Install macOS on a MacBook with a blank HD without having another working Mac or old Mac HD? I'm getting 3 year old MacBook Pro with no HD (surplus from the company I work for). I don't have a Mac of any sort to do the install/restore/etc like most other answers to this question assume. I have a Windows PC, and will get a new blank internal SATA drive to put into the MacBook Pro. I also have a 1TB external USB drive, if that helps.

How do I purchase and install the latest compatible OS on this new-old MacBook?
How do I purchase and install the latest compatible OS on this new-old MacBook?


The recent versions of macOS are available for free of cost to install and download from Apple (starting with OS X Mavericks 10.9).

The easiest way to install macOS onto a blank hard disk in your MacBook Pro would be via Internet recovery.

Refer to the Apple Support article, About macOS Recovery to get instructions on how to install macOS over the Internet.

The availability of Internet recovery and the latest supported OS will depend on the make and model of your MacBook Pro.