— updated for Apple drivers release 3rd December 2012 —
Where can you get a direct download of Windows drivers if BootCamp Assistant says ‘could not continue’ or gets stuck and can’t download the drivers?
The brute force solution: it’s a darned large download, so physically take your machine to somewhere with a very fast internet connection that can download 600MB – 1GB in a couple of minutes. There, you’re done. Especially if you have a laptop, this would be the simplest solution – even take it to an Apple Store.
For the rest of us:
- First, found out your Mac’s ModelIdentifier
- Q: How do you find your Mac’s Model Identifier?
A: Open System Information, and look in the Hardware Overview section.
In other words: Click Apple menu -> About this Mac -> More Info… -> System Report -> Hardware. Now, read down the list in the Hardware Overview panel, looking for Model Identifier
- If you’re stuck, see the note below.
- Note that a ModelIdentifierHasNoSpacesInItAtAll.
- Q: How do you find your Mac’s Model Identifier?
- Second, get a download manager. You can try doing without, but the reason you’re on this page is that you’re having trouble getting a file to download reliably. A download manager such as iGetter or Folx solves this problem.
-
Then, search for your ModelIdentifier in the table below. Click the link to get the download package. Be patient as they are 600MB to over 1GB. It will be much simpler if you do the download in OS X, because OS X can open the downloaded file and also open the dmg file inside it.
-
Still in Mac OS X, once your pkg is downloaded, double click it and install to a folder on your hard drive so you know where to find it. During the Installation, click the “Change Location” option so that you can choose where it gets installed.
- The folder contains a nest of folders, the last of which contains a dmg disk image file. Double click that to open. At last! Here are your Windows installer files.
- Copy them to a usb drive, or a burnable CD. NB, it’s still 660MB or more, so it’s a full CDs worth of burning time.
- Done. You can now proceed with Boot Camp assistant Windows installation and boot the Mac in Windows.
If you must do the download in Windows instead OS X, it’s harder. You will need the help on http://www.cafe-encounter.net/p860/opening-a-bootcamp-driver-download-on-windows-7-or-8-with-7-zip to open the pkg file and the dmg file inside it.
BootCamp Direct Download Links
NB these drivers work for Windows 7 and Windows 8. We’re still waiting for Apple to officially support Windows 8; in the meantime, some hardware (e.g. screen brightness buttons) isn’t supported 100% on all models.
| Model Identifier | Size & driver release date | Direct Download Link |
|---|---|---|
|
Macmini6,1 Macmini6,2 MacBookPro10,2 iMac13,1 iMac13,2 |
438MB, 3 Dec 2012 | http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/54/18/041-8805/9tglhtxadqtnrro79rsdy4f0mkgu7wg6or/BootCampESD.pkg |
|
MacBookPro9,1 MacBookPro9,2 |
1,058MB, 15 June 2012 | http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/11/05/041-0925/g27es04pw9re5ggrfp3vuf8ew6r53asfz8/BootCampESD.pkg |
|
MacBookPro10,1 MacBookAir5,1 MacBookAir5,2 |
942MB, 15 June 2012 | hhttp://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/55/51/041-3891/se4uhpqng48t842cdsosqh28lft54fmswl/BootCampESD.pkg |
|
MacBookAir4,1 MacBookAir4,2 Macmini5,1 Macmini5,2 Macmini5,3 |
676MB, 23 May 2012 | hhttp://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/32/33/041-2303/W5jKtsQhhMgMXs3TKhPDqLXrpXyY2HdXMN/BootCampESD.pkg |
|
MacBook2,1 MacBook3,1 MacBook4,1 MacBook5,1 MacBook5,2 MacBook5,3 MacBook6,1 MacBook7,1 MacBookAir1,1 MacBookAir2,1 MacBookAir3,1 MacBookAir3,2 MacBookPro2,1 MacBookPro2,2 MacBookPro3,1 MacBookPro4,1 MacBookPro5,1 MacBookPro5,2 MacBookPro5,3 MacBookPro5,4 MacBookPro5,5 MacBookPro6,1 MacBookPro6,2 MacBookPro7,1 MacBookPro8,1 MacBookPro8,2 MacBookPro8,3 MacPro1,1 MacPro2,1 MacPro3,1 MacPro4,1 MacPro5,1 Macmini2,1 Macmini3,1 Macmini4,1 iMac5,1 iMac6,1 iMac7,1 iMac8,1 iMac9,1 iMac10,1 iMac11,1 iMac11,2 iMac11,3 iMac12,1 iMac12,2 |
632MB, 23 May 2012 | http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/33/54/041-2011/pRtCDYcWShMLxFggy3TzFzmfnnWQNFQBfJ/BootCampESD.pkg |
Finding your ModelIdentifier
If you’re struggling to find your ModelIdentifier then you want the brilliant page at everymac.com which can tell you what model Mac you have based on serial number. On the result page after you submit, look carefully and you’ll the ModelIdentifier.
Still stuck?
If you’re still stuck, then:
- Look through the comments for people with similar problems — there have been a couple of hundred so they cover pretty much everything I can suggest.
- Try my summary of problems/solutions for direct download of bootcamp drivers
References
See BootCampESD.pkg download instructions for references and for the DIY instructions to work out these links yourself.
Hi Chris,
I think I have installed x86 version of Windows 7 on my Macbook Pro (2012 model). My model identifier is MacBookPro9,2. I looked up a package from the above table. Will it work for x86 version of Windows 7 (I am afraid I have loaded the 32 bit version)
Thanks,
Pushpendu
Sorry I don’t know for sure – I think your model will do 32 bit but I guess just try it and see. If installing the drivers gives you an error saying it won’t install on this machine, then you’ll know it doesn’t work
i have a MacBookAir5,2 , i downloaded it and the setup couldnt run because of some weird compatibility issue even thuogh it is says correct drivers,
Can anyone help a brotha out? thanks
Hi Zee, setup not running usually means your download didn’t work properly – try it again with a download manager. The other issue I know of is, that some Macs only support 32 bit windows and some only support 64 bit, but I’m not sure if that applies to mid-2012 models.
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