Unable to download macOS Monterey installer for bootable USB

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Level 1

12 points

Unable to download macOS Monterey installer for bootable USB

I’m trying to create a USB installer for macOS Monterey to reinstall on my older iMac (27", 2017).

The iMac’s Recovery only loads El Capitan, which can’t read the APFS drive, and Internet Recovery fails with error –501F / –5101F.

I’m now using a MacBook Pro running macOS Tahoe 26.1, but I can’t download Monterey anymore — the App Store link opens blank, and Terminal commands like


softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 12.6.9

return “Update not found.”

Is there any way to get the official Monterey installer from a newer Mac?

I just need to create a bootable USB for my old iMac.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.1

Posted on Nov 12, 2025 10:54 AM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

157,692 points

Nov 12, 2025 11:22 AM in response to guillemette

To be able to create a bootable installer, the Mac you use to download the full installer must be compatible with that macOS version. For Monterey (12.6.9), that would require a 2017 - 2021 Mac model.

To verify this, I tried that same command line with my 2023 M2 Pro Mac mini, and it resulted in the same error that you got.

Here are two Apple Support articles on this topic:

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

68,162 points

Nov 12, 2025 8:40 PM in response to guillemette

To create a bootable macOS USB installer with APFS support requires access to another Mac model generally from Late-2009 to mid-2022.

Monterey model 2015 to mid-2022
Catalina model 2012 to mid-2020
High Sierra model Late-2009 to 2018

You can confirm whether a particular model Mac is compatible with a particular version of macOS by using the information in the following article since what I listed are just close generalizations:

https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility

Keep in mind the older the OS used, the more difficult it becomes to access the Data volume, but it is possible assuming you need to recover data if you don't have backups. You just need to understand the new drive layout used by macOS 10.15+.

As for your keyboard, have you tried using a wired USB keyboard? If a known good USB connected keyboard won't allow you to type, then your Mac must have some hardware issues and is unlikely going to be able to boot as well which I'm guessing is already the case.

Keep in mind the issues you are encountering here are likely the same reason your Mac is not working normally. People tend to focus on the wrong problem when asking for assistance online. It would help if you backed up and provided some actual background into the initial problem that has you trying to boot a macOS installer (recovery mode or USB).

https://xyproblem.info/

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Answer 3

guillemette Author

Level 1

12 points

Nov 12, 2025 12:24 PM in response to Tesserax

hello, thanks a lot for the feedback.

I do have a 2017 - 2021 Mac model, but it's one I need the bootable USB for :-(

I have tried every possible way to install the OS directly from the 2017 iMac but none of them worked => I can't connect to the wifi as the iMac won't let me type a password even though it recognises the keyboard and when using an ethernet cable I get the an error -5101F. people suggest using an iPhone shared connection but it requires typing a password...

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Answer 4

guillemette Author

Level 1

12 points

Nov 17, 2025 8:02 AM in response to HWTech

Thanks a lot for your feedback.

My iMac worked perfectly fine before this issue. I upgraded to a new macOS version and everything was still normal. Later I was offered a smaller update, and something went wrong during that installation: the computer froze and the update did not complete.

After that aborted install, I started experiencing System Preferences issues and Bluetooth stopped working. The iMac still booted normally, but I attempted to fix Bluetooth by deleting the Bluetooth plist files. Unfortunately, System Preferences then stopped loading completely, leaving Recovery Mode as the only option to proceed.

I have tested the following:

• Multiple USB wired keyboards — they allow arrow key navigation but no alphanumeric input in the Wi-Fi password field

• Ethernet Internet Recovery fails consistently with error –5101F

• iPhone hotspot is detected, but requires entering a password, which is impossible due to the keyboard limitation

• The iMac’s SSD appears healthy in Disk Utility whenever Recovery does load

• I’m not trying to recover data; the disk can be erased if needed — I only need to reinstall macOS

The problem is that macOS Recovery only offers El Capitan, which cannot install on an APFS volume, and newer Internet Recovery sessions fail before download. On another Mac (macOS Tahoe 26.1), I cannot download Monterey or Ventura anymore because the App Store link opens blank and Terminal fetch commands return “update not found.”

If this were hardware failure, the iMac would not reliably boot to Recovery, detect USB input, or show a healthy SSD. The symptoms align with a corrupted recovery/firmware state after an interrupted update, not a hardware defect.

At this point, I’m looking for a confirmed method to download an official Monterey or Ventura installer without relying on the App Store UI, so I can create a bootable USB for this 2017 iMac.

I would really appreciate guidance from anyone who has successfully restored a similar system recently.

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