Boot Camp: Install Windows on your Mac

To use Boot Camp, you need the keyboard and mouse or trackpad that came with your Mac. (If they aren’t available, use a USB keyboard and mouse.)

To install Windows using an installation disc you need the following:

• A built-in disc drive or a compatible external optical drive.

  For information about using your Mac with an external optical drive, see the documentation that came with your Mac.

• An installation disc with the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8, or Windows 8 Pro.

  You must use a single full-install Windows installation disc. You cannot use an upgrade version of Windows.

• An external USB drive formatted as MS-DOS (FAT).

  After you install Windows, you need to install support software that lets Windows work with your Mac hardware. You can download the support software to an external USB drive. To format an external USB drive as MS-DOS (FAT), use Disk Utility, located in the Other folder in Launchpad.

You may be able to install Windows using an external USB drive that contains a Windows ISO image (a disk image that contains the entire contents of a DVD) downloaded from Microsoft and Windows support software. To find out if you can install Windows using a USB drive, open Boot Camp Assistant, click Continue, then see if the option “Create a Windows 7 or later install disk” is available.

To install Windows using an external USB drive you need the following:

• An ISO image of the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8, or Windows 8 Pro, downloaded to your Mac.
• An external USB drive that is 8 GB or larger.

  Boot Camp Assistant erases the external drive and copies the Windows ISO image and support software to it.

If you need help determining the best size for your Windows partition, refer to your Windows installer documentation. For Windows 8, create a partition that is at least 30 GB.

1. Log in to an administrator account on your Mac, quit all open apps, then log out any other users.
2. Choose Apple menu > Software Update, then install all available updates.

   If your Mac restarts after installing an update, choose Apple menu > Software Update again to install any additional updates.

3. Go to the Boot Camp Support site to see if you need additional updates.

1. Insert an external drive into the USB port on your Mac and keep it inserted while you install Windows and Windows support software.
2. Open Boot Camp Assistant, located in the Other folder in Launchpad.
3. Select the option to install Windows, select other options you need, then click Continue.

   Here are the other options you can choose:

   • If you want to install Windows from an external USB drive and you have a Windows ISO image, select the option to copy the image to an external USB drive. If this option isn’t available, your Mac doesn’t support installing Windows from an external USB drive.
   • If you haven’t already downloaded the Windows support software for your Mac, select the option to download it. In a later step, you’ll install the Windows support software on your Windows partition.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions for the options you selected.
5. When you’re asked to create a Windows partition, specify a partition size. If you have multiple hard drives in your computer, you can select a different hard drive and create a single partition on that drive, so that the drive is solely used for Windows.
   Note: You can’t resize the partition later.

   If you need help determining the best size for your Windows partition, refer to your Windows installer documentation. For Windows 8, create a partition that is at least 30 GB.

   In a later step, you’ll format the Windows partition.

6. If you are using an installation disc for the 64-bit version of Windows, insert it into the optical drive in your Mac or the external optical drive. Otherwise, keep the external USB drive with the 64-bit version of Windows inserted.
7. Click Install.

   Boot Camp Assistant creates the Windows partition, restarts your Mac, then opens the Windows installer.

1. In the Windows installer, follow the onscreen instructions.

   If you’re installing Windows 7, you’re asked whether to do an upgrade or custom installation. Choose Custom.

2. When you’re asked where to install Windows, select the partition named “BOOTCAMP.”
   Warning:

   Do not create or delete a partition, or select any other partition. Doing so may delete the entire contents of your OS X partition.

   
3. Click “Drive options (advanced).”
4. Click Format, then click OK in the dialog that appears.
5. Click Next.

   The installer formats the Windows partition using the NTFS file system.

6. Follow the onscreen instructions to finish installing Windows.

   After you install the Windows software, your Mac automatically restarts using Windows.

7. Use the Windows setup screens to configure Windows.

   After you configure Windows, an installer appears.

1. After you configure Windows, if you kept the external USB drive that has the Windows support software inserted, an installer starts automatically. Otherwise, insert the external USB drive, then double-click the setup.exe file located in the BootCamp folder.
2. Follow the onscreen instructions.
   Important: Do not click the Cancel button in any of the installer dialogs.

   If a message appears that says the software you’re installing has not passed Windows Logo testing, click Continue Anyway.

   You don’t need to respond to installer dialogs that appear only briefly during the installation.

   If nothing appears to be happening, there may be a hidden window that you must respond to. Look behind open windows.

3. When the support software finishes installing, click Restart, then click Yes.
4. After your Mac restarts, follow the instructions for any other installers that appear.
5. Check for updated Windows support software by using Software Update or going to the Boot Camp Support site.