macOS Installer ISO Builder with GitHub Actions

Automatically download official macOS installers from Apple and create bootable iso or dmg images using GitHub Actions.

Supported formats:

• ISO – true DVD-format compatible with Proxmox VE, QEMU, VirtualBox, and VMware
• DMG – For creating bootable USB drives

Workflows Available

1. Recovery ISO (Recommended)

Creates a lightweight recovery ISO that downloads macOS during installation.

• Faster – Completes in ~2-10 minutes
• Best for – Most virtualization use cases

2. Full Installer image

Creates a complete offline installer image (~5-16GB).

• Slower – Takes 20-60 minutes to build
• Best for – Offline installations or when you need the complete installer

Note

Due to GitHub Actions usage limits, please use the Recovery ISO workflow unless you specifically need an offline installer.

Already have a macOS VM? You can create full installer ISOs locally using Create_macOS_ISO.command.

---

Usage

1. Fork this repository.

2. Go to the Actions tab in your forked repository.

3. Click the green button "I understand my workflows, go ahead and enable them".

4. Select the "Build macOS Installer ISO image" workflow.

5. Click the "Run workflow" button.

6. Configure the workflow inputs:

   • macOS version – Choose a version (Sequoia, Sonoma, etc.).
   • Image format – Choose iso for Virtual Machines or dmg for bootable USB drives.
   • Specific version (optional) – Enter a version like 15.6.1, or leave blank for the latest.

7. Click the green "Run workflow" button to start the build.

8. Wait for the workflow to complete (this may take 15-60 minutes).

9. Open the completed workflow run and scroll to the Artifacts section.

10. Download the artifact (e.g., macOS-Sequoia-15.6.1-ISO).

Tip

Enable Cloudflare WARP for faster downloads.

11. Extract the ZIP file to get your .iso or .dmg file.

---

Note

By default, the artifact is kept for 3 days. You can change this in the workflow YAML file.

Tip

• For best performance, use a macOS VM on Proxmox VE with iGPU or dGPU passthrough.
• Installing macOS on Proxmox VE with LongQT-sea/OpenCore-ISO is recommended.
• For Intel GVT-d iGPU passthrough, see LongQT-sea/intel-igpu-passthru.

Legal Notice

This tool downloads macOS images directly from Apple's servers. Users are responsible for complying with Apple's Software License Agreement.