How to install macOS at your organization

If you're the system administrator for your organization, you can choose from a variety of macOS installation methods.

Before you install, make sure that your Mac is connected to a network with access to the necessary Apple hosts for software updates and installation.

Use a device management service

If your Mac computers are enrolled in a device management service using device enrollment or Automated Device Enrollment, you can install macOS updates using declarative device management.

Use the 'startosinstall' method

If you're installing from and to your computer's startup disk, you can use the startosinstall command in the Contents/Resources directory of the macOS full installer.

  • To specify more packages to install after macOS, add the --installpackage flag. To build these packages, use the productbuild(1) command.

  • If you want to erase your current startup disk first, you can use the --eraseinstall flag. This process erases all volumes in the APFS container unless you also add the --preservecontainer flag.

  • For more information about startosinstall, add the --usage flag to the command.

Use another installation method

You can use the following installation methods whether macOS is currently installed on the target volume or not:

Learn more

  • Learn how to download and install macOS.

  • If you're preparing a Mac with Apple silicon or the Apple T2 security chip for another user at your organization, you can erase all content and settings without reinstalling macOS in System Settings or using a device management service.

  • Apple doesn't recommend or support monolithic system imaging as an installation method. The system image might not include model-specific information such as firmware updates.

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