Unsupported Macs supported by ‘Patched Sur’ First of all, make sure that your Mac is not in the official macOS Big Sur list of compatible Macs.At the time of writing, the following Macs are.
- You can Install macOS Monterey on Unsupported Mac from 2012-2014! Only one week after the first beta of Monterey, OpenCore Legacy Patcher now supports unsupp.
- If you prefer to select Mac OS Extended (Journaled), you won't get any system updates. APFS will work on the End 2009 models and later as with High Sierra. If your device doesn't support originally High Sierra (and therefore isn't able do start with APFS), you won't have any recovery partitions and the reboot display will be different.
Apple rolls out a new product, software update, and quite new things. This happens in an annual event that happens nearly around the same time every year. To be specific, Apple calls this event WWDC which is mostly held between June and July. While Apple have more other events except this, but it’s probably the most important and most interesting one that users wait. This event probably introduces new apps, products, softwares and more. What’s the most interesting part for Mac users is the macOS update. In this post, I’ll show how to Install macOS Catalina on Unsupported Mac.
While every computer needs an operating system like Windows for PC, Macs also need an operating system. In this case, Apple made macOS for Mac. Since Apple has launched Mac, Apple has also rolled out macOS like Windows for PC. So Apple started rolling out versions of macOS and after versions of macOS, now Apple has rolled out macOS Catalina. First, we’ll know-hows macOS Catalina and what’s new in it.
The macOS Catalina is the new version after macOS Mojave. From macOS Mojave to macOS Catalina, Apple says it provides more of what a user needs and even better the experience. The hugest update which has come to macOS Catalina is the operating of the most popular iTunes app. The most common and most used app that every user knows about is iTunes. It has now been separated to three popular and specific apps that are Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Podcast. While before this, iTunes was managing all these three functions, but now Apple has made specific app for specific purpose.
macOS Catalina
The Mac is now more powerful with the new macOS. With the iTunes being used for a pretty while now, there’s no iTunes anymore. iTunes is now officially disappeared from Mac and instead, three apps have taken its place. All of these apps are amazing and is designed to make the experience better. All of your data is now split into its relative app like music into Apple Muisc, movies into Apple TV and podcasts into Apple Podcast. Moreover, iCloud will now sync across your devices as typical and you can take backup, do a restore, sync and do whatever you’d in iTunes before.
With the most music possible, Apple has put around 60 million music and songs into the Apple Music. While it’s probably not free but has a enough trail to check and see if it’s worth in your eyes. The most beautiful feature is, yo can create playlist and importantly download the songs offline officially. Like this, the Apple TV is now much updated and users are able to do more than iTunes.
The Apple TV let us watch and download it offline and also discover and see what’s trending. And you can do these things across your device such as start a movie in your iPhone and continue playing it in your Mac. The only thing which is required is that you’ll need an Apple ID. With that, you do not need much else except the subscription.
These are the most massive updates that have come to the macOS but they are definitely not the only update.
macOS Catalina Supported & Unsupported List
With the release of macOS High Sierra and even before, Apple started to take down older Macs. That means, Apple started discontinuing support for older Macs, so they can’t install the new version of macOS. Like when macOS High Sierra was released, Apple released the list of the uncompatible list that they can’t install macOS High Sierra on. The same is with macOS Catalina and is continuing. With the macOS Catalina, Apple increase and is also increasing the list of unsupported Macs.
Now most users call for support and ask Apple to continue support. But Apple responded with a sorry message, stating they can’t because older Macs aren’t able to install. They have a lack of power and performance. That’s why we have did this. This makes sense because as Apple is improving and adding new things and features, it’s requires more resources and power to work with those.
On the other hand, Windows users can install macOS Catalina and other versions of macOS on VMware and also install macOS Catalina on VirtualBox. Regardless of their operating system and even computer, they are able to install macOS on Windows. Instead, Mac users can’t install macOS due to the Apple support. In this post, I’ll show how to install macOS Catalina on unsupported Mac.
DosDude Catalina Patcher
While you can’t install macOS Catalina officially on your unsupported Mac but thanks to the Catalina Patcher third-party tool. The macOS Catalina Patcher tool will definitely work fine to install macOS on the above unsupported Mac. This problem is occurring for thousands and maybe a million Mac users, so there’s a should be a solution.
Like we described, it helps us install macOS Catalina on unsupported Mac. This particularly patches macOS like macOS Unlocker on VMware and makes it possible to install macOS Catalina. It’s somehow similar to installing macOS Catalina officially but has some changes but overall, it’s pretty easy to do. This is the only solid solution for this and there’s no other way as of now to install macOS Catalina on unsupported Mac. Anyway you install macOS Catalina on these unsupported Mac and how it work really depends on the hardware of your Mac.
The macOS Catalina Patcher works on the following list of unsupported Mac.
- Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro:
- MacPro3,1
- MacPro4,1
- MacPro5,1
- iMac8,1
- iMac9,1
- iMac10,x
- iMac11,x (systems with AMD Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx series GPUs will be almost unusable when running Catalina.)
- iMac12,x (systems with AMD Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx series GPUs will be almost unusable when running Catalina.)
- MacBookPro4,1
- MacBookPro5,x
- MacBookPro6,x
- MacBookPro7,x
- 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 (systems with AMD Radeon HD 6xxx series GPUs will be almost unusable when running Catalina.)
- MacBook5,2
- MacBook6,1
- MacBook7,1
- Early-2008 or newer Xserve:
- Xserve2,1
- Xserve3,1
What You’ll Need
To get started, we need the following files.
- At least 12GB or 16GB USB Flash Drive
- macOS Catalina File
- Backup of your Mac
How to Install macOS Catalina on Unsupported Mac
Installing macOS Catalina on a supported Mac will work pretty fine but how it performs on an unsupported Mac really depends on your Mac. Specifically how much old your device is and what are the specs. In terms of the installation, we may show the steps but we never advice to do or not to so you may do it at your own risk.
Step One – Install macOS Catalina Patcher Tool
With those said, when you’ve filled the requirments, make the files ready and proceed with the steps.
After you’ve macOS Catalina Patcher Tool, fire it up. Then click Continue.
At this point, you’ll need macOS Catalina DMG file. If you have already downloaded, browse it and select it. But if you don’t select Download a copy.
While I chose the Download a Copy so I’ll select the Start Download. This will download macOS Catalina installer file.
After its done, you’ll see three methods of installation. Now connect a USB and select the create a macOS Catalina bootable USB installer method and click Start.
When the USB drive is created, connect the drive into the unsupported Mac you want to install macOS Catalina. Switch on the Mac and hold down the Option key. When you’ll enter into the startup manager, select the bootable USB drive with the arrow key and click Return.
In this screen, select Disk Utility and format the drive as APFS. This is particularly for if you’re upgrading from the older versions of macOS which doesn’t have APFS.
When you’re done, close the window and on the window, select Reinstall macOS now. After this step, the macOS Catlaina installation will be there so it’s quite easy to proceed with that.
The installation will be done then. During that, it will reboot so after the restart, when you’re in the macOS Recovery environment, click on macOS Post Install. The patcher will automatically install the relevent patch so click on Apply Patches and let it install completely.
Once its done, it will reboot so let it do and you should be now able to set up Mac like normal.
Congrats on installing macOS Catalina on your unsupported Mac. The macOS Catalina should work fine if your Mac is enough powerful to run macOS. Just like I said, the older Mac which runs older Macs doesn’t require much power and resouces but macOS Catalina requires some resource. While this isn’t a permenant solution but it’s probably a limited and worth trying solution. And when a newer version of macOS Catalina is released, it might fail or damage the installation.
That’s all to there it is. With this trick, you should have macOS Catalina in hands but if you don’t let us know in the comments.
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:
- 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.
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.
Macos Big Sur Unsupported Mac
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.
Upgrade Unsupported Mac
- 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.
Macos Sierra Unsupported Mac
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-
Macos Monterey Unsupported Mac
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
Macos 11 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.