Step 1: Create a Backup. Step 2: Download Big Sur Patcher File. Step 3: Open the macOS Big Sur Patcher file. Step 4: Insert USB Drive. Step 5: Install macOS Bir Sur on Unsupported Mac. Install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac: Some common errors and their fix. Wi-fi still not working. 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.
Today I will tell you how to install macOS Mojave or other fresh macOS on an unsupported Mac using the Mojave Patcher Tool. This utility is available for free. You can see more information and patcher updates here on a dosdude site.
Attention! Do not forget! You carry out all actions with the computer and the program at your own peril and risk! No one is responsible for damage to your computer or loss of data except you! If you have crooked hands, do not grab it!
Read more: How to Install Boot Camp and Install Windows 10 on Mac?
Devices Supported
Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro:
- MacPro3,1
- MacPro 4.1
- iMac8.1
- iMac9.1
- iMac10, x
- iMac11, x (systems with AMD Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx series GPUs will be almost unusable when running Mojave. More details are located in the Known Issues section below.)
- iMac12, x (systems with AMD Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx series GPUs will be almost unusable when running Mojave. More details are located in the Known Issues section below.)
- MacBookPro 4.1
- MacBookPro5, x
- MacBookPro6, x
- MacBookPro 7.1
- MacBookPro8, x
Late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook:
- MacBookAir2.1
- MacBookAir3, x
- MacBookAir4, x
- MacBook 5.1
Dosdude1 Mojave Patcher
Early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook:
- Macmini 3.1
- Macmini 4.1
- Macmini5, x
- MacBook 5.2
- MacBook 6.1
- MacBook 7.1
Early-2008 or newer Xserve:
- Xserve2.1
- Xserve3.1
Devices that ARE NOT Supported
2006-2007 Mac Pros, iMacs, MacBook Pros, and Mac Minis:
- MacPro1,1
- MacPro2,1
- iMac4.1
- iMac5, x
- iMac 6.1
- iMac7.1
- MacBookPro1,1
- MacBookPro2, x
- MacBookPro3.1
- Macmini1,1
- Macmini 2.1
- The 2007 iMac 7.1 is compatible if the CPU is upgraded to a Penryn-based Core 2 Duo, such as a T9300
2006-2008 MacBooks:
- MacBook1.1
- MacBook 2.1
- MacBook 3.1
- MacBook 4.1
- 2008 MacBook Air (MacBookAir 1.1)
What Do you Need?
A copy of the macOS Mojave Installer App. This can be obtained from the Mac App Store using a machine that supports Mojave, or by using the built-in downloading feature of the tool. In the Menu Bar, simply select “Tools -> Download macOS Mojave …“
Read more: How to Resize Partition on a Mac?
How to Install macOS Mojave with Mojave Patcher Tool?
- Insert a suitable USB flash drive, open Disk Utility and format it in OS X Extended(journal);
- Open “macOS Mojave Patcher” and specify the path to your macOS Mojave installer;
- Select your flash drive in the list of devices and click “Start”;
- After the operation is complete, restart your Mac with the Option (Alt) button pressed, select your USB flash drive in the boot menu;
- Install macOS on the selected drive partition;
- When the installation process is complete, reboot the device by selecting the installer disk to boot. After that, open the macOS Post Install application;
- In the application window, select your Mac model. You will be offered the best patches based on the selected model. You can also mark other patches as desired;
- Select the partition on which macOS Mojave was installed, and click Patch. When the process is complete, click “Reboot”;
- Rebuilding the cache before rebooting the system may take some time! Note: If for some reason the system does not work correctly after rebooting, restart your Mac with the Option (Alt) button pressed, select the installer disk in the boot menu, then run the Post Install patch again and select the “Force Cache Rebuild” option. Then reboot the device;
- When the Mac reboots, it will launch a fully working version of macOS Mojave.
Conclusion
When you install the system using the macOS Post Install tool, a program called Patch Updater (Applications/Utilities folder) will appear on your Mac. This app will inform you about patch updates available for your device and offer to install them.
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.
Which Mac models will be supported by macOS Big Sur?
Supported devices that will receive MacOS Big Sur support:
Macos Mojave Supported Macs
- MacBook 2015 and newer
- MacBook Air 2013 and newer
- MacBook Pro 2013 and newer
- Mac mini 2014 and newer
- iMac 2014 and newer
- iMac Pro 2017 and newer
- Mac Pro 2013 and newer
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.
How to install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac models?
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.
Mac Mini 2011 Mojave
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.
Step 1: Create a Backup
First, save a copy of your Mac with Time Machine, and then move on to the instructions.
Step 2: Download Big Sur Patcher File
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.
Step 3: Open the macOS Big Sur Patcher file
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.
Step 4: Insert USB Drive.
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.
Step 5: Install macOS Bir Sur on Unsupported Mac
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.
Install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac: Some common errors and their fix.
1. Wi-fi still not working
After patching, if your Wi-Fi it still not working. Follow the steps-
- Download and extract this file.
- Go to Payloads folder and select patch-kexts.sh file and drag it on your terminal. It will help you fix the wi-fi issue.
2. Big Sur is very slow. How to speed up macOS Big Sur.
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
3. I’m not happy with Big Sur and want to roll-back.
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)
Conclusion: Install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac
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.