How to Create a Mac OS X Lion USB Installer in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide
Upgrade your old MacBook with a fresh install of Mac OS X Lion! In this walkthrough, learn how to create a USB thumb drive installer for Mac OS Lion using Terminal and Disk Utility—even on modern Macs. This is perfect for vintage Apple laptops like the 2007 white MacBook, especially when replacing your hard drive with an SSD. All key steps and commands are included, along with tips for bypassing expired certificates and troubleshooting installer issues.
Requirements
An 8GB or larger USB Flash Drive
The Official Lion Installer Package: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/106383
Erase the USB thumb drive
Name Untitled (Keep it exactly as "Untitled" to make the Terminal commands easier; you can change it later).
Format Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Scheme GUID Partition Map
Mount the Downloaded Apple DMG
Open Terminal (Cmd + Space, type "Terminal").
Run the following command to extract the package contents to a temporary folder on your Desktop:
pkgutil --expand /Volumes/Install\ Mac\ OS\ X/InstallMacOSX.pkg ~/Desktop/Lion
Then run the following command in Terminal as well.
sudo asr restore --source ~/Desktop/Lion/InstallMacOSX.pkg/InstallESD.dmg --target /Volumes/Untitled --erase --noverify
00:01 Introduction & project overview
00:14 Why Mac OS Lion and SSD upgrade
00:33 Problems with creating Lion USB installer
00:49 Lion's limitations & Apple's server issues
01:18 Best method: Apple Software Restore block copy
01:43 Required tools (USB drive, SSD, etc.)
02:41 Disk Utility: Formatting the USB drive
03:53 Downloading the Mac OS Lion DMG installer
04:46 Using Terminal: Package Utility & Mount DMG
06:31 Block copying the installer to USB
08:22 Completion: Cleaning up files
09:08 Installing Mac OS Lion via USB on old Mac
10:18 Fixing expired certificate errors with Terminal date command
11:06 Troubleshooting & tips
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