Download a full macOS installer from Terminal

Download a full macOS installer from Terminal — via SS64

Commandlow riskmacOS 14 Sonoma and later

softwareupdate can list and download complete macOS installers, including older versions Apple still serves. Useful for making a bootable USB installer or installing on another Mac without hunting through the App Store. This entry only downloads; it doesn't install anything.

Takes effect right away

The easy way

Run the command to see which installer versions are available.
Download one with softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.7 (use a version number from the list).
softwareupdate --list shows which updates are pending for this Mac, without installing anything.

Command

Run in Terminal (Applications › Utilities).

softwareupdate --list-full-installers

Full installers are several gigabytes, so check your free space first. Delete the installer app when you're done with it.

Sources

softwareupdate — by SS64

Source reviewed: 2026-11-02
Link checked: 2026-11-02
Tested hands-on: Not by Oddbyte.Me

Oddbyte.Me hasn't tried this on every macOS version, so keep the undo handy.

softwareupdatemacos installerbootable usbdownload macosterminal

Search with Spotlight from Terminal (mdfind) — via SS64

Commandlow risk

mdfind runs Spotlight searches from the command line, so it's instant even across your whole drive. It can search by name, by content, or by metadata like 'images edited yesterday' or 'files tagged Green'.

Pipe Terminal output straight to the clipboard — via SS64

Commandlow risk

pbcopy puts anything you send it on the clipboard, and pbpaste prints what's on the clipboard. No more selecting long Terminal output with the mouse.

Make your Mac talk, or turn text into an audio file — via SS64

Commandlow risk

The say command reads text aloud in any installed voice. Add it to the end of a long command to hear when it finishes, or save a text file as audio to listen to later.

Download a full macOS installer from Terminal — via SS64

The easy way

Command

Sources

More in Hidden Tools & Commands