Create a bootable linux distro on a usb drive from an iso in mac osx

This will show you how to turn a downloaded iso file into a bootable usb drive using mac osx
there are two methods.
the first is the better way:

  • go to unetbootin.sourceforge.net
  • download it and follow the instructions

you will now be done.

the following method is the old way to do it (before unetbootin was available for macs)

  • open terminal
  • plug in your usb drive
  • in ternimal type:
  • mount

you will get an output that has the name of your usb drive volume in it, it will be something like /dev/disk2s1

  • in terminal type:
  • diskutil unmount /dev/disk2s1 

    [what you found from the mount command]

  • in terminal type:
  • dd if=/path/to/file.iso of=/dev/disk2s1 bs=1m

    [what you found from the mount command]

it will then copy the content of the iso file to the usb drive.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Rafael Magaña

    didn’t work for me, any of the two options, any other option?

    1. jonathan

      if neither of the options worked then it could be something to do with your iso image

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