Typically, on a compatible Mac, you can download macOS Catalina (10.15) from the App Store or Software Update. However, if your Mac doesn't support macOS 10.15, you will see a macOS Catalina unavailable message.
Well, apart from getting the macOS Catalina full installer from the App Store, this post also offers reliable methods to download the macOS Catalina ISO and DMG files. It will also guide you through creating a bootable macOS Catalina USB installer.
📢 If you need to download any other macOS version, follow: macOS Download Center.
Want to download macOS Tahoe directly? See: macOS Tahoe Download.
Which format of the macOS Catalina installer do you need?
Before downloading, check your situation and review the macOS Catalina installer formats to find the one you need.
| Use Case | Recommended Installer | Download Sources | Notes |
| Upgrade or reinstall macOS on a Catalina-compatible Intel Mac | Install macOS Catalina.app | Mac App Store, or Apple server (through Terminal) | Official Apple source. The installer opens automatically after downloading. Quit it if you need to use it later. |
| Update a Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15.6 to 10.15.7 | macOS Catalina 10.15.7 update | Apple support | An update package for Macs running 10.15.6, not a full macOS installer. |
| Create a macOS Catalina bootable USB installer for a compatible Mac | - Install macOS Catalina.app - macOS Catalina DMG | - Mac App Store, or Apple server (through Terminal) - iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac | Apple requires a Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14 or later to download the installer from Apple. There're no system requirements to download the Catalina DMG using iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac. |
| Download the macOS Catalina installer on a Mac that can't download Catalina from the App Store | macOS Catalina DMG | iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac | Provides a direct way to download the Catalina DMG without relying on the App Store. But installing macOS Catalina requires compatible Macs. |
| Run Catalina in a virtual machine on Windows | macOS Catalina ISO | iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows | Download the ISO for use with virtualization software such as VirtualBox or VMware. |
macOS Catalina .app vs .dmg vs .iso
Install macOS Catalina.app: The official .app installer of macOS Catalina, often from the App Store, downloadable only on supported Macs.
macOS Catalina DMG file: A Mac disk image format of macOS Catalina, often used to build a bootable installer for compatible Macs, or to save a copy of or share the Catalina installer.
macOS Catalina ISO file: A macOS Catalina disk image mainly used for installing macOS Catalina in virtual machines like VMware or VirtualBox on Windows PCs.
Download macOS Catalina 10.15.7 full installer (.app)
If your Mac is compatible with macOS Catalina, you can download it from the App Store or directly from the Apple servers. Or else, you'll see the error message "Update not found."
Here's the checklist of Macs that support macOS Catalina:
- MacBook (Early 2015 or later, Intel)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013 or later, Intel)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later, Intel)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later, Intel)
- iMac (Late 2012 & later, Intel)
- Mac Mini (Late 2012 & later, Intel)
- iMac Pro (2017)
Direct link to download macOS Catalina .app from the App Store
↓ macOS Catalina download (8.26 GB)
Download macOS Catalina .app with Terminal (softwareupdate)
- Open Terminal.
- Enter the following command to check available macOS installers: softwareupdate --list-full-installers
- Look for a macOS Catalina version, such as 10.15.7
- Download the latest update of the macOS Catalina installer with this command: softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.15.7
- Wait for Terminal to report that the download is complete
Warning: The download process usually lasts hours, and during that time, keep your screen on and your Mac connected to the power source.
When the download finishes, the installer will automatically open. If you don't want to install Catalina on your Mac now, click Install macOS Catalina > Quit Install macOS from the menu bar to quit the installation. When you need the installer, you can find it in the Applications folder in Finder.
Download macOS Catalina 10.15.7 update
macOS 10.15.7 fixes macOS and Wi-Fi auto-connection failure, iCloud Drive syncing, and iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) with Radeon Pro 5700 XT graphics issues.
If you are running macOS Catalina 10.15.6, you can download the latest macOS Catalina 10.15.7 update with the following link. It saves a lot of time compared to downloading the full 10.15.7 installer.
↓ macOS Catalina 10.15.7 update download (from Apple; 2.86 GB)
Download macOS Catalina DMG
Apple doesn't offer macOS Catalina as a DMG format. The App Store gives you the macOS Catalina installer in .app format. If you need a Catalina DMG for:
- building a bootable installer on a Mac that can't get Catalina from the App Store
- saving a copy of the macOS Catalina installer
- or sharing macOS Catalina
You have two options:
Option 1. Download the macOS Catalina DMG with iBoysoft DiskGeeker
iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac is an Apple-authenticated macOS disk utility that offers reliable sources for downloading macOS DMG and ISO files.
Here's how to use it to download the macOS Catalina DMG on a Mac:
- Download, install, and open iBoysoft DiskGeeker on your Mac.
- Click Download Image on the sidebar.
- Find macOS Catalina from the list and click Get next to it.
- Select DMG and click Start.
- Choose a destination and wait for the download process to complete.
If you need to download the macOS DMG on a Windows PC, switch to using iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows.
Option 2. Create a DMG yourself from the Install macOS Catalina.app
If you have an Install macOS Catalina.app installer and would like to create a DMG file manually, you can follow:
Download macOS Catalina ISO
The macOS Catalina ISO file is commonly used to create a macOS Catalina virtual machine with virtualization software, such as VirtualBox or VMware, on a Windows PC.
The online archived sources for downloading the Catalina ISO are unverified and risky. Use iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows, a well-known disk management tool, to download the macOS Catalina ISO safely. This tool ensures that the downloaded ISO remains untampered with.
Here's how to download the macOS Catalina ISO for Windows:
- Install and open iBoysoft DiskGeeker on your PC.
- Click Download in the macOS system image section.
- Find macOS 10.15 Catalina, move the cursor over the Get button next to it, select .iso, and click Get.
- Select a destination and wait for the download process to complete.
If you would like to create the ISO manually, follow:
How to Create macOS Catalina ISO?
To run macOS Catalina on a Windows PC, see these guides:
How to create a bootable macOS Catalina USB installer
There are two ways to create a bootable macOS Catalina installer: using iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac and using Terminal.
Whichever way you select, back up your USB drive first, as the drive will be erased to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) during the creation process.
Way 1. Use iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac (Quick & easy)
As you can see, the conventional approach to creating a macOS Catalina USB installer requires using Terminal. It is error-prone and complex for tech newbies. Alternatively, you can let iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac help you create a bootable USB installer for macOS Catalina. Only clicks are involved.
- Download, install, and open iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac and connect a clean USB drive.
- Click Create Boot Disk, select a volume on the USB drive, and click Select > Continue.
- Choose macOS Catalina and click Create Boot Disk > OK to download the Catalina DMG file.
- Once the DMG is downloaded, it will automatically start creating a macOS Catalina bootable installer.
If you only have a Windows PC and want to create a bootable USB installer for Catalina, use iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Windows.
Way 2. Use Terminal (More complicated)
If you insist on using the traditional way — using Terminal to create a macOS bootable installer, follow the steps below:
Preparations:
- A USB drive formatted as Mac OS Extended and having over 32GB capacity.
- Check if your Mac, from which you downloaded the macOS Catalina installer, is an Intel-based one. If not, transfer the installer (in your Applications folder in Finder) to an Intel-powered Mac. That's because macOS 10.15 is designed for Intel processors and only works on Intel-powered Macs.
Creation:
- Connect the clean Mac OS Extended USB drive to your Intel-based Mac.
- Go to Launchpad > Other to open Terminal.
- Enter the command line below. Replace MyVolume with the name of your USB flash drive. sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
- Type in your administrator password and press Enter.
- Enter Y if it warns to erase the USB drive and hit Enter.
- Wait for the process to be done. During the process, keep your Mac connected to the power source and the screen on.
After creating the macOS Catalina bootable USB installer, you can follow this post to boot up a Mac with it: How to Boot Mac from a USB.
If you find the macOS Catalina USB installer not bootable, follow: How to fix the USB Catalina installer not bootable.
Why can't macOS Catalina be downloaded and installed on your Mac?
Diverse causes can prevent you from downloading and installing macOS Catalina on your Mac.
1. Your Mac isn't compatible with macOS Catalina
If you see:
- A dimmed Get button next to Catalina in the App Store.
- "macOS is not compatible with this device" in Software Update.
- or "The requested version of macOS is not available" in Software Update.
Your Mac probably doesn't support macOS Catalina. You can download the macOS Catalina DMG or ISO file instead with the links offered above.
Notably, downloading the macOS Catalina installer on an incompatible Mac doesn't mean that you can install it. If you want to run Catalina on an unsupported Mac, follow:
How to Install macOS Catalina on an Unsupported Mac
2. Your Mac is an Apple Silicon Mac
macOS Catalina is specially designed for Intel 64-bit processors, and it is the last version for Intel-based Macs. macOS Big Sur is the initial version for Apple's own Apple Silicon-chipped Macs.
3. Your Mac doesn't have enough space to store the macOS Catalina installer
Your Mac is almost out of storage. The sluggish Mac can also lead to macOS Catalina download failures.
Tidy up your Mac and remove redundant and useless files, and then you can download macOS Catalina quickly and successfully.
Truly, cleaning up a Mac that has been used for years is a heavy job. You can use iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac to help you clean and optimize your Mac within a few minutes. This disk manager can help you thoroughly delete junk files from your Mac, such as app cache files, system logs, user log files, trash, and more.
Here's how:
- Download, install, and open iBoysoft DiskGeeker on your Mac.
- Select the macOS - Data (or Macintosh HD - Data) volume and click Scan.
- Wait for the scanning process to finish, select the files you want to delete, and click Clean.
4. Your network connection is unstable and poor
Usually, if you fail to download macOS Catalina due to network issues, it will alert you. You can check the network conditions or switch to another Wi-Fi.
Also, multiple reasons can lead to your Mac failing to install macOS Catalina:
- Your Mac doesn't have sufficient storage space.
- Your Mac isn't compatible with macOS Catalina.
- Your Mac powers off during the installation.
- Your Mac hasn't updated to the latest minor version of the current macOS.
- Your Mac runs macOS Big Sur or later.
If this macOS Catalina download center helps you quickly get the Catalina installer, share it with more people.
Also interested in:
If you need the previous versions of macOS Catalina or the post ones, you can follow these addresses to get them.
If you want to download other macOS versions, follow: downloading the macOS installer.
If you want to get the updates of macOS Catalina, follow: Mac OS updates download.
If you need macOS Catalina for Windows, download the macOS installer on Windows PC.
FAQs
- QHow do I install Catalina on an old Mac?
-
A
To install macOS Catalina on an unsupported Mac, you can use OpenCore Legacy Patcher. Notably, this method is only a trick and isn't supported by Apple. Learn the risks and limits before you try it.
1. Download OpenCore Legacy Patcher from its official website.
2. Prepare a USB drive and erase it to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
3. Use OpenCore Legacy Patcher to create the macOS Catalina bootable installer (there are on-screen instructions).
4. Use the bootable USB drive to boot the incompatible Mac.
5. When the Mac starts up, click OK on the prompt to install OpenCore Legacy Patcher. Then, you can run macOS Catalina.
- QHow do I download macOS Catalina if I can't get it from the App Store?
-
A
If you can't download macOS Catalina from the Mac App Store, your Mac may not be compatible. You can use iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac to download the Catalina DMG and create a bootable installer.
Notably, downloading Catalina on an unsupported Mac doesn't make it compatible. iBoysoft DiskGeeker for Mac simply lets you download the DMG for storage or sharing; it doesn't bypass Apple's hardware compatibility requirements.