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I am trying to revive my mid-2015 MacBook Pro.

I installed a new SSD, but when I go through the process of Reinstall macOS, I do not get the new SSD as a choice, it seems like I would have to install a 16GB USB flash drive and store it there.

It also does not seem to recognize the old SSD inside the enclosure that is connected to the MacBook.

I would like to follow the guide below

Can Recovery Mode install OS X onto a blank SSD? but how would I do this if all I can do is install the macOS Sierra on a flash drive?

I tried going into the terminal and running diskutil list, but my SSD is not found among the long list. It is a 480GB SSD and nothing in that list even comes close.

I installed macOS Sierra on a 16GB USB flash drive, but when I follow this guide: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/install-mac-os-x-using-removable-usb-drive/

But when I click Option + Power it does go into installer, but then when I go to install from the USB flash drive, it tells me I do not have enough space. I don't get it, I already have macOS Sierra on that flash drive, what is it trying to do?

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  • Did you try formatting the sss in diskutility first?
    – DanRan
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 4:35
  • What make / model SSD? How is it connected to your mac?
    – Scottmeup
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 5:54
  • @Scottmeup, the SSD is an Aura Pro X2 I installed it, removed the old SSD.
    – Daniel
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 6:13
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    @Daniel Then either your new ssd is botched/incompatable/or improperly installed. Try plugging it into an external enclosure first and then seeing if it shows up in disk utility. then try formatting.
    – DanRan
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 7:08
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    @Daniel, To start your basic diagnostics you can install your ssd, then use apple hardware test over the internet. Per apples website: "Press and hold Option-D at startup to use Apple Diagnostics over the internet". That should tell you if you have any obvious hardware problems. Reference: support.apple.com/en-us/HT202731 . If that doesn't give you any info, then you need to try installing it on another computer via external usb case, or internal. Try using a PC as well as another mac. If it doesnt show up on any other computer, youve got a botched ssd.
    – DanRan
    Commented Dec 24, 2020 at 9:58

2 Answers 2

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The specs sheet on the manufacturer's site for the Aura Pro X2 list macOS 10.13 High Sierra as the minimum compatible version.

The manufacturer recommends upgrading to macOS 10.13 High Sierra prior to installation. If that isn't possible I'd try using a USB installer for macOS 10.13 or higher as outlined here.

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  • I think the issue is knowledge gap when it comes to USB installer. I did install macOS on a USB flash drive, is that what everyone refers to as a USB installer? If so, do I follow Allan in this guide: apple.stackexchange.com/questions/234754/…
    – Daniel
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 14:43
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    @Daniel I added a link to the Apple supported method of creating a USB installer. If you have issues with that you might want to try one of the unsupported methods, eg. dosdude1.com/software.html
    – Scottmeup
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 23:00
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You are going to need to format your newly installed ssd before the macos installer recognizes it as a viable medium to install your os on. If you cant format it in disk utility, try going to internet recovery and selecting the terminal. once in the terminal type

diskutil list

Then find the your newly installed disk drive labeled in the format of /dev/diskXwhere "X" is whatever disk number your new ssd is. This will most likely be /dev/disk0 or /dev/disk1.

Once you have identified your disk number in the terminal, you can erase and format your new sdd by running the command

diskutil eraseDisk apfs MacHD GPT /dev/diskX

Dont forget to substitute the "X" in "/dev/diskX" with your real disk number.

For example, if your new ssd shows up in the terminal as /dev/disk0, the command to properly format it would be:

diskutil eraseDisk apfs MacHD GPT /dev/disk0

After that your new ssd should show up as an option in the mac installer application and you should be able to install macOS on it.

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