Fixing "macOS High Sierra: The Recovery Server Could Not Be Contacted" Error

Encountering the error message “macOS High Sierra: The recovery server could not be contacted” can be incredibly frustrating when you’re trying to reinstall or recover your Mac. This issue often arises when attempting to use macOS Internet Recovery, leaving you stuck and unable to proceed. Fortunately, there’s a reliable workaround that involves creating a bootable USB installer. This method bypasses the need for the recovery server and allows you to install a fresh copy of macOS High Sierra.

This guide will walk you through the steps to create a bootable USB drive for macOS High Sierra and use it to install the operating system on your Mac, effectively resolving the “recovery server” error.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

A USB Flash Drive: At least 16GB in capacity. This will be formatted and turned into your bootable installer.
A Working Mac: You’ll need another Mac to download the necessary files and create the bootable USB drive.
Patcher Application (Optional but Recommended): While not strictly necessary, using a patcher application can simplify the process of downloading the macOS High Sierra DMG file directly from Apple.

Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Bootable USB Installer

Format Your USB Drive using Disk Utility:

First, you need to prepare your USB drive by formatting it correctly. This ensures it’s ready to become a bootable installer.
- Insert your USB flash drive into your working Mac.
- Open Disk Utility. You can find it by going to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- In Disk Utility, select your USB drive from the sidebar. Be very careful to select the correct drive; formatting the wrong drive will erase its contents.
- Click on Erase in the Disk Utility toolbar.
- In the Erase dialog box:
  - Name: Enter MyVolume. This name is important for the Terminal command later.
  - Format: Choose macOS Extended (Journaled).
  - Scheme: Select GUID Partition Map.
- Click Erase. Once the process is complete, click Done.
Download macOS High Sierra DMG using a Patcher Tool (Recommended) or Manually:

You need the “Install macOS High Sierra” application to create the bootable installer.
- Using a Patcher Tool (Easier Method):
  - Download a macOS High Sierra Patcher tool. You can search online for “macOS High Sierra Patcher” to find reputable options.
  - Open the Patcher application. You might need to go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and allow the application to open if it’s from an unidentified developer.
  - Within the Patcher app, look for an option to Download macOS High Sierra DMG from Apple. This is often found under a “Tools” or “Menu” option in the application.
  - The patcher tool will download the official “Install macOS High Sierra” application. This method is generally faster and more reliable than manual downloads.
- Manual Download (Alternative Method):
  - If you prefer not to use a patcher tool, you can try to find a direct download link for the “Install macOS High Sierra” DMG file from Apple or a trusted source. However, be cautious about downloading from unofficial sources.
  - Once downloaded, locate the “Install macOS High Sierra.app” file, typically in your Downloads folder.
  - Copy the “Install macOS High Sierra.app” from your Downloads folder to the Applications folder. This step is crucial for the Terminal command to work correctly.
Create the Bootable Installer via Terminal:

Now, you’ll use the Terminal application and a specific command to create the bootable USB installer.
- Open Terminal. You can find it in Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
- Type or paste the following command into the Terminal window:
```
sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
```
  Important: Ensure that you named your USB drive MyVolume in Disk Utility. Also, verify that you moved “Install macOS High Sierra.app” to the Applications folder.
- Press Enter.
- You will be prompted to enter your administrator password. Type your password (nothing will appear on the screen as you type) and press Enter.
- Terminal will now begin creating the bootable USB installer. This process may take around 8-10 minutes. You’ll see progress messages in the Terminal window.
- Once the process is complete, you’ll see a message like “Install media now available at /Volumes/Install macOS High Sierra”.
- Type Exit and press Enter to close Terminal.
- Eject your USB drive.

Installation Process on the Target Mac

Now that you have your bootable USB installer, you can use it to install macOS High Sierra on the Mac that’s encountering the “recovery server” error.

Boot from the USB Drive:
- Insert the bootable USB drive into the Mac where you want to install macOS High Sierra.
- Power on or restart the Mac and immediately press and hold the Option (⌥) key until you see the startup disk options.
- Select the USB drive you just created (it will likely be labeled “Install macOS High Sierra” or something similar) using the arrow keys and press Enter.
- Your Mac will boot from the USB drive and take you to the macOS Utilities screen.
Format the Target Drive:

Before installing macOS, it’s recommended to format the drive where you intend to install the operating system. This ensures a clean installation.
- On the macOS Utilities screen, select Disk Utility and click Continue.
- In Disk Utility, select the drive where you want to install macOS High Sierra. This is usually your Macintosh HD or the main internal drive.
- Click Erase.
- In the Erase dialog box:
  - Name: Give your drive a name, such as Macintosh HD.
  - Format: Choose macOS Extended (Journaled).
  - Scheme: Select GUID Partition Map.
- Click Erase, and then click Done when finished.
- Quit Disk Utility to return to the macOS Utilities screen.
Set the Date via Terminal:

An outdated system date can sometimes interfere with the installation process, especially when bypassing the recovery server. Setting the date manually can resolve this.
- On the macOS Utilities screen, go to the Utilities menu in the menu bar and select Terminal.
- In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter:
```
date 0101010118
```
  This command sets the date to January 1st, 2018, which is generally compatible with macOS High Sierra installations. You can adjust the year if needed.
- Type Exit and press Enter to close Terminal.
Disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) via Terminal:

In some cases, disabling System Integrity Protection (SIP) can be necessary to proceed with the installation when bypassing the recovery server.
- Again, go to Utilities > Terminal from the macOS Utilities menu bar.
- In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter:
```
csrutil disable
```
- Press Enter. You might be prompted for your password (though likely not in the recovery environment).
- You should see a message indicating that SIP has been disabled.
- Type Exit and press Enter to close Terminal.
Restart and Install macOS:
- Click the Apple icon in the menu bar and select Restart.
- After restarting, if it doesn’t automatically boot back to the USB installer, restart again holding the Option (⌥) key and select your USB drive.
- On the macOS Utilities screen, select Install macOS (or “Reinstall macOS”) and click Continue.
- Follow the on-screen installation instructions to install macOS High Sierra on your formatted drive.
- Complete the installation process. Your Mac should now boot into a fresh installation of macOS High Sierra.

By following these steps, you should be able to overcome the “macOS High Sierra: The recovery server could not be contacted” error and successfully install macOS High Sierra using a bootable USB drive. This method provides a reliable alternative when Internet Recovery is failing.