need on Mac in one app subscription. Give it a spin, it's free for a week.

We hope this guide has been of help to you. Have a good upgrade, cheers!

These might also interest you:

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

Sign Up

Make your Mac invincible

Normally when you install a new version of macOS, you just install it over the previous version. It's quick, easy and means we can be back up and running in no time, with all your apps and data ready to use. Your data remains but your software and file junk remains as well.

That's why, sometimes, it makes more sense to run a clean install. Whether it's because your Mac has accumulated so many junk files that it's performance is badly affected or because you're passing your Mac onto someone else and want to make sure all your data is removed. Or maybe you just want that fresh out of the box Mac experience again. Whatever your reasons, here is how to clean install macOS High Sierra.

How to prepare your Mac for the clean install

Before you do anything, check that your Mac is able to run Apple's new operating system.

To complete the clean install procedure described below, you'll need:

• macOS High Sierra Installer,available from the Mac App Store.
• a 16GB or larger USB flash drive
  Notice: USB drive is needed for a clean install on your Mac's startup drive. If you plan to clean install macOS on a non-startup drive, you don't need it.
• go for a system cleanup and backup your data - this will allow you to easily return your Mac to the condition it was in before you installed macOS.
• and an hour or two to spare.

Choose the right way to clean install macOS High Sierra

Before you proceed, you need to make a choice how to run a clean install. If you only have one drive and it's not partitioned and this is where you have all your files and your OS, your choice is to clean install on the startup drive. This way entails one important fact: all your files and data will be deleted during the process.

If you have another drive or volume other than your startup drive, use the second way which is clean installing on a non-startup drive. It's a more lenient and less intrusive way because your Mac doesn't get wiped clean, only your system.

If you don't know which one you have, go with the first option, startup drive.

How to clean install macOS on a startup drive

Once you have everything that's needed, let's begin. Don't worry, this step-by-step guide will walk you through all you need to do.

You don't need to dig through Internet to search and and download each apps mentioned below, all of them available on Setapp. With Setapp, you always have the latest full version of every app. Cancel anytime. Signup to try Setapp for free.

The process of performing a clean install involves wiping your Mac's main drive clean so it's essential that you back it up immediately before you start. You might not want to backup the files you don't need and system junk, so make sure to clean that up beforehand. An easy way to go about this is to get a Mac cleaning app like CleanMyMac. It will save to hours of manual file cleanup and polish your system before the backup.

Start with a system cleanup

Delete everything you don't need - large and old files and archives, useless apps, cache data and other junk, duplicate files - all these files silently eat up the disk space, duplicate images are especially hard to find out.

You can always use CleanMyMac to cleanup macOS system junk, large and old files, and remove unwanted apps. You could do it manually, but CleanMyMac only all it takes is a few clicks.

Then you can use Gemini to easily find duplicate files and folders on your hard drive, so you can delete them and save precious storage space.

Macos Sierra

Backup your data

Now, for the backup itself use Get Backup Pro. It's more powerful than Apple's own Time Machine. It's also a good idea to create a bootable clone, so if anything goes wrong you can go back to where you started easily. Also, a cloned drive makes copying files back to your newly-updated system very easy. And move your images and documents into the cloud or to an external drive, just to be on the safe side.

As well as backing up your Mac, you should also take screenshots of settings in any apps you've customized so that you can set them up again quickly later. And make sure you have a record of license codes for apps and passwords for websites.

Clean install macOS, securely

Macos High Sierra Compatibility

Your Mac deserves a fresh start. Get the right tools for clean installing Apple's operating system.

Create a bootable macOS installer

1. Download macOS High Sierra from the App Store. Here is a link to find it on apple.com.
   
2. When it's finished, the installer will launch. As soon as it does, select File and Quit (or keyboard shortcut Command-Q) so it doesn't install. The installer will remain in your Applications folder.
   
3. Plug in the USB stick and launch Disk Utilities.
   It's a good idea to use a USB stick to put the bootable installer onto. It will need to be at least 8GB in size.
4. Click the Erase tab and make sure Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is selected in the format tab.
5. Give the USB stick a name, then click Erase.
6. When it's finished, click Done and close Disk Utility.
   
7. Launch Terminal either by searching for it in Spotlight or navigating to the Utilities folder in Applications.
8. Type, or paste, the following command into Terminal, where [YOUR DRIVE NAME] is the name you gave the installer drive when you formatted it:
   sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/[YOUR DRIVE NAME] --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app
   Notice: Remember to replace [YOUR DRIVE NAME] with the name of your installer disk.
9. Hit Return.
10. Type in your admin password and wait.
11. When the process is finished, the word Done will appear in the Terminal window.
12. You can then quit Terminal

Install macOS on your startup disk drive

Make sure you backup your Mac to keep your important files, before taking next step, that erase your Mac's Startup drive.

To erase your Mac's main drive:

• Go to System Preferences
• Сlick Startup disk and choose the installer you just created.
• Restart your Mac and hold down Command-R to boot into recovery mode.
• Take your bootable USB and connect it to your Mac.

When the macOS Utilities screen appears, follow these steps:

• Select Reinstall a new copy of macOS.
• Click Continue, then click Continue again when the next window appears.
• Agree to the terms and conditions, then select your Mac's internal drive.
• Click Install.
• Wait for macOS High Sierra to install and your Mac to restart.

When your Mac has restarted, you'll need to follow the process of setting it up as if it was a brand new Mac. So, you'll need to connect to your wifi router and type in the password. Then you'll need to type in the details for your iCloud account. Then you'll have to set up a new admin user account.

Once you've done that, you can start installing apps. In order to re-install Setapp apps, go to setapp.com to get Setapp installer or download Setapp here. You'll need your username and password.

It's a good idea to only download those apps you need to use straight away. Other apps can be downloaded as and when you need them. That way you avoid cluttering up your brand new macOS.

If you use a cloud service like Dropbox, now is the time to re-connect. And you can copy any documents, photos or other files you need from the backup you made at the start.

Find more information about Apple Mac update

Clean Install macOS High Sierra on a non-startup drive

You don't need a backup for this option, it's safer and faster than the previous way but only available to you if you have an extra drive or your drive is broken down into volumes.

Here's how to instal your new macOS on the non-startup disk.

Step 1. Erase your non-startup drive

Before you install the new OS on it, you need to erase all data on the drive you've chosen for it. To do it, use Disk Utility. Choose the volume you'd like to clean up and click Erase.

If you still need some info from that drive, you can use an app like ChronoSync Express to sync it with another drive and keep the files.

Download Install Macos High Sierra

Step 2. Download the macOS High Sierra Installer from the Mac App Store

To download it, open the Mac App Store and go to the Updates tab (Here is a link.) When your installer is downloaded it will launch automatically but you need to quit it.

Fortunately, for this option you don't need to create a specific bootable drive and you can simply use the installer from your startup drive and install the macOS onto the other one.

Step 3. Install macOS High Sierra to your non-startup drive

Launch the Installer from the Applications folder and press Continue. Change the target drive for installation. macOS will offer you startup drive by default so you need to click Show All Disks button and choose your non-startup disk volume. From then on simply follow the installation guide and after that you'll have to set up your Mac as a new one. That entails creating a new user account, setting up date and time zone etc.

Now that you have the latest macOS, you can enjoy its superior features and top performance. Clean install (when performed on a startup drive) does remove your apps so if you don't feel like looking for every app and their licenses again, get Setapp. More than 100 apps in one suite available by subscription. Saves you time and money on looking for apps for your daily tasks.

These might also interest you:

Install Macos High Sierra 10.13

Clean up your Mac

Mac software update always works better on a clean computer, without old cache files, leftovers, and random system junk. So before you go get yourself that new High Sierra download and run it, make sure you have a clean Mac. There's a great app for that, CleanMyMac. It deals with all kinds of system and hard drive trash in minutes, so you don't have to lift a finger looking for junk manually.

Don't forget to back up important data

Another step that needs to be remembered at all times: back up. Back it all up.

Upgrades are mostly safe and stable but you really don't want to be that one accidental glitch in the system where your files get corrupted. So a proper backup is a must. You can get a powerful software for the job, Get Backup Pro. It's faster and more secure than the native Time Machine.

Check Hard Disk for Errors, Health, Bad Sectors before upgrade macOS

You might also want to check your disk for errors before upgrading.

You can do it with Disk Utility app:

1. Simply open Disk Utility app
2. Click on First Aid and run it. It will check your startup disk for possible errors and fix them if it finds anything.

And run disk bad sector checking with Disk Drill app:

Should you upgrade or get a clean install?

First, you probably want to know what's the difference between the two. Upgrade is a simple installation of a new system over the old one, where the core software gets upgraded while your files and system preferences remain intact.

A clean install, on the other hand, is a more radical way of upgrade that removes all your files on the hard drive. Now, why would you want that? Well, your system could've been misbehaving lately, your hard drive overloaded and you don't feel like cleaning it, or you just want that feeling of a brand new Mac again. In this case you'll have to upload the files you still need in the cloud or save them on another drive.

How to download macOS High Sierra

This is pretty easy, even though not always fast. Your latest macOS download is on the Mac App Store.

So, follow these steps to download and update macOS:

1. Make sure you have a fast and stable WiFi connection. Don't use public networks in cafes/hotels for upgrades, they can be of poor quality and interrupt the process.
2. Open the App Store app on your Mac.
3. Fin the last tab in the top menu, Updates.
4. Click it.
5. One of the updates is macOS High Sierra.
6. Click Update.
7. Your download has started.
8. High Sierra will update automatically when downloaded.

After you upgrade to new macOS 10.13

While you're enjoying your new system, here's how to make your experience even better. New macOS always feels like a fresh start, which means it's time to take care of your Mac. With Setapp subscription you not only get CleanMyMac and Get Backup Pro that we mentioned earlier, but a whole collection of super-handy applications.

For instance, Setapp has apps to keep your Mac safe and healthy, like iStat Menus with real-time performance analytics. You can see how your Mac is doing, is it overheating or running out of RAM, view battery life, and a whole set of other indicators. iStat Menus is a real heart monitor for computers and it lets you catch every minor issue before it gets major.

There's also Disk Drill app to recover your data. It's a handy app with a bunch of irreplaceable features like restoring your files in case the drive was corrupted, analyzing your disk to see what hogs space on it, and duplicate file removal. So everything you need on Mac in one app subscription. Give it a spin, it's free for a week.

We hope this guide has been of help to you. Have a good upgrade, cheers!

These might also interest you:

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

Sign Up

Make your Mac invincible

Normally when you install a new version of macOS, you just install it over the previous version. It's quick, easy and means we can be back up and running in no time, with all your apps and data ready to use. Your data remains but your software and file junk remains as well.

That's why, sometimes, it makes more sense to run a clean install. Whether it's because your Mac has accumulated so many junk files that it's performance is badly affected or because you're passing your Mac onto someone else and want to make sure all your data is removed. Or maybe you just want that fresh out of the box Mac experience again. Whatever your reasons, here is how to clean install macOS High Sierra.

How to prepare your Mac for the clean install

Before you do anything, check that your Mac is able to run Apple's new operating system.

To complete the clean install procedure described below, you'll need:

• macOS High Sierra Installer,available from the Mac App Store.
• a 16GB or larger USB flash drive
  Notice: USB drive is needed for a clean install on your Mac's startup drive. If you plan to clean install macOS on a non-startup drive, you don't need it.
• go for a system cleanup and backup your data - this will allow you to easily return your Mac to the condition it was in before you installed macOS.
• and an hour or two to spare.

Choose the right way to clean install macOS High Sierra

Before you proceed, you need to make a choice how to run a clean install. If you only have one drive and it's not partitioned and this is where you have all your files and your OS, your choice is to clean install on the startup drive. This way entails one important fact: all your files and data will be deleted during the process.

If you have another drive or volume other than your startup drive, use the second way which is clean installing on a non-startup drive. It's a more lenient and less intrusive way because your Mac doesn't get wiped clean, only your system.

If you don't know which one you have, go with the first option, startup drive.

How to clean install macOS on a startup drive

Once you have everything that's needed, let's begin. Don't worry, this step-by-step guide will walk you through all you need to do.

You don't need to dig through Internet to search and and download each apps mentioned below, all of them available on Setapp. With Setapp, you always have the latest full version of every app. Cancel anytime. Signup to try Setapp for free.

The process of performing a clean install involves wiping your Mac's main drive clean so it's essential that you back it up immediately before you start. You might not want to backup the files you don't need and system junk, so make sure to clean that up beforehand. An easy way to go about this is to get a Mac cleaning app like CleanMyMac. It will save to hours of manual file cleanup and polish your system before the backup.

Start with a system cleanup

Delete everything you don't need - large and old files and archives, useless apps, cache data and other junk, duplicate files - all these files silently eat up the disk space, duplicate images are especially hard to find out.

You can always use CleanMyMac to cleanup macOS system junk, large and old files, and remove unwanted apps. You could do it manually, but CleanMyMac only all it takes is a few clicks.

Then you can use Gemini to easily find duplicate files and folders on your hard drive, so you can delete them and save precious storage space.

Macos Sierra

Backup your data

Now, for the backup itself use Get Backup Pro. It's more powerful than Apple's own Time Machine. It's also a good idea to create a bootable clone, so if anything goes wrong you can go back to where you started easily. Also, a cloned drive makes copying files back to your newly-updated system very easy. And move your images and documents into the cloud or to an external drive, just to be on the safe side.

As well as backing up your Mac, you should also take screenshots of settings in any apps you've customized so that you can set them up again quickly later. And make sure you have a record of license codes for apps and passwords for websites.

Clean install macOS, securely

Macos High Sierra Compatibility

Your Mac deserves a fresh start. Get the right tools for clean installing Apple's operating system.

Create a bootable macOS installer

1. Download macOS High Sierra from the App Store. Here is a link to find it on apple.com.
   
2. When it's finished, the installer will launch. As soon as it does, select File and Quit (or keyboard shortcut Command-Q) so it doesn't install. The installer will remain in your Applications folder.
   
3. Plug in the USB stick and launch Disk Utilities.
   It's a good idea to use a USB stick to put the bootable installer onto. It will need to be at least 8GB in size.
4. Click the Erase tab and make sure Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is selected in the format tab.
5. Give the USB stick a name, then click Erase.
6. When it's finished, click Done and close Disk Utility.
   
7. Launch Terminal either by searching for it in Spotlight or navigating to the Utilities folder in Applications.
8. Type, or paste, the following command into Terminal, where [YOUR DRIVE NAME] is the name you gave the installer drive when you formatted it:
   sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/[YOUR DRIVE NAME] --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app
   Notice: Remember to replace [YOUR DRIVE NAME] with the name of your installer disk.
9. Hit Return.
10. Type in your admin password and wait.
11. When the process is finished, the word Done will appear in the Terminal window.
12. You can then quit Terminal

Install macOS on your startup disk drive

Make sure you backup your Mac to keep your important files, before taking next step, that erase your Mac's Startup drive.

To erase your Mac's main drive:

• Go to System Preferences
• Сlick Startup disk and choose the installer you just created.
• Restart your Mac and hold down Command-R to boot into recovery mode.
• Take your bootable USB and connect it to your Mac.

When the macOS Utilities screen appears, follow these steps:

• Select Reinstall a new copy of macOS.
• Click Continue, then click Continue again when the next window appears.
• Agree to the terms and conditions, then select your Mac's internal drive.
• Click Install.
• Wait for macOS High Sierra to install and your Mac to restart.

When your Mac has restarted, you'll need to follow the process of setting it up as if it was a brand new Mac. So, you'll need to connect to your wifi router and type in the password. Then you'll need to type in the details for your iCloud account. Then you'll have to set up a new admin user account.

Once you've done that, you can start installing apps. In order to re-install Setapp apps, go to setapp.com to get Setapp installer or download Setapp here. You'll need your username and password.

It's a good idea to only download those apps you need to use straight away. Other apps can be downloaded as and when you need them. That way you avoid cluttering up your brand new macOS.

If you use a cloud service like Dropbox, now is the time to re-connect. And you can copy any documents, photos or other files you need from the backup you made at the start.

Find more information about Apple Mac update

Clean Install macOS High Sierra on a non-startup drive

You don't need a backup for this option, it's safer and faster than the previous way but only available to you if you have an extra drive or your drive is broken down into volumes.

Here's how to instal your new macOS on the non-startup disk.

Step 1. Erase your non-startup drive

Before you install the new OS on it, you need to erase all data on the drive you've chosen for it. To do it, use Disk Utility. Choose the volume you'd like to clean up and click Erase.

If you still need some info from that drive, you can use an app like ChronoSync Express to sync it with another drive and keep the files.

Download Install Macos High Sierra

Step 2. Download the macOS High Sierra Installer from the Mac App Store

To download it, open the Mac App Store and go to the Updates tab (Here is a link.) When your installer is downloaded it will launch automatically but you need to quit it.

Fortunately, for this option you don't need to create a specific bootable drive and you can simply use the installer from your startup drive and install the macOS onto the other one.

Step 3. Install macOS High Sierra to your non-startup drive

Launch the Installer from the Applications folder and press Continue. Change the target drive for installation. macOS will offer you startup drive by default so you need to click Show All Disks button and choose your non-startup disk volume. From then on simply follow the installation guide and after that you'll have to set up your Mac as a new one. That entails creating a new user account, setting up date and time zone etc.

Now that you have the latest macOS, you can enjoy its superior features and top performance. Clean install (when performed on a startup drive) does remove your apps so if you don't feel like looking for every app and their licenses again, get Setapp. More than 100 apps in one suite available by subscription. Saves you time and money on looking for apps for your daily tasks.

These might also interest you:

Install Macos High Sierra 10.13

How Long Macos High Sierra Installation

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

Sign Up