BootCamp Download Stuck – How to Get Drivers for Macs to run Windows 7 or 8

— updated after BootCamp 5 release June 2013 —

Where can you get a direct download of Windows drivers for Macs if BootCamp is stuck, and says 'could not continue' or you have some other problem downloading 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:

  1. If not, then first find out your Mac's ModelIdentifier
    • Q: How do I find my 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.
  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.Image of OS X Installer step where you can choose the folder to install to

  5. 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.Install BootCampESD 4 Find and Double click the dmg fileBootCamp WindowsSupport.dmg Contents

    BootCamp WindowsSupport.dmg Contents of Drivers Folder

  6. 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.
  7. 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

Most of these driver downloads work for both Windows 7 and Windows 8. Windows 8 on 32-bit is not officially supported, but almost everything seems to works on fine on not-officially supported models: the only specific shortcoming I'm aware of is that the screen brightness buttons don't work 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

365 thoughts on “BootCamp Download Stuck – How to Get Drivers for Macs to run Windows 7 or 8”

  1. Thx Man,,
    Apple bootcamp it’s suck,,
    it’s not like Im apple fan’s, My father gave me this mac base laptop.
    I think microsoft more competent to solved trouble.

    Anyway Great link Man my Fortune smile on you

  2. did the download and once in windows 7 says i have the wrong windows, i believe i have the 32 bit home premium installed. Is this a problem?

  5. Pls Clearly tell me the number for
    15 inch Macbook Pro Retina 512GB SSD model
    13 Inch Macbook Air 256GB SSD model

    Coz U mentioned 9,1 9,2 is Mid 2012 And 10,1 is Late 2012 Macbook Pro Retina’s.
    Pls Help Me Exactly what i need to Download.

    1. Hi Sriidharan, there are several versions of each of the Macs you mention, so the only way to know which download you need, is to find out your *Model Identifier*. The easiest way to do this is to follow the instructions above. If you find them difficult to follow, perhaps ask a friend to read the instructions and see if they can help? cheers Chris

  6. lol i contacted apple directly and the senior advisor said they currently are doing nothing to solve the problem, it even has afflicted him personally on his mac at home, guess they want to make it hard to use their competitor.

  7. Well, actually mid 2012 macbook pro retina (which is 15′) is 10,1 too. And 9,1 is mid 2012 macbook pro without retina.

  8. hi i had downloadewd the file. My model is macbookpro 7,1 so i download this link http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/33/54/041-2011/pRtCDYcWShMLxFggy3TzFzmfnnWQNFQBfJ/BootCampESD.pkg

    but when i try to install the file it said the installation failed. the installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. contact the software manufacturer for assistance.

    please i really need your help.. it makes me desperate.
    sorry if my english is not good. hehe.. thanks a lot..

    1. Hi Yohanes, Is that an error message in OS X when you open the .pkg file, or an error message in Windows when you run the setup program? If it’s an error in the pkg file, try re-downloading again — try using a download manager such as iGetter if you have a poor internet connection.

      1. yes i use in OS X. ok i’ll try to download again. but is there any other explaination for what happen? thank you..

        1. I’m having the same issue: I downloaded (twice) the correct files for my 15″ Retina Pro (MacBookPro10,1) and every time I try to install the pkg, I get an error stating install could not be completed. Yes, I am installing in OS X and onto my internal HDD. Suggestions?

          1. Actually I may have answered my own question. I used Pacifist to open and verify the file, and it reported that some checksums didn’t match. I’m guessing the file has been recently updated or something, but anyway this was causing the installation to fail. I went ahead and extracted the pkg to my HDD through Pacifist and expect everything should work alright.

  10. hi
    sorry for asking again
    i just downloaded it and installed it i run the 32bit.exe as like as my windows
    and then finished what should i do right know?
    nothing happends…

  11. hi
    sorry for asking again
    i just downloaded it and installed it i run the 32bit.exe as like as my windows
    and then finished what should i do right know?
    i cant run ssetup.exe
    nothing happends…

  13. Hi Chris, first of all thanks heaps for this resource – it worked perfectly for me.

    I had my iMac6,1 running properly bootcamped on WinXP and then I went ahead and took the big leap to Win8 only to find that barely anything made the jump.

    Only thing I am now seeing lots of reports of around the net and on my iMac is the Cinema display is painfully bright. I tone it down with the Nvidia control panel brightness and contrast as well as some gamma but I would prefer a brightness control that is relative to the monitor itself.

    Do you have any ideas on this one? The brightness control in the settings bar that pops out on the right in Win8 states that its “unavailable” and that windows can’t adjust it.

    Cheers and thanks
    W

    1. Sorry Will, I don’t have anything to offer other than googling. Presumably Apple will eventually support Win 8 officially and fix these issues.
      My experience with my MacBookPro was that with Win8 release preview + bootcamp 4 I had no brightness control; but with Win8 release + bootcamp 5 drivers on this page I do now have brightness control.
      You say ‘control relative to the monitor itself’ but if the graphics *card* is nvidia then nvidia control panel sounds a fair interim solution.

    1. Hi Nello,
      10.6.8 would be the version of OS X installed on your iMac. What you need to know for Windows is, what exact version of iMac *hardware* you have. Follow the instructions in the post to find out. If the instructions seems difficult, perhaps ask a friend to help you understand them?

  15. You Sir are a legend. I’d have been stuck without that little titbit and no mistake. For other interested parties, I couldn’t persuade Windows to open the dmg, so my advice is to mount it in Mac, and copy the files themselves onto your flash drive.

    Cheers Chris!

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  19. Hi
    I have Mac book pro Mid 2009 running OSX Lion version 10.7.5. Which download do i have to choose in a list above?
    Thanks million

    1. Hi Syed, You need to find out the *ModelIdentifier* for your MacBookPro to know which download link you need. If you follow the instructions above, they tell you how to do that. If it seems difficult, perhaps ask a friend to look at the instructions with you? Cheers, Chris

  20. Chris,

    You’re a gentlemen and a scholar – not having the right package was a source of great frustration for me that you have ended with this helpful post!

    Kudos to you sir!

    Lance

  22. Holy crap, thanks for this!! Someone at the Arstechnica forums gave me this site. I was trying literally 2 straight days to download this stuff. Shibby!!!

  23. I have Windows 7 32-bit but the drivers that matched my hardware was 64-but and the Windows support is not installing? What can I do about this?

    1. Sorry Grace I don’t understand what ‘the drivers that matched my hardware was 64-bit’ means — I think all the apple downloads include 32 bit drivers.
      If the windows support software won’t install, trying googling the error message that you get, or else post it here.

  24. Thank you very-very-very much. Helped me a lot! Worked fine with my MacbookPro7,1. Only one thing – Windows didn’t want to open ISO file, so I used Daemon_Lite SW. One more time – THANKS, GREAT JOB.

  25. Hey all, I downloaded bootcamp for Retina MBP (10,1) but it fails to extract properly. I have tried Unarchiver, unpkg and mac’s default pkg installer. Unpkg says something about checksum and creates a dmg file which also fails to open up. I have tried to download it twice and even re installed my osx. Is there something that i am missing?

    Thanks.

    1. Hi, if your tools say that the checksum is bad, then your download is corrupt so what you’re missing is either a better internet connection or a download manager. I use igetter.net, it’s good at successfully resuming interrupted downloads.

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