How to Get Windows 10 on a macOS Catalina
Macos Catalina Unable To Install Virtualbox; Unable To Install Macos Catalina; Download the new version for macOS Catalina. This can be done by checking the app store for updates (for macOS High Sierra and earlier) or checking system preferences for updates (for macOS Mojave or later). Check the time on your macOS. A wrong date on your macOS. Install macOS Catalina. Now, you can roll back from macOS Big Sur using the bootable installer. Plug your hard drive (which is now your bootable installer) into your Mac. Open System Preferences Startup Disk. Choose your bootable installer as a startup disk and press Restart. Your Mac should start up to macOS Recovery. Clean install macOS 10.15 on a non-startup disk drive. If you don’t have a free, non-partitioned drive, you can install Catalina on a non-startup drive. Here are three easy steps: Step 1. Erase your non-startup drive. If you install Catalina on a new drive, this is not for you. Why macOS Catalina Won’t Install. Various problems can occur during the installation of macOS Catalina. If the installation won’t start, seems to freeze midway, or never seems to complete, then it means that there must be something wrong somewhere. The first main reason why users can’t install macOS Catalina is compatibility problem. How to Clean Install macOS Catalina. Upgrade Install: This is the most common type of installation. It allows you to keep all of your current apps, data, and many of the existing operating system settings and preferences. The upgrade install merges the new macOS Catalina with your existing Mac OS.
If you want to install Windows on your Macbook, there are a few ways to do it: you may use Mac’s Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows as its own independent OS; then you will be able to startup either macOS or Windows depending on which one you need at the time. The other way is using a virtual machine: you may create a virtual Windows setup using Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion or VirtualBox. Then at any time you may start that virtual machine and load Windows inside macOS. This article describes pros and cons of each method, so that you can decide which one is right for you.
Option 1: Download Windows 10 on a macOS Catalina With BootCamp
Boot Camp comes with your Macbook for free, and it allows you to install Windows alongside macOS, so you can choose which of them to boot on startup. Mac’s Boot Camp Assistant will help you install Windows, partition the startup drive and install necessary drivers.
If you install Windows via Boot Camp, Windows will have all of your Macbook’s resources and can run programs with the maximum possible performance. That’s why dual-booting is ideal for running resource-intensive programs like video-editing software or high-end games.
Catalina Install
On the other hand, only one operating system will be able to run at the same time, so you will have to reboot between them depending on which apps you need to run at the moment. Another possible drawback is fact that Windows and macOS use different file systems, and you will not be able to open Mac files on Windows or vice versa unless you install specific third-party drives for it. That is not a problem when using virtual machines.
Option 2: Run Windows 10 on a Macbook Without BootCamp, Using a Virtual Machine
Virtual machines allow you to install and open Windows 10 in a window on your Mac desktop. Windows will “think” it’s running on a real computer, when it is running inside an app. With virtual machines you run both macOS and Windows at the same time, which is handy if you want to open a single Windows program alongside your Mac applications. However, when you run a virtual machine, your computer’s resources are split between the two operating systems, so everything may run slower than usual.
Install Windows 10 on a Mac Catalina With Parallels Desktop
Parallels Desktop is very intuitive and easy-to-use for regular computer users. The app will configure everything for you, even download Windows 10 or utilize the one you already downloaded via Boot Camp. You can open Windows in a separate window (including a full screen mode), or you can turn on Coherence mode. In Coherence mode the virtual machine will run in the background, while Windows programs can run alongside your Mac apps. You can even put Windows programs on your macOS desktop or pin them to Dock. Parallels Desktop allows you to copy and paste or drag and drop between Windows and macOS without any problems.
Parallels Desktop prices start at $79.99, however there is a free trial period available.
Get Windows 10 on a Mac Catalina With VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion is another popular virtualization software for Macbooks. It is close to Parallels in terms of functionality and pricing, but VMware’s Fusion supports a larger number of operating systems than Parallels. On the other hand, Parallels is easier for beginners, and runs a little smoother. Otherwise, these two programs are approximately on the same level.
Install Windows 10 a Mac Via VirtualBox
If you don’t plan to spend extra money on virtualization software, there’s always VirtualBox by Oracle. VirtualBox is a pretty decent free alternative to paid software if not slower, less polished and missing some handy functions. If you need to run some resource intensive Windows programs, VirtualBox might not be the best choice for you. VirtualBox also requires more technical knowledge than, for example, Parallels, as users need to tune some settings themselves when installing it. However, if you are a power user already or don’t mind doing a little more work, and you are not going to run latest Windows games or video-editing software, VirtualBox is a good (and free!) alternative.
Best apps live in Setapp
Apple is ready to give you a change — the all-new macOS Catalina, available as a free download — so let’s get you all set.
There are two different options on how to upgrade. You can install Catalina over your current macOS, keeping all its data untouched. Or, you can get a fresh start with a clean install. The main benefit of clean installation is that you get rid of the system junk and leftovers which might hamper your Mac’s performance.
Get Setapp to get ready for Catalina
A complete toolkit of utilities that prepare your Mac for macOS Catalina install. Upgrade your Mac in minutes without losing any data.
Catalina Installieren
One way or another, getting Catalina on your Mac is definitely worth a try. Look at the bells and whistles it brings along:
- A renewed iTunes experience — with dedicated apps for Music, Podcasts and Apple TV.
- Simplified porting of iOS apps to macOS.
- Sidecar for using your iPad as an additional screen.
- Major updates of your favorite native apps, including Photos, Reminders, and Find My.
And that’s only a small part of your new macOS experience. If you need more reasons, find a complete review of the new Catalina features here.
Prepare your Mac for the clean install
If you’ve seen the new Catalina, you must be excited to get your hands on the installer — we get it. But don’t dive right into the upgrade. Your Mac has to be ready. First thing, check device compatibility. The rules are not much different from the Mojave compatible Macs, except for a few older Mac Pro models that Catalina will no longer support. Here’s the full list:
- MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
- MacBook (2015 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
- Mac Pro (2013 or newer)
- Mac mini (2012 or newer)
- iMac (2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (all models)
Found your Mac on the list? Congrats, you’re on the Catalina team. Just a few more things and you’re ready to install:
- Get a USB drive with minimum 16GB of free space if you plan to install Catalina on a startup disk.
- Backup your data and clean away all the clutter.
- Note that it will take your Mac an hour or two to run the upgrade.
Choose your way to clean install Catalina
As we’ve said before, the healthiest method of clean installing the new macOS is by putting it on your startup drive. It’s your perfect choice if your Mac has a single non-partitioned drive where all the files are stored. Simply backup an entire drive and go ahead with the installation.
Another choice would be to test Catalina on a non-startup drive. If you have a spare drive or your startup drive is divided into volumes, this might be a good option to explore. Especially if you don’t want any files to go away.
Let’s dive into the details of clean installation.
Clean install macOS 10.15 on a startup disk drive
Again, this is the recommended option that will leave you with a high-performing Mac. It involves lots of cleaning and securing your files, though. You can take care of all the data stored on your old OS manually, or by using a few easy utilities. Let’s save your time and see how to do it real quick:
Remove junk from your Mac with CMM X
Download a powerful macOS cleaner to get ready for the Catalina upgrade. All the junk, leftovers and old caches will be gone in a moment.
Step 1. Get rid of the junk
Every ancient app leftover that is hiding somewhere in the depths of your Mac may potentially hinder its performance. That’s not what you want. CleanMyMac X can handle the junk before an upgrade. In one smart scan, the app will spot and remove everything — from outdated caches to file duplicates.
One more important detail, Apple will stop supporting 32-bit applications in the new macOS 10.15. So make sure you get rid of them, too. This will help you see the functionality that Catalina will be missing, and find the right alternatives in advance. In CleanMyMac X, navigate to the Uninstaller tab, filter apps by 32-bit, and click Uninstall. As easy as that. Find out what to do when scratch disks are full in photoshop.
CleanMyMac X is a nice utility to keep on your new macOS, too. In fact, it’s the quickest way to refresh an entire system and remove potential threats before they start affecting your performance. The app is available on Setapp — and so is the backup utility for your Mac we’ll talk about in a moment.
Step 2. Backup your drive
You want the redundant files to go. But you also want the needed files to stay. That’s easy with Get Backup Pro, one of the best backup apps for Mac. Unlike Apple’s native Time Machine, Get Backup Pro has the functionality of creating bootable clones — which gives you absolute peace of mind. In case there’s a tech problem with your Catalina installation, the drive can be recovered at any time.
We encourage you not to ignore the backup process. It will help you roll back at any time with minimum loss. Plus, it’s an easy way to move your files to the new OS in batch.
Read more information about Mac update
Step 3. Create a bootable Catalina installer
Before you clean install Catalina, we have to warn you there might be no going back. First, because macOS 10.15 is truly great. Second, because Apple removes an old macOS installer from the App Store once the new version is out. So if you want to have an exit plan, you’ll have to download Mojave installer in advance.
Here’s how you create Catalina installer:
- Access the App Store and get the new macOS Catalina.
- Wait for the download process to finish and click File > Quit as soon as the installer launches. Your installer will be stored in the Applications folder.
- Connect your USB stick and go to Disk Utilities.
- In the Erase tab, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as your format.
- Name your USB stick and then click Erase > Done > close Disk Utility.
- 6. Access Terminal and type the following command (make sure you replace [XXX] with your drive name):sudo /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/[XXX] --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app
- Hit Return and type in your admin password.
- When the process is finished, click Done and close Terminal.
- Congrats, you’re a Catalina user — now officially.
Step 4. Get Catalina on your startup drive
The final part. Your data is securely backed up, so you can go ahead and erase your startup disk drive:
- Access System Preferences > Startup Disk and choose your Catalina installer.
- Restart your Mac and hold Command-R.
- Connect your bootable USB.
- In the macOS Utilities window, click Reinstall a new copy of macOS.
- Click Continue and agree to the terms and conditions.
- Select your startup drive and click Install.
Once the new macOS gets on your Mac, it will be born anew. So yes, you will have to set it up — just like a new Mac. If you’ve used Setapp on the old macOS, you can quickly get your apps back by downloading the installer on setapp.com.
Clean install macOS 10.15 on a non-startup disk drive
If you don’t have a free, non-partitioned drive, you can install Catalina on a non-startup drive. Here are three easy steps:
Catalina Install Dmg
Catalina Install Dns
Step 1. Erase your non-startup drive
If you install Catalina on a new drive, this is not for you. Otherwise, you’ll have to wipe everything away from the drive before using it. Navigate to Disk Utility, select your non-startup drive, and click Erase. If there’s any data you want to keep, use ChronoSync Express to sync it with another drive.
Step 2. Download the Catalina installer
Access your Mac App Store > Updates and grab the installer. Once the installer will launch automatically, quit — you don’t want to install it from there.
Step 3. Install Catalina to your non-startup drive
You’ll find the downloaded installer in your Applications folder and launch it. Select a drive — you’ll have to change it from “startup” to your target one. Follow the instructions and finish your installation.
Once your system is upgraded, set up your new Mac and make sure you try all the perks. And before you get frustrated that your favorite 32-bit app is missing, get Setapp — it surely has a decent alternative.
If you are a true macOS fan, check out the comparison of iOS and macOS adoption trends below: