Where to get the full offline-capable installer for macOS Mojave (.1 update)?

When I originally downloaded the Install macOS Mojave.app for the original release 14.0.22, I got a 6.03 gig file.

Today I replaced that file by downloading the installer fresh from the App Store for 14.1.0. The app is only 22 megs! So obviously this is just a shell that I imagine downloads the needed content over the internet at runtime.

But I need an offline installer, for clean-installs on various Macs and for creating virtual machines.

➥ How to obtain fully-loaded offline installer app for Mojave 14.1.x?

What about just using the original installer, then updating immediately the newly installed OS to .1? That .1 update was a whopper, over 3 gigs! I really want to avoid repeating that updater download. I really need a fully-loaded offline installer.

Solution 1:

The 22 MB "stub" installer is downloaded when your Mac is having trouble getting the correct data from Apple's software update catalogs. This is quote common during the first 24 hours or so, as it takes a little while for the updates to propagate across the CDNs. The solution in this case is to delete the stub, wait a couple of hours, and then try again.

There is also a useful script by Greg Neagle that lets you inspect which installers are available in your update catalogs, and can download them for you: installinstallmacos.py

PS: If you have a Mac managed by an organization, you may also get the stub installer if your administrator hasn't approved the new update, e.g. with Reposado.

Solution 2:

You can easily download the full 14.1.0 installer using this tool: macOS Mojave Patcher Tool.

Start the tool, and then go to Tools > Download macOS Mojave... and select a download location.

After the download is complete, it will ask you if you want to create a patched usb installer, simply click Not Now as you don't need a patch (except if you want to install on a very old mac). You can safely quit and remove the tool, as you no longer need it.

Here you are: