More advanced users may consider using macOS Patcher, which is a command line-based tool that provides the same hardware support, while also adding support for MacBook4,1 systems. Please note that.
In October last year, Apple releases a new version of macOS dubbed as ‘Catalina.’ This latest installment of macOS includes new features, including new apps for podcasts, music, and TV (replacing iTunes), the ability to use iPad as an external monitor, a revamped Photos app, and many more. Seeing this, it’s no wonder that some Mac users want to update their OS version to Catalina. However, not all of them have the luxury to do so.
Officially, macOS Catalina won’t work on older Mac devices that are deemed not powerful enough, according to Apple. Additionally, they provided the official list of the supported Macs:
The procedure below will allow Macs or Hacks able to install High Sierra to also install Catalina or Mojave (eg SMBIOS MacPro5,1, iMac11,3, MacBook Pro7,1 which have been unsupported in macOS 10.14.x and 10.15beta) -credit to @ASentientBot's post. Mac or Hack capable of and running High Sierra 10.13.x 2. The Mojave 10.14.1 update does NOT install properly on unsupported machines, and could result in an unbootable OS. If you want to install the 10.14.1 update (and are not currently running 10.14.1), perform the following steps:. Download the latest version of Mojave Patcher. Download the installer using the Tools menu of Mojave Patcher.
This means that if you have a Macbook Air or iMac released in 2011, you won’t be able to upgrade your OS to Catalina. What version of macOS do you have? Adobe flash player for mac os x latest version.
If you’re unsure what version of macOS you have, you can check your macOS or OS X version by clicking the Apple icon at the top-left corner of Mac’s screen, then select About This Mac. In the Overview tab, look at the Mac model year below the OS version number. If the year is the same or above the previous compatibility list, then you should be able to install macOS Catalina formally. If not, read on.
Older Mac owners don’t have to worry. It’s not the end of the world. There’s a patch that lets you install Catalina to Macs that are not officially supported.
The patch is known as DosDude Catalina Patcher. DosDude Catalina Patcher is a third-party tool, meaning Apple does not develop the tool. It’s made by an individual developer instead. Keep in mind that just because you can make your old Mac run Catalina, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will always be a good thing to do.
Apple prevents older devices to run Catalina for a reason. As mentioned before, anything older than the officially supported hardware will most likely offer suboptimal performance using Catalina, not to mention that some features need newer hardware to function properly.
Despite that, it doesn’t mean that all old machines won’t run macOS Catalina well. Given that your hardware is capable enough, running Catalina shouldn’t introduce any lasting problems. The macOS Catalina Patcher is also updated regularly to address any issues that may surface. Otherwise, you can always downgrade your macOS to an older version if needed.
Before we begin, it might be a good idea to have a backup of your system using Time Machine, just in case. Creating a backup is always recommended. It’s not only useful for installing a new OS version can enable you to undo any changes after an update, which would be very helpful should something go wrong.
Once you are ready to jump into upgrading, follow the step-by-step guide below to install macOS Catalina on an older Mac using DosDude Catalina Patcher.
Now, you can enjoy the latest version of macOS on an older Mac. Remember that Apple doesn’t recommend you do this, so some troubles might show up when operating your device. Even though dosdude1, the developer of Catalina Patcher, introduces new patches regularly, it shouldn’t be surprising if the experience may not be as good as using Catalina on Macs that officially supports it.
How to Install MacOS Mojave on Unsupported Macs with DosDude Mojave PatcherAs you may know by now, the list of MacOS Mojave compatible Macs is more strict than previous releases of Mac OS system software, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t install and run macOS Mojave on some unsupported Macs. If you’re an advanced Mac user and you’re reasonably brave (and have adequate backups), then it turns out you might be able to install and run MacOS Mojave on unsupported Mac hardware after all, thanks to a free third party tool from the technical wizard known as “DosDude”.
Essentially the Mojave Patcher Tool creates a modified USB installer drive (similar to the regular Mojave boot installer drive you can make) which you can then use to install not only macOS Mojave on the otherwise unsupported Macs listed below, but also a series of patched macOS Mojave component files that allow it to boot.
Just a quick word of caution: while you may be able to get macOS Mojave running on an unsupported Mac, this is truly only for advanced users who are adventurous. You certainly wouldn’t want to try this on a Mac that you must have performing in an optimal setting at all times, or on your only computer, but if you feel like tinkering around and running macOS Mojave on an unsupported Macintosh computer you can certainly try it out. Because it patches the operating system and installer, not everything is going to work perfectly on all machines – for example, on some machines networking may not work, or an iSight camera may not work, or GPU acceleration may not function – and there could be various bugs, performance quirks, and other theoretical problems with attempting this, but for the truly tech savvy and brave, the Mojave patcher tool and accompanying walkthrough from DosDude can get the job done.
The DosDude website has both a complete tutorial available at the above link, along with the downloadable patcher tool.
Dosdude also produced a YouTube video demonstrating macOS Mojave on a technically unsupported older MacBook Pro 17″ model from 2009, and Mojave actually appears to run pretty well on the machine:
Thanks to the Dosdude website for the screenshot above of the “About This Mac” screen, which is showing Mojave on an older unsupported Mac.
So while the official list of supported Macs for macOS Mojave is pretty strict in comparison, and you can’t just download Mojave and install it on unsupported hardware without the DosDude utility, the unofficial list of Macs that can run the OS through the tool is much more generous as you can see below, with many perfectly good Macs making the cut.
Unsupported Macs that apparently can use the Mojave patcher to install macOS Mojave include the following:
– Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro:
– MacPro3,1
– MacPro4,1
– iMac8,1
– iMac9,1
– iMac10,x
– iMac11,x
– iMac12,x
– MacBookPro4,1
– MacBookPro5,x
– MacBookPro6,x
– MacBookPro7,1
– MacBookPro8,x
– Late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook:
– MacBookAir2,1
– MacBookAir3,x
– MacBookAir4,x
– MacBook5,1
– Early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook:
– Macmini3,1
– Macmini4,1
– Macmini5,x
– MacBook5,2
– MacBook6,1
– MacBook7,1
– Early-2008 or newer Xserve:
– Xserve2,1
– Xserve3,1
As you can see, the potential list of Macs that can run Mojave with the assistance of this process is much more thorough than what Apple officially supports. But caveat emptor, as with all software modifications.
Will everything be perfect? Certainly not. Will performance be better than some other versions of Mac OS or Mac OS X? Probably not, it might even be worse. Will everything work exactly as expected, as if it was an official support from Apple? No, probably not. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth pursuing for some Mac users, and perhaps the better features in macOS Mojave are too compelling to not try out by venturing into the waters of
If this sounds appealing to you, then check out the Dosdude tutorial and Mojave patch tool. Just remember this is NOT an official patch or release from Apple, and due to the technical nature of this it isn’t for the faint of heart, you will absolutely need above average technical knowledge, patience, and full backups of the computer, as this is basically a hack that allows Mojave to install and run on hardware that Apple does not support.
There’s obviously no tutorial included here in this post as I haven’t personally tried or tested this yet, but if you do, and you get macOS Mojave running on an older Mac, be sure to let us know in the comments below how well it works, and what your experience was. Personally, my older unsupported Macs are still running Snow Leopard, Mavericks, El Capitan, and Sierra, and only the latest machines will run Mojave for my particular setup, but to each their own, and it’s undoubtedly cool that Dosdude has consistently come up with utilities like this to get various versions of Mac OS system software running on hardware that it wasn’t specifically intended for. It’s your Mac so use it however you like and with whatever operating system software release you like best. Enjoy!
Want to install macOS Big Sur, but your Mac is not on the supported list? In this detailed guide, we will learn how to install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac models. Installing macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac can be achieved with macOS Patcher file. We have a detailed guide ahead that will help you install macOS Big Sur on unsupported MAC.
You can also read our guide- How to Install macOS Catalina on Unsupported Mac: 9 Easy Steps and How To Install macOS Catalina On Virtualbox On AMD Systems: 2 Step Ultimate Guide.
Last year’s most significant WWDC event was a new version of macOS, Big Sur, and the announcement of the move to its own ARM processors. In macOS 11 (instead of the expected 10.16), Apple has massively redesigned the interface, added many new features and tools to move to new application architecture. We tell you which Mac models will be able to install macOS Big Sur.
The “Today” widgets in MacOS Big Sur are similar to the updated widgets in iOS 14. Other changes include an updated widget-enabled notification center, significantly improved messages, a powerful Safari upgrade, and more. Apple will release macOS Big Sur for all compatible Macs this fall.
Supported devices that will receive MacOS Big Sur support:
Because macOS Big Sur is a major update, Apple has given up support for several outdated Macs. The transition to new Apple Silicon processors will take several years, so the current Macs running at Intel will be updated for a long time.
Apple also unveiled updated iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. The new WatchOS 7 won’t support the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2, but iPhone and iPad users who support iOS and iPadOS 13 will be able to upgrade their devices to the next generation of OS seamlessly.
If you are an experienced user who is ready to install unsupported software on unsupported technology, then you are at the right place as we have prepared the easiest solution to install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac models. This is the only working method so far on the internet.
The process of Installing macOS Big Sur on an unsupported Mac is to use the macOS Big Sur patch file, which will be applied to the primary USB boot. NOTE: The method is not suitable for ordinary users. You should also avoid using Mac models without Metal GPU. On older models, performance will be deficient.
First, save a copy of your Mac with Time Machine, and then move on to the instructions.
To install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac models, you need to download Big Sur Patcher file. This will trick the installation files of the macOS version you want to install and convince it that the Mac is compatible. You can download Big Sur Patcher file below.
You can download the latest version of the macOS Big Sur Patcher as seen in the snapshot above.
Once you’ve retrieved the archive from the downloaded file, you’ll find the Patcher-Sur.dmg file.
Now simply right click the Patcher-Sur.dmg file to open it and follow the steps.
Click Start.
Click Continue.
Select Release. You can also use the Public Beta version if you want to test it.
Click Continue.
You can simple Update or proceed with a Clean installation. If you are coming from a different OS version say Catalina, you need to select Clean installation,
Download Big Sur files.
Wait for the download to finish. It might take up to 20 minutes, depending upon the speed of your wifi.
If you are facing any issues with patching, you can see this detailed guide.
After inserting the USB Drive, you will be asked to enter your password. (remember this password and avoid using any special characters) and click Continue.
Now it will start installing packages onto your USB drive.
Now, select your USB disk (in my case its Install macOS Big Sur). This will completely erase your USB disk. Click Continue.
Click Continue.
Now it will start creating your macOS Big Sur installation media. It will take around 35-50 minutes to create an installation media on your USB drive.
Restart your MAC and continue to press option key to continue with the installation.
Now, boot from “Install macOS Big Sur.” If there is no USB device found, try to unplug and replug your USB device.
You can also use the Disk Utility if you are planning to format your drive and create a new partition and continue with the installation.
The installation may take several hours. In our case, it sometimes looked as if the installer had flown out during the upgrade. In this case, you should wait, as the installation is usually still ongoing. Over time, better ways to upgrade the machine can be found. Currently, the safest approach is to upgrade with a USB boot.
After the installation is complete, you will see that your Wi-fi is not working. So go to applications and search for Patcher file.
Right click and click to force open the file. And click on Patch Kexts. Click Continue.
Make sure the USB is still plugged-in. Click Force Skip check and enter the same password that you entered in step 4.
Now it will continue to patch the files and you can simply reboot your MAC.
Click Restart to Finish.
After you have successfully restarted your mac, you can find that everything is working perfectly.
After patching, if your Wi-Fi it still not working. Follow the steps-
We have been testing macOS Big Sur for a while now. Over time, you tend to see a decreased speed of your macOS Big Sur. So, we personally tested these 7 methods to Speed Up macOS Big Sur. Read this guide- How to Speed Up macOS Big Sur? 7 Easy Methods.
If you are using macOS Catalina you can read this guide: How to Speed Up macOS Catalina? 7 Easy Methods
There are several issues with Big Sur, so you might want to roll back to the older version. Here is a complete guide that can help- How to rollback from the macOS Big Sur on Mojave? 5 Steps Steps
Some other guides that might help-
How to manage widgets on macOS Big Sur?
Best Widgets for macOS Big Sur: Top 20 for Everyday Use
How to Convert macOS Big Sur Installer to ISO: 4 Step Easy Guide
How To Create macOS Big Sur Bootable USB on Windows: 4 Easy Steps (+Video Tutorial)
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Screen Resolution on VirtualBox: 5 Step Guide
How to Install macOS Big Sur on VMware on Windows? 8 Step Guide
How to Install macOS Big Sur on VirtualBox on Windows? 8 Step Guide
How to Create macOS Big Sur Bootable Installer for Clean Installation: 2 Easy Steps (MAC only)
I hope this guide on how to Install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac was useful for you. You can simply Install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac by using the macOS Big Sur Patch file. I have shared all the download links above. If you are still facing any issues, you can comment down your query.