How To Set Up Bootcamp On External Drive

How to Install Windows ten on an External Bulldoze on a Mac

Windows 10 on a MacBook | Credit: Anthony Boyd

Hello! I approximate this is my last resort. Unfortunately, I can't go SASM to work natively on macOS Catalina for my calculator compages form. At this betoken, I can either work on Windows 10 or Ubuntu (or whatever Linux distro y'all tin can think of). As per the title, nosotros'll exist installing Windows x. At that place are a lot of ways to do this but this method provides more than control over the installation process.

My method addresses the event on storage. Most entry-level Macs only have 128GB of storage. And if you lot're homo, 70% of that is already filled with files. There's really not much room there for Windows.

Kick Camp is Apple's mode of letting users get Windows on their devices. But… We wont exist using that. I'1000 pretty certain you've already figured out why. Well if you haven't, let me tell yous. Boot Camp doesn't allow you to install Windows on an external drive. So, nosotros'll be going around that restriction just like how y'all install Windows on normal PCs.

If y'all have actress storage, might besides utilize Boot Military camp to avoid the hassle.

Overview

I've tested this on pre-UEFI and UEFI Macs, and it has been working neat. Granted, you might have to exercise some additional steps for pre-UEFI systems but we won't be doing that here. This guide is geared towards UEFI Macs which are models from 2022 and above.

GUI installers are pretty convenient, huh? Well, nosotros won't be using those in this guide. Nosotros'll be using Terminal on macOS and Command Prompt on Windows. Over this whole procedure, you'll learn how to manage drives using DISKPART, install Windows using DISM in command prompt, and how difficult it is to work around Apple's kernel for Macs.

Well, the concluding 1 might be hard for you to realize because I already written this guide for you to follow. In that location'southward non much headache on your side at this point.

Things you need

Before we begin, brand sure you have these stuff.

Hardware

If you already are using an external bulldoze that y'all wanna use for this, that's fine. Just make a backup of your files from that drive get-go before proceeding because nosotros have to reformat that drive.

Your Mac
At least 120GB HD or SSD (preferably USB iii.0 or college)
At least 8GB flash drive (likewise preferably USB three.0 or higher)

Software

Obviously, you lot need the Windows x ISO, but that'due south not the interesting part. By the fashion, this setup takes into consideration long-term use thus the need of installing a custom kick loader. Information technology will permit u.s. to choose which operating system nosotros want to boot into without accessing Apple'south boot menu. You can really employ whatsoever boot loader yous want but I adopt rEFInd.

Windows 10 ISO
Windows Support Software
rEFInd

The Guide

Just a quick disclaimer before we begin. Do note that I'm not responsible if things go incorrect. Proceed at your own risk. Brand sure you have backed upwards all of your files!

Role 1: Obtaining Windows Support Software

For Windows ten to work properly on our computers regardless of whether it's a Mac or not, we need drivers. Apple tree consolidated all of the drivers nosotros demand for Windows. Nosotros can download them using Kick Camp Assistant.

Open Boot Campsite Assistant.
Click Action on the menu bar and so printing Download Windows Support Software.
It'll ask y'all where you want to save a directory named WindowsSupport. Simply save it in the Downloads folder for ease.
Wait for it to finish downloading. Once washed, y'all can close Boot Military camp Banana.

Part two: Preparing the Windows ten USB Installer

In this part, y'all'll be learning how to create a bootable Windows 10 USB Installer for Macs. We'll be formatting the bulldoze using Deejay Utility.

Plug in your flash bulldoze to your Mac.
Open Disk Utility.
Click View on the menu bar then press Testify All Devices.
Click on your wink drive under External over on the side panel. In my case, it's SanDisk Ultra Fit Media.
Click Erase on the toolbar.
Fix Name to Windows 10, Format to EXFAT, and Scheme to GUID Sectionalization Map.
Click on Erase to format the drive.
Open up upward the Windows x ISO you've downloaded earlier. Elevate all the contents of that ISO onto the wink drive we just fo.
Open WindowsSupport, the drivers nosotros download from the previous office. Drag all of the contents of that folder onto the flash drive.

Office three: Turning off System Integrity Protection

This role is needed since we're gonna install a custom boot loader. But, don't worry! We're gonna plough it back on later on the installation.

Restart your Mac.
One time you hear the kick chime, press and agree CMD + R to get into Recovery Style.
In the menu bar, click on Utilities then press Last.
Execute csrutil disable.
Turn off your Mac.

Part 4: Preparing your External Drive

Oh, boy! Here comes the fun stuff. Past far, this is the tedious function of the whole guide. We'll exist dabbling a chip with Control Prompt. Hopefully, you can larn some new concepts here! Be sure that yous already have a backup of your files from the external drive.

Unplug all USB devices except for the Windows 10 USB Installer and the external drive you want to install Windows on.
Turn on your Mac.
Once yous hear the boot chime, press and concur ALT to access the kick bill of fare.
Yous're gonna be presented with a listing of bootable devices simply we accept to boot into the Windows ten USB Installer we merely created. Select the i labeled EFI Boot. You'll see the Windows logo during kicking up. If you run across more than one device with that label, try each ane until you lot find the right one.
Once the boot up is successful, you'll exist greeted with the Windows ten GUI installer.
Press SHIFT + FN + F10 to open Command Prompt.
Enter DISKPART. And so, execute List Deejay. Identify the disk number of your external bulldoze. In my case, information technology is two.
To select your external bulldoze, enter SELECT Deejay 2. Modify 2 to your disk number.
In one case successfully selected, enter CLEAN. This will wipe the partition tabular array and uninitialize your external drive.
Now, we have to create a segmentation for Windows ten to exist installed in. Enter CREATE Partition Master SIZE=122880. This volition create a 128GB logical volume. Of form, yous can change it to whatever size you desire. At the minimum, you should set it to 60GB.
Enter ASSIGN Letter=Due west. This will ready the volume letter to W which volition brand it easier for us to reference the book later on.
To format the division, enter FORMAT QUICK FS=NTFS.
Enter List Volume. We have to wait for the EFI segmentation. It is formatted equally FAT32 with Info gear up to Hidden.
Select the book by entering SELECT VOLUME iv. In my computer, the EFI partition has the volume number 4. Change it to the volume number of your EFI partition.
Enter ASSIGN Letter of the alphabet=Z.
Verify that the partition yous merely created has its volume alphabetic character gear up to W and the EFI sectionalization set to Z. Also check the book letter of the Windows 10 USB Installer. In my case, it's D.
Enter Exit to close DISKPART.

Role 5: Installing Windows 10 on your External Drive

At present that the partitioning is out of the way, nosotros can begin with the installation. We'll be installing Windows 10 via DISM. Essentially, we are deploying the Windows 10 epitome onto the sectionalisation we just created.

In Command Prompt, type in dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:D:\Sources\install.wim. This will list down the editions you can install. Identify the index number of the edition yous want.
To outset installing, enter dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:D:\Sources\install.wim /index:6 /ApplyDir:Westward:\. Modify the volume messages if you have different ones. The index number I take is 6 for Windows ten Pro. Change the alphabetize to your liking.
Once it'south washed, we have to verify if Windows was installed successfully in the partition. Enter DIR W: to list down the directories and files in that segmentation. Over again, change the volume letter if y'all assigned a dissimilar one.
To make your installation bootable, enter bcdboot West:\Windows /l en-the states /southward Z: /f UEFI. This will create the kick files in your EFI sectionalization.
Plough off your Mac and unplug the Windows 10 USB Installer.

Part half-dozen: Installing rEFInd

In this part, we'll exist installing a custom boot loader. rEFInd will make information technology piece of cake for us to select operating systems on kick. Fortunately, the author created a script for the states to use.

rEFInd installation asking for root privileges

Turn on your Mac.
Once logged in, extract the rEFInd archive you've downloaded earlier. You lot'll notice a script with the proper name refind-install.
Open Terminal and drag in refind-install onto the Terminal window. Press Enter to run the script.
Enter your password when asked.
If the output says that the installation is successful, restart your Mac.

Role 7: Setting up Windows

If it went well, you lot should've been greeted with the rEFInd kicking loader.

Your Windows 10 installation should appear. Exercise notation that it volition always announced fifty-fifty if the external drive is unplugged. This is because we installed the boot files of Windows 10 onto the internal EFI partition.
Select Windows to boot.
Complete the setup.
Plug in your Windows x USB Installer and open the BootCamp folder.
Run setup.exe to install the drivers.
Congratulations! We're finally done!

Part 8: Turning on Arrangement Integrity Protection

This function is crucial and may leave your arrangement vulnerable. Only, don't worry! We'll turn information technology dorsum on now.

Restart your Mac.
One time you hear the kicking chime, printing and concur CMD + R to get into Recovery Mode.
Open up up Last.
Execute csrutil enable.
Restart your Mac.

Other Notes

I bet you've noticed that rEFInd looks ugly. Well, I have something to tell yous. Yous can install themes. Bank check this i out that goes well with the aesthetic Apple is going for. rEFInd is very customizable merely I'll get out the configuration to you. Yous can discover the documentation of the boot loader here. Look at how my triple kick setup is recognized by rEFInd below.

rEFInd with minimal theme | Credit: Anthony Boyd

You might've realized that if you lot accept a larger drive, only 1 division is nowadays, your Windows ten partition. This is because we haven't created the partition for the unused space however. To do and then, just open up the Deejay Direction tool on Windows and create a partition for the unused infinite of your drive. Make sure you set the format of that sectionalization to EXFAT then that you can have read and write capabilities for both macOS and Windows.

If you want to configure rEFInd to install themes or whatnot, you have to admission the rEFInd binder in the EFI division. To make things easier for yous, hither's how to mountain the partition and how to locate the rEFInd folder.

Open up Concluding.
Enter diskutil list. This volition list downwardly all of your disks. Take note of your EFI segmentation. In my instance, it's /dev/disk0s1.
Enter sudo mkdir /Volumes/ESP. This creates a volume directory that the EFI segmentation can mount on.
To mount the EFI partition, enter sudo mount -t msdos /dev/disk0s1 /Volumes/ESP. Voilà! EFI should appear in Finder.
Open the volume named EFI. There you lot volition notice a folder also named EFI. Inside that, y'all'll encounter a folder named refind.

If you desire to uninstall the boot loader, it'southward relatively easy. Only mount the EFI partitioning and delete the folder named refind. If you lot want to remove Windows 10 from your external drive, that's like shooting fish in a barrel likewise. Merely delete the partition from Deejay Utility.

Lastly, I've had a couple of people try this on a 2022 MacBook Pro and it seemed to fail during the post-installation stage. An OOBE error keeps on occurring. The keyboard and mouse inputs weren't recognized which prohibited us from working around the error. If you lot have any solutions regarding this or anything at all, experience free to leave a response.

References

https://twocanoes.com/create-a-windows-x-bootable-usb-flash-drive-on-a-mac/
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/84331-employ-windows-prototype-using-dism-instead-clean-install.html
https://windowsreport.com/fix-cant-boot-windows-8-windows-10-installing-ubuntu/
https://www.anand-iyer.com/blog/2014/fixing-missing-bootcamp-segmentation-in-osx.html