• Before you begin

Before you begin

To boot into macOS, with the power off, press and hold the Option key and power on your Mac. Hold the Option key until you see two hard disk icons and a Wi-Fi network selector. Boot into macOS by clicking Macintosh HD (you'll select the default boot operating system momentarily). From the Startup Disk control panel, click the Apple menu. A dual boot Windows PC containing Windows 10 and macOS is not that hard to create. Fondly called a Hackintosh, such a setup allows you to enjoy the best of both operating systems on a single computer, hence the phrase dual boot. One of the biggest reasons that people want to create Hackintoshes is that they have the freedom to choose from two. Create a bootable USB Windows installer. I made it on another Windows 10 machine, but I guess it's possible to make it on OS X too. Insert the Windows installer USB pen and reboot the MacBook Pro. Hold down the Option key until a boot menu appears. Boot from the Windows installer. Chose the Custom installation.

To install Windows 10 Education Edition from IUware, or if you have a Windows 8.x installation disk but do not have an optical (CD/DVD) drive on your computer, you can create a bootable flash drive for the installation.

On a Windows computer, you can use either a tool from Microsoft, or the Rufus software; using the Microsoft tool is generally simpler, while Rufus has some additional features.

What you'll need

To complete the process, you'll need:

  • A Windows or macOS computer connected to the internet.
    On a Windows computer, you must have administrator privileges.
  • A flash drive with at least 8 GB of space
    The process described below will delete any data currently on your flash drive. Make sure to back up your flash drive's data to another storage location before proceeding.
  • A valid product key that came with your Windows software. For Windows 10, this will be available on IUware. For Windows 8.x, this will be with the disc you purchased.

Insert your flash drive before beginning.

Create a bootable installation flash drive forWindows 10 Education Edition

This process will delete anything saved on your flash drive. Save anything you want to keep before following these steps.
  1. Go to Windows 10 Education on IUware, and select either the 32-bit or the 64-bit version. Review and accept the terms, and then click Get product key. Copy the product key to use later.
  2. Download and run the Academic Media Creation Tool. Accept the license terms, select Create installation (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC, and click Next.
  3. On the 'Select language, architecture, and edition' prompt, leave the default selections.
  4. To have the Microsoft tool create your bootable flash drive, make sure your flash drive is plugged in, select USB flash drive, and click Next.

    If you plan to use Rufus instead, select ISO file and click Next. This will save the .iso file to your computer; then, to use Rufus and your .iso file to create a bootable installation flash drive, follow the directions below.

Create a bootable installation flash drive forWindows 8.1

See Recommended Windows operating systems at IU.

Download Windows 8.1

  1. Go to Download Windows 8.1 Disc Image (ISO File).
  2. From the Select edition drop-down menu, select Windows 8.1, and click Confirm.
  3. Select the desired language and click Confirm.
  4. Select the 32-bit Download or the 64-bit Download (recommended, unless the machine you're installing on doesn't support it), and download the disk image.

You can now use the .iso file to create a Windows 8.1 bootable installation flash drive using either a Windows tool or Rufus.

Create a bootable drive using the Windows USB/DVD Download tool

This process will delete anything saved on your flash drive. Save anything you want to keep before following these steps.
This method formats the flash drive using the NTFS file system, which is incompatible with UEFI (secure boot). You will have to disable secure boot, if enabled, in order to boot from a USB drive made using this tool.

To create a bootable installation flash drive using the Windows tool:

  1. Download and install the Windows USB/DVD Download tool. The final four letters of each file (before .exe) represent the language and region of the installer. Download the one for your desired language/location.
  2. Open the Windows USB/DVD Download tool. The tool refers to itself as an older version tool, but works for Windows 8.1 media creation.
  3. When prompted, browse to your .iso file, select it, and click Next.
  4. When asked to select the media type for your backup, make sure your flash drive is plugged in, and then choose USB device.

    You may be prompted to insert the USB device even if the flash drive is already inserted. Ignore this, and choose the USB device you'll be writing to.

  5. Click Begin Copying. If prompted, confirm that you wish to erase the flash disk.
  6. The .iso files will start copying to the flash drive; the process can take several minutes. When it's finished, close the wizard and eject and remove the flash drive.

Create a bootable drive using Rufus

To use Rufus to create a bootable drive that is compatible with UEFI, follow the instructions below.

Use Rufus to write an .iso file

  1. Download Rufus. Rufus is a standalone program and does not require installation.
  2. Open the Rufus program from where you downloaded it to run it.
  3. From the Device drop-down menu, select your USB drive, if it isn't automatically selected.
  4. Under 'Boot selection', select Disk or ISO image (Please select), if it isn't already chosen, and then click SELECT to choose the .iso file you downloaded.
  5. Leave 'Image option' set to Standard Windows installation.
  6. Leave 'Partition scheme' set to GPT.
  7. For 'Target system', select UEFI (non CSM).
  8. Under 'Format Options', to ensure the flash drive is compatible with UEFI, select FAT32 for 'File System'.
  9. To create the flash drive with the 'Press any key to boot from USB' prompt at startup, under the 'Advanced format' options, select Create extended label and icon files.
  10. When you are finished selecting options, click Start. When prompted, confirm that you want to erase the flash disk.
  11. The .iso files will start copying to the flash drive; the process can take several minutes. When Rufus is done, close the program and eject and remove the flash drive.

Create a bootable installation flash drive on a macOS computer

In macOS, the option to create a Windows flash drive appears only when the computer does not have an optical drive. If your Mac has an optical drive, the option will be either missing or grayed out.
  1. From the Finder, open the Applications folder, and then Utilities.
  2. Open the Boot Camp Assistant, and then click Continue. The next screen should give you a list of options.
  3. UITS recommends making the USB drive installer first. You don't need to install Windows or download the support software at this time, as it will be easier to do both later. To proceed:
    1. Verify that the USB drive you will be writing to is plugged in.
    2. Uncheck the Install Windows 7 or later version and Download the latest Windows support software from Apple options.
    3. Check Create a Windows 7 or later install disk and click Continue.
  4. Your USB drive should be listed in the 'Destination disk' area. Use choose to browse to your .iso file; after selecting it, click Continue.
  5. If prompted, confirm your action and/or provide an administrator password. The process of writing the .iso file to the USB drive can take 20 minutes or longer.

Other resources

WebsiteArticle
Windows 10 ForumsHow to create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 10
Windows Eight ForumsHow to create a bootable UEFI USB flash drive for installing Windows 8.x
How-To GeekHow to create bootable USB drives and SD cards for every operating system
TechverseHow to create a bootable Windows 7 USB flash drive

On this page:

  • Installation guide

Overview

If you wish to run both macOS and Windows on a single Mac computer, UITS recommends using Apple's Boot Camp utility to install a 64-bit version of Windows on your Mac. In macOS, the Boot Camp Assistant app will help you partition your Mac hard drive to accommodate both operating systems, so you can install Windows from an installation disk or an ISO image stored on a USB flash drive.

Partitioning your system's hard drive with Boot Camp Assistant may erase all your data. Before proceeding, back up/copy all personal files (documents, pictures, music, videos) to a flash drive, external hard drive, or cloud storage. Alternatively, you can use Time Machine with an external hard drive to back up your entire Mac computer; for instructions, see Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac. If you need assistance setting up Time Machine, contact your campus Support Center.

Pre-installation notes

  • This guide is written for macOS High Sierra, version 10.13.x or newer. If your computer cannot run macOS High Sierra version 10.13.x, you will need to follow Apple's Boot Camp Help: Install Windows on your Mac. If you don't have access to the online guide via a different device, print a copy of the Boot Camp Installation & Setup Guide.
  • Determine whether your computer can run Windows 10; refer to Apple's System requirements to install Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp.
  • To determine if your Mac supports this feature, open Boot Camp Assistant (Go > Utilities > Boot Camp Assistant), and then click Continue. If you see a 'Create a Windows 7 or later install disk' checkbox, your Mac supports this feature.
  • Make sure your computer meets these requirements:
    • At least 80 GB of free hard drive space
    • You have either the keyboard and mouse (or trackpad) that came with your Mac, or a USB keyboard and mouse
  • Obtain a USB flash drive (at least 16 GB).
  • During installation, you will be prompted to enter an account name and password; this is for the administrator account, and should not be the one you generally use. You also will be prompted to enter your time zone.
  • Ensure that the computer is plugged into a power source, as the entire process may take several hours.

Installation guide

  • These instructions are intended strictly as a guide for installing a fully updated 64-bit version of Windows on a macOS High Sierra 10.13.x or newer computer at IU; if your computer cannot run that version of macOS, you'll need to follow Apple's Boot Camp Help: Install Windows on your Mac.
  • Perform these steps in order.

Step 1: Check for macOS updates

Before configuring Boot Camp, it is critical to make sure that your Mac's software is up-to-date, which lessens the risk of encountering problems during installation:

  1. In the menu bar, from the Apple menu, click App Store.
  2. At the top of the window, click Updates.
  3. If there are updates for your computer, in the upper right corner of the window, click Update All.

    If you're prompted, enter an administrator's username and password, and if prompted, allow your computer to restart.

When your computer restarts, check for additional updates by repeating the steps above. Repeat the process until there are no new updates in the App Store.

Create Osx Boot Disk From Windows

Step 2: Confirm your macOS version

In the menu bar, from the Apple menu, click About This Mac. The window will display the version of macOS on your computer. If you aren't running macOS High Sierra (10.13.x), you need to follow Apple's Boot Camp Help: Install Windows on your Mac.

Windows

Step 3: Turn off FileVault

To proceed, you need to divide your Mac's hard drive into a section for macOS and a section for Windows. This process is called partitioning a disk, and requires that you disable FileVault (whole-disk encryption provided by Apple):

  1. In the menu bar, from the Apple menu, click System Preferences.
  2. Click Security & Privacy.
  3. Click FileVault. The FileVault control panel will open, locked by default.
  4. Before you can disable FileVault, it requires you to unlock the control panel to show that you're an administrator on your computer. To do so, click the lock icon. Enter your administrator username (if required) and your password.
  5. You'll then be able to click Turn Off FileVault.... To confirm, click Turn Off Encryption.

    Decrypting an encrypted drive can take some time, the exact time being determined by how much data is on your disk, the disk size, and your computer's hardware capabilities.

Step 4: Download Windows 10

The version of Windows 10 on IUware will not work with Boot Camp; you'll need to download Windows directly from Microsoft, and use a product key you get from IUware.

Downloading Windows 10 Education takes some time, depending on the speed of your internet connection. Do not attempt the download on a metered connection, such as a tethered cell phone.

  1. Get a product key:
    1. Go to IUware.
    2. On the left, click PC.
    3. Click Windows 10 Education, and choose the 64-bit version.
    4. Click Log in. If prompted, log in with your IU username and passphrase.
    5. Write the product key (a series of letters and numbers that resembles 'XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX') on paper, since you won't be able to open anything on your Mac while Windows is being installed.
  2. Download Windows 10:
    1. Navigate to Microsoft's Software Download page, and click Windows 10.
    2. In the Select edition drop-down list, choose Windows 10, and click Confirm.
    3. Select the appropriate language, and click Confirm.

Step 5: Use Boot Camp Assistant

Back up your files if you haven't yet done so. Partitioning your system's hard drive with Boot Camp Assistant may erase all files. To learn more, see Back up your Mac. For details about backing up your documents and content using cloud services at IU, see Store and share your individual files at IU.

The Boot Camp Assistant will help guide you through the process of adding Windows to your Mac.

  1. For an easy way to begin, click , the Spotlight icon. In the search bar, type boot camp assistant, and press Enter.
  2. The next screen describes what Boot Camp assistant does, and warns you to back up your disk if you haven't already done so. Click Continue.
  3. To select the installation tasks to complete, make sure Create a Windows 7 or later version install disk and Install Windows 7 or later version are both selected.

    Before continuing, make sure a USB drive (at least 16 GB) is connected to the system, and be aware that the entire contents of that flash drive will be erased.

  4. On the next screen, make sure the ISO file you just downloaded from Microsoft and the appropriate flash drive are both selected. Click Continue.
  5. To confirm that the drive will be overwritten, click Continue.

    This step will take some time, depending on your computer's hardware capabilities and your internet connection speed. Make sure your computer remains plugged into an AC outlet during this process.

  6. To begin creating a partition on your Mac's hard disk to hold Windows, authenticate with your administrator password.
  7. Use the slider between the Mac and Windows icons to select a size for the Windows partition.

    UITS recommends that you use 80 GB for just Windows, and 90 GB for Windows plus Microsoft Office.

  8. Click Install.

    This process will take several minutes to complete. Once the partition is created, your Mac will restart and begin installing Windows 10. You may be prompted several times for your administrator password.

Step 6: Install Windows 10

Follow the Windows installation wizard to begin installing Windows. You'll be prompted with several questions about how to configure Windows for your needs.

These steps will take some time, depending on your computer's hardware capabilities. Make sure your computer remains plugged into an AC outlet during this process.

  1. Select the language, time and currency format, and keyboard or input method for Windows. Click Next.
  2. On the next screen, enter the product key you got from IUWare.
  3. Choose the version of Windows that the product key unlocks (Windows 10 Education) and click Next.
  4. Read and accept the license terms, and click Next.
  5. Choose the partition on which Windows will be installed, called 'BOOTCAMP'. Click Format.
  6. To confirm that you wish to format the partition, click OK. To continue, click Next.
  7. The installer will copy Windows files and install any features and updates required. When prompted, click Restart Now to restart your Mac and continue the Windows Installation process.

Step 7: Configure Windows 10

After Windows restarts, you'll need to do some configuration.

Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana, will help guide you through this process. If you are wearing headphones, remove them while your computer is restarting. Until you can install the Boot Camp support software, you may not be able to control the volume of Cortana with the volume keys on your computer.
  1. To select the appropriate region, choose United States, and click Yes.
  2. To select the keyboard layout, make sure US is selected, and click Yes.
  3. If you would like to add a secondary keyboard layout, use the next screen to do so; otherwise, click Skip.
  4. On the 'Let's connect you to a network 'screen, click Skip for Now.

Step 8: Create your Windows administrator account

The Windows administrator account you create should not be an account you use for general use of this computer.
  1. To create your account, type your name and click Next.
  2. Type a password and click Next. Do not use your IU network passphrase.
  3. Confirm your password by typing it again, and click Next.
  4. Select a series of three security questions, clicking Next after each one.
  5. Decide whether or not you want to use Cortana in Windows. Decide what privacy settings you would like to enable or disable, and click Accept.

Windows will do its final configurations. This step will take some time, depending on your computer's hardware capabilities. Make sure your computer remains plugged in to an AC outlet during this process.

Step 9: Install support software

Once Windows has started (may take some time), the Boot Camp installer will walk you through installing Apple's support software.

  1. To begin the process, click Next.
  2. Read and accept the license agreement, and click Install. All the Apple-specific software you need to run Windows efficiently on your computer will be installed.
  3. When the installer finishes, click Finish.
  4. To restart the computer, click Yes.
  5. When the computer restarts, click the trackpad or press any key to display the login field. Log in with the password you created earlier in the configuration process.

Step 10: Configure Windows Wi-Fi settings

  • To connect to a wireless network, in the system tray at the bottom right of the screen, click the Wi-Fi icon.
  • If you are off campus, connect to the wireless network you expect to use in your location. If you are on campus:
    • eduroam:

      The simplest and most secure way to connect to eduroam is to use the Eduroam Network Setup Tool. Alternatively, you can use the instructions below to connect manually.

      To connect manually, select eduroam from the list of available wireless networks, and enter your full IU email address (for example, johndoe@iu.edu) and passphrase.

      • If you connect to eduroam at an institution other than an IU campus, you'll need to use the IU VPN to access some resources (such as remote desktop, library resources, and department drives).
      • For troubleshooting tips, see Troubleshoot your eduroam connection.
    • IU Secure: To connect, select IU Secure from the list of available wireless networks, and enter your IU username and passphrase.

    You have finished installing Windows on your Mac. If you need to install Microsoft Office, see About Microsoft 365 at IU.

    Create Macos Boot Disk On Windows 10

    Step 11: Configure the default boot operating system

    You have the option to boot to either Windows or macOS when starting your Mac. You can also select one operating system for the computer to start by default.

    1. To shut down your Mac while you're in Windows, from the Start menu, click the Power button, and then click Shutdown.
    2. To boot into macOS, with the power off, press and hold the Option key and power on your Mac.
    3. Hold the Option key until you see two hard disk icons and a Wi-Fi network selector. Boot into macOS by clicking Macintosh HD (you'll select the default boot operating system momentarily).
    4. From the Startup Disk control panel, click the Apple menu. Click System Preferences, and then Startup Disk.
    5. To unlock the settings, click the Lock icon, and then type your administrator passphrase.
    6. To select the default boot operating system, click the disk that correlates to the operating system you would like to select. For macOS, choose Macintosh HD; for Windows, choose Bootcamp. If you would like to boot into the selected operating system now, click Restart.

    Switch operating systems

    Whenever you would like to switch operating systems:

    1. Shut down the computer.
    2. Press and hold the option key and power on your computer by pressing and releasing the power button.
    3. When you see two hard disk icons, release the option key.
    4. Click the hard disk icon that corresponds with the operating system you would like to boot. For macOS, choose Macintosh HD; for Windows, choose Bootcamp.

    Get help

    Disk

    For help, contact your campus Support Center.