Jide recently launched a early beta version of Remix OS 2.0 for PC.

Remix OS is a custom version of Android designed to look and feel like a desktop operating system. Over the past year, it’s shipped on a handful of tablets, laptops, and TV boxes. What’s new is that Jide is making it possible to download Remix OS and run it on many recent computers featuring Intel or AMD chips.

That includes computers that normally run Windows or OS X. Earlier this week Brad took Remix OS for a spin on a Windows PC. Today I’m going to show you how to run it on a Mac.

Remix OS on Mac 3

Whether you’re using a Mac or Windows computer, you’ll need to prepare a USB flash drive with Remix OS. Then you’ll boot your computer from the flash drive — so there’s no need to replace your operating system, partition your hard drive, or risk losing any of your files.

The Remix OS for PC download includes a USB preparation tool for Windows, but it’s pretty easy to prep a flash drive on a Mac too.

You’ll need the UNetbootin software, which allows you to create a bootable Live USB drive that can be accessed in the Startup Manager on Mac. The program distributes the file to your USB drive so that it works as a Live USB drive.

What you need

  • Remix OS for PC version 2.0
  • UNetbootin for Mac
  • USB flash drive with minimum 8GB of storage (Jide recommends using a USB 3.0 flash drive with write speeds of at least 20MB/s for best performance. You can use a USB 2.0 flash drive, but you might run into issues.)
  • Mac (I installed Remix 2.0 on a MacBook Pro running OS X El Capitan)
  • A mouse

What to do

Step 1: Download UNetbootin for Mac if you don’t already have it. [NOTE: If your Mac security settings don’t permit you to open non-certified files, Control+right-click to bypass the security setting for this download.]

Step 2: Download Remix OS for PC here.

Step 3: Plug the USB flash drive into your Mac.

Step 4: Open UNetbootin and format the window as follows:

Remix OS on Mac 7

  1. Select DiskImage
  2. Select ISO from the dropdown menu
  3. Click on the “…” button to find the Remix file.
  4. Find “Remix_OS_for_PC_64_B2016011201_Alpha.ios” in your Downloads folder and select it.

Step 5: Click “OK.” Click “Exit” when done. [NOTE: UNetbootin will warn that Live USB drives are only bootable on PCs and it will not boot on Mac. However, in my experience, it worked just fine.]

Remix OS on Mac 5

Step 6: Restart your Mac and immediately press and hold down the alt/option key right when you hear the startup chime. This opens the Startup Manager.

Step 7: Select the “Windows” drive when the option appears. This boots up the Remix OS on your Mac.

Remix OS on Mac 1

Once booted, you will be able to select either “Guest” or “Resident” to use Remix. The difference being that your data and apps will be saved on the USB drive in Resident mode.

It took a few minutes for the program to open on my MBP. However, once it did, Remix OS ran as expected. I should point out that you’ll need a mouse to use Remix  OS. I was unable to scroll up or down just by using the laptop’s trackpad.

Remix OS on Mac 4

If you don’t want to go through the effort of downloading Remix OS onto your Mac, you can always grab a Remix Mini for $70 or Remix Ultra-tablet for $300 for a plug-and-play experience.

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32 replies on “How to run Remix OS on a Mac”

  1. Hi i have remix os installed on my USB and when i boot it up i get a count down clock saying its booting up remix but the count down clock just repeats can some one help ???

  2. [SHARE]

    Macbook Pro Retina can’t use that method anymore . for able to boot remox OS follow this steps :
    – you need download an remix OS EFI bootble file. (an .img file) from official site remix OS,
    – convert .img to .iso ,
    – mount the .iso and copy all file in them, into your usb-drive or extHDD (must be fat32 | MBR or GPT is no matter) ,
    – just reboot and hold “option” and select EFI Boot drive from menu,
    – and your ready to boot in to remix OS

    just simlpe huh?
    but the main problem is, the selections menu boot is too small, in the up left side, so don’t miss it, ?

    extra option for optimize in retina display is add following line into your “grub.cfg” at /efi/boot/grub.cfg
    “DPI=265 UVESA_MODE=2560×1600” without quote

    for more screenshoot is here https://www.kaskus.co.id/show_p

  3. Which one I have to download for Mac ?
    * Remix OS for PC Package (Legacy) or
    * Remix OS for PC Package (EFI)

  4. After four days of struggling to install Remix OS on my 2015 Macbook Pro, I found the solution: Jide has now posted a second version of the Remix OS packaged for EFI boot machines like the MacBook Pro – make sure to download that package instead of the Legacy boot package which was the only option upon initial release on 1/12/16. The EFI package was key to getting my Mac to see the USB drive on boot-up. Also, make sure to format the USB stick with Disk Utility with GUID Partition Map and MS-DOS (FAT), nrot exFAT and not MAC OS Journaled. New Macs require the GUID Partition Map for any boot drives.

    Those were the key initial steps – then use UNetbootin to install the disk image (it’s an .img file in the EFI package, not .iso file) and it worked like a charm when I booted up. Plus, I’m using a new SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 memory stick, which makes the installation and the operation of Remix really fast. Ignore those who say the SanDisk Extreme USB stick can’t be a boot-up drive – newer versions seem fine.

    1. I have problem boot in retina MBP early 2015. using legacy iso file…
      but the problem gone away since the efi mode boot ISO has come out

      I’m boot to remix using external HDD, partition fat32, but still use MBR
      just convert file efi remix.img to file.iso
      mount iso file, copy all file from the iso into the external HDD partition,
      reboot,
      and trlala… you can able to run remix os

  5. i think you have to hover over guest mode and press tab. once done, type : vga=791
    😀

    1. had the same problem and formatted the USB again
      and wrote the Remix OS (.iso) with Win32DiskImager
      it seems other software changes the iso so this one doesn’t
      i was able to pass the SYSLINUX 4.03 screen

      But now im stuck at a black screen with “_” blinking
      after the message “USB Writing speed Test”
      “Cannot detect the USB writing speed System may fail to boot up”
      then nothing happens stuck on that 30 min
      Any ideas ?

  6. Doesnt work with my setup. Macbook Pro Mid 2012 and USB 3.0 Sandisk Flash Drive which is recognized as HDD on windows :/ so must be a “real” usb stick. my stick seems to be to fast. because it is handled like a ssd 🙁

  7. It doesn’t boot on my Mac! Says: “Insert proper boot device and press a key”

  8. Shouldn’t the title be something like “How to run Remix OS on a Mac”?

    (“How to run Remix OS on Mac OS X” sounds like you about to describe how to run Remix OS virtualized or as an application running on top of OS X.)

    BTW, the Jide website states that the flash drive must be USB 3.0 but your instructions don’t state that. Did you get this working with a USB 2.0 drive?

    1. Thanks for your feedback. I didn’t try with a USB 2.0 drive. I’ll update the article to specify that USB 3.0 is recommended.

  9. Oho, I didn’t know UNetbootin had been ported to OSX, that could come in handy. But isn’t dual booting an alpha-release OS sort of drastic? It can be installed into a Virtualbox VM (which should also get you trackpad support, I’d think).

    1. When you download Remix OS onto a flash drive, you aren’t permanently adding the software to your computer, so it isn’t drastic. When you take the flash drive out, it’s gone. Have you tried installing into a Virtualbox VM? Let us know how that worked.

  10. Procedure does not work on my MacBoolk Pro (El Capitan). UNetbootin finds only one target disk, which is not the USB drive, but the Bootcamp disk. USB memory is formatted FAT32.

    1. Have you tried erasing the USB drive first? Maybe try it in Disk Utility.

      1. It was freshly formatted FAT32. I managed to “burn” the USB drive through Windows 7 (Bootcamp).

        1. I tried both using this guide on my bootcamp partition, both using other guides which said to use terminal on OSX (I’ve got a macbook white 2009 with El Capitan), but when I press alt at the boot it doesn’t find the pendrive (it only finds the 3 disks: macintosh, recovery and windows, my bootcamp partition). Why? Can you help me?

  11. The Remix Ultra-tablet does not have the same version of RemixOS on it. It has an extremely old version that does not support most of the window management features people are so excited about. Because the PC version is currently in alpha, it will likely be a very long time before it makes its way to any of Jide’s hardware, if it ever does at all. It’s highly likely that it will never be available on their current tablet, and that consumers will have to buy a new device to get it once it reaches release.

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