1. Install Mojave On Unsupported Mac
2. Mac Os Mojave Patcher Download
3. Mojave Patcher Tool For Unsupported Macs
4. Dosdude Mojave Patcher
5. Mac Os Catalina Patcher

In this article, we will determine if your old Mac can still be updated to newer versions of macOS.

Most Apple devices have an average 5-year support lifespan, which means that they will receive software updates, including bug fixes, patches, and security updates over those years.

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.

Until then, macOS and iOS devices are considered “unsupported” by Apple due to forced obsolescence of hardware.

1. APFS BootROM Support: If you have a machine that supports High Sierra natively, you MUST ensure you have the latest version of the system's BootROM installed. If you have NOT previously installed High Sierra, you can download and install this package (if running OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later) to install the latest BootROM version (you MUST reboot after installing the package to.
2. DosDude Catalina Patcher is a popular third-party tool that allows users to patch the MacOS Catalina installer on otherwise unsupported Macs. Of course, just because you can do this, doesn't mean.

In other words, Apple stopped supporting all its macOS and iOS devices with continuous software and operating system updates due to hardware limitations.

This is because as hardware ages, it cannot dully support newer programs that might be too advanced for its capability.

Starting with Mojave Apple did not allow older Macs to upgrade to newer macOS versions. With every new macOS release the minimum year of Mac hardware increases. While most pre-2012 officially cannot be upgraded, there are unofficial workarounds for older Macs.

According to Apple, macOS Mojave supports:

• MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
• Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
• iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models)

According to Apple, macOS Catalina supports:

• MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
• Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
• iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)

Lastly, macOS Big Sur supports these devices:

• MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
• MacBook Air introduced in 2013 or later
• MacBook Pro introduced in late 2013 or later
• Mac mini introduced in 2014 or later
• iMac introduced in 2014 or later
• iMac Pro
• Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later

If you see that your Mac is older than mentioned above, you definitely can’t expect to update your device to newer macOS versions.

Does Apple still support your version of macOS?

Usually, macOS automatically updates itself once the software is rolled out to its users. But first, know which version of macOS your device is running.

To know which version of macOS you are using, click the Apple icon at the top left corner of your screen and select About This Mac.

A Window will appear showing the version of macOS running on your device.

Note: If you are using an older device, it will show that your system is called “OS X” (OS X 10.11 El Capitan is the latest) instead of “macOS” (starting from macOS 10.12 Sierra onwards).

Updating your Mac to the newest macOS versions

If Apple still supports your device, you can directly update your device from the About This Mac window by clicking “Software Update.”

This will download the latest version of macOS to your device. Alternatively, you can type “macOS <version>” on the App Store if you wish to install a specific macOS version on your device.

After the download completes, the installer will open automatically. Click Continue and follow the instructions and let it complete the process.

Make sure not to use your computer, put it to sleep, or close it slid during the installation process. Doing so may corrupt the installation files and your current system files.

Why Mac Won’t Update to Newer Versions of macOS

Usual installation problems across different versions of macOS could be:

• Incompatible Mac
• The update couldn’t be downloaded
• Insufficient storage space

Problem 1: Incompatible Mac

As stated before, newer versions of macOS do not support really old Mac devices. Always check if your device is supported by Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, or other macOS versions before updating.

Problem 2: The update couldn’t be downloaded

In downloading the macOS update, you might receive an error message that says, “Installation of macOS could not continue. Installation requires downloading important content. That content can’t be downloaded at this time. Try again later.”

Other users might find that the download progress bar might be stuck.

If you encounter these problems, the culprit might be a network error. Try these fixes:

1. Check your router if you have a stable internet connection and not experiencing a network hiccup.
2. If you are using a wireless internet connection, try switching to an Ethernet cable connection to ensure that the download speed is consistent.
3. Lastly, check Apple’s System Status and see if The Apple Serve is live.

If the problem persists, there may be several people downloading the update at the same time. This most likely happens at the early release of the update so try downloading the update at non-peak times.

Problem 3: Insufficient storage space

In most cases, download files abruptly stop downloading if there is not enough space left in the computer, causing partial installation files to be stored in your system.

To fix this problem:

1. Look for a file name called “Install macOS <version number of what you are trying to install>“. For example, “Install macOS 10.14” for Mojave, “Install macOS 10.15” for Catalina, and “macOS 11.2” for Big Sur.
2. Delete the file.
3. Reboot and make sure to free up more than the necessary space required for the download file.
4. Download the file again.

Your device should automatically start the installation once it’s done. Otherwise, open the folder where you saved the update file and double-click it to prompt the installation.

Installing Newer Versions of macOS in Safe Mode

Some applications, startup items, or extensions might interfere with the installation process, causing it to terminate or not run the update at all.

To ensure that no other programs are causing this problem, you can install Mojave, Catalina, or Big Sur in Safe Mode.

To restart your device in Safe Mode:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Wait for 15 seconds until the device fully shuts down.
3. Press the power button and press Shift as soon as your Mac starts up.
4. Release the Shift key when the Apple logo appears.

From there, proceed to install the new version of the macOS you wish to upgrade to.

Do You Need to Update/Upgrade Your Mac?

Short answer: yes.

You need to update your macOS to the newest version mainly because of the security updates and performance fixes that come along with it. This ensures that your device is less vulnerable to hacks and more stable as new features are being released by Apple.

However, if you’re using a Mac that’s older than the Mac devices listed above, you might want to consider not upgrading to newer macOS versions like Mojave or Catalina.

Older devices might suffer compatibility issues with older applications once you decide to upgrade your Mac to newer macOS versions.

Especially in macOS Catalina, where Apple fully transitioned to 64-bit Mac applications, dropping full support for older 32-bit applications.

On the other hand, macOS Mojave (10.14) is the last macOS version that supports 32-bit applications.

For old Mac owners, this could be the closest to the newest macOS version that they can upgrade to while keeping most of their programs working on their device.

Installing New macOS Versions on Unsupported Macs

Even if your Mac is too old to update, it does not mean that it is impossible to install newer macOS versions to your old Mac.

You can actually install Mojave, Catalina, or even Big Sur to older unsupported Mac devices through a workaround patch.

However, keep in mind that you will experience performance issues in doing so. In most cases, you might lose data, so it is strongly recommended to create a full backup before you try these methods.

How to install macOS Mojave on Unsupported Macs

Step 1: Download macOS Mojave Patch Tool by DosDude1 from this link.

Note: NOT ALL old Mac devices are supported by this patch Tool so make sure that your device is listed under the “Requirements” section first before proceeding with the download

Step 2: For this step, you will need a 16 GB or higher USB drive and format it using Disk Utility. Go to: Spotlight (press Command + spacebar) > type “Disk Utility” and select it once it shows up.

From here, put any name you want for your USB drive, Format the USB Drive as OS X Extended (Journaled), and click Erase

Step 3: Once you finish downloading macOS Mojave Patch Tool, open it (Double-click or Right-click > Open). Click Tools >Mojave installer application to download the macOS Mojave installation file.

Note: If you get an error that the Mojave Tool does not support your Mac, you are out of luck because you will not be able to upgrade your Mac from this point.

Step 4: Once the Mojave installer has finished downloading, click the Mojave icon in the Patch Tool window. Select your USB drive on the drop-down menu and click Start Operation.

Step 5: Once completed, eject your USB drive and shut down your Mac. Do not remove your USB drive and wait for 15 seconds or until your device completely powers off.

Then, press the power button and hold down the Option key on the keyboard when you see the startup screen. You will see a series of drives on the screen and select your USB drive.

Note: If you wish to do a clean install, follow Steps 6 to 7. Otherwise, skip to step 8.

Step 6: Open Disk Utility (Menu Bar > Disk Utility).

Step 7: Click on your system drive and click Erase to format your drive. Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS and name your drive. After you successfully formatted your drive, close the Disk Utility window.

Step 8: You can proceed to install macOS on your system hard drive. Select where you want to install macOS and click Continue.

Step 9: Let the installation finish, and once it is completed, reboot back into the installer drive (same as Step 5). Click “macOS Post Install” in the side menu or the drop-down menu in Utilities.

Step 10: In the window, select the model of your Mac. The program will automatically select which patches are needed for your device, but you can also select which patches you want to include.

Step 11: Select the volume where you installed macOS Mojave and click Patch. Once it is finished, click Reboot.

Note: If the macOS failed to work properly after reboot, reboot once again into the installer drive and re-run the post installer patch. Select “Force Cache Rebuild” before rebooting.

Now, you should have a working macOS Mojave installed on your unsupported Mac.

How to install Catalina on an Unsupported Mac

Step 1: Download “macOS Catalina Patcher” from this link

Note: NOT ALL old Mac devices are supported by this patch tool so make sure that your device is listed under the “System Compatibility” section on the site above before proceeding with the download.

Step 2: You will need a USB drive with at least 8 GB of storage space to store the Catalina installation file. Plug it into your computer.

Step 3: Go to Spotlight (press Command + spacebar) > type “Disk Utility” and select it once it shows up.

From here, put any name you want for your USB drive, Format the USB Drive as OS X Extended (Journaled), and click Erase.

Step 4: Once the download finishes, open the Catalina Patcher application.

Step 5: Click Continue. Select “Download a Copy” if you do not have a copy of the latest Catalina installer. Otherwise, you can select your Catalina installer file by clicking “Browse for a copy.” Generally, the file is almost 8 GB.

Step 6: After the installation file has finished downloading or selected, click, Continue.

Step 7: Select “Create a bootable installer” from the three options.

Step 8: Select the USB drive you just formatted create a bootable drive. Once finished, shut down your Mac.

Step 9: Do not remove your USB drive and wait for 15 seconds or until your device completely powers off. Then, press the power button and hold down the Option key on the keyboard when you see the startup screen. You will see a series of drives on the screen and select your USB drive.

Note: If you wish to do a clean install, follow Steps 10 to 11. Otherwise, skip to step 14.

Step 10: This will take you to the macOS Utilities window. Open Disk Utility.

Step 11: Click on your system drive and click Erase to format your drive. Select APFS and name your drive. After you successfully formatted your drive, close the Disk Utility window and go back to the macOS Utilities window.

Step 12: Select “Reinstall macOS” under the macOS Utilities window. Wait for the program to finish the installation.

Step 13: Once the installation has finished, repeat step 9.

Step 14: Select “macOS Post Install” and continue. The program will automatically select all necessary patches to install on your device.

Step 15: Once the patches are applied, select “Force Cache Rebuild” and restart.

Once it reboots, you should have a working macOS Catalina on your unsupported Mac.

How to install Big Sur on an unsupported Mac

Step 1: Download the macOS Big Sur installation file from the App Store or click this link.

Step 2: Plugin a USB drive with at least 15 GB of space. This is where you will store the Big Sur installation file.

Step 3: Go to SpotlightSearch (press Command + spacebar) > type “Disk Utility” and select it once it shows up.

Step 4: Once Disk Utility opens, click Erase.

Step 5: Name the USB drive “MyVolume” and select OS X Extended (Journaled) under Format.

Step 6: Select “GUID Partition Map” as the Scheme and click Erase. Wait until Disk Utility fully sets up the drive. Once it is finished, click Done.

Step 7: Open Terminal (Command + spacebar > type “Terminal”).

Step 8: Copy the following to the Terminal:

Step 9: Press Enter/Return. The terminal will ask for a password. Type your user login password and press Enter.

Step 10: The terminal will prompt you with a warning that says that it is about to erase the drive. Make sure to backup all important files in this drive before continuing. Once you saved all the files you need, the Terminal will show a text that says, “If you wish to continue, type (Y) then press return:” Do as it says and wait for the process to complete.

Step 11: Restart your Mac into the Startup Manager by holding Options on the keyboard while it is booting up.

Step 12: Once you are in the Startup Manager, select your USB drive “MyVolume” as the startup disk. Your Mac will enter in Recovery Mode and show you the macOS Utilities window.

Note: If you wish to do a clean install, follow Steps 13 to 14. Otherwise, skip to step 14.

Step 12: Open Disk Utility.

Step 13: Click on your system drive and click Erase to format your drive. Select APFS and name your drive. After you successfully formatted your drive, close the Disk Utility window and go back to the macOS Utilities window.

Step 14: Click Install/Reinstall macOS and click Continue. This will install macOS Big Sur on your device. Please wait for it to complete and reboot.

Once it reboots, you can now use macOS Big Sur on your unsupported Mac.

Photo credit: ©canva.com

*This utility is provided to anyone free of charge, however if you'd like to donate, you can do so here:
Questions or comments? Feel free to contact me at collinmistr@gmail.com. Please take a look at the FAQ located at the bottom of this page as well.
I also have a YouTube video showing the process, which can be viewed here.
Important Note: 10.14.4 and later CANNOT be patched properly using Mojave Patcher version 1.2.3 and older. If you update to 10.14.4 or later, and HAVE NOT updated your installer volume with version 1.3.0 or later of Mojave Patcher, you WILL NOT be able to get your system to boot after updating! Please read the updates section for more info.
Contents:

Requirements:
• Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro:

• Late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook:

• Early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook:

• Early-2008 or newer Xserve:

Install Mojave On Unsupported Mac

Machines that ARE NOT supported:
• 2006-2007 Mac Pros, iMacs, MacBook Pros, and Mac Minis:

— 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:
• 2008 MacBook Air (MacBookAir 1,1)
Things you'll 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...'
• A USB drive that's at least 16 GB in size
• A copy of the tool - Download:

• View changelog and download older versions here
Known issues:
• Graphics anomalies: Currently, pre-metal video cards used in Mojave will produce a weird darkish grey Menu Bar and Finder sidebar when using the light theme. In the dark theme, however, these anomalies are not present.
• AMD Radeon HD 5xxx/6xxx series GPU acceleration: Currently, it is not possible to get full graphics acceleration when running Mojave on a system with a Radeon HD 5xxx or 6xxx series GPU. Mojave will be almost UNUSABLE without graphics acceleration. This includes the 15' and 17' MacBook Pro systems (MacBookPro8,2 and 8,3). If you want to enable GPU acceleration on these machines, you'll need to disable the AMD GPU (This will work on MacBook Pro 8,2 and 8,3 systems ONLY. You CANNOT disable the AMD GPU in an iMac.) Weird colors will also be produced when running Mojave with one of these video cards installed/enabled. To disable the AMD GPU on a 2011 MacBook Pro 8,2 or 8,3, follow the guide found here.
• Built-in iSight cameras: Currently, built-in iSight cameras do not work correctly on some machines. It seems to be hit or miss, but when installing, expect your iSight camera to be non-functional.
• Trackpad (MacBook5,2 affected only). The trackpad in the MacBook5,2 isn't fully supported in Mojave. While it works and is fully usable, Mojave detects it as just a standard mouse, preventing you from changing some trackpad-oriented settings.
How to use:
1. Insert your desired USB drive, open Disk Utility, and format it as OS X Extended (Journaled).
2. Open the 'macOS Mojave Patcher' tool, and browse for your copy of the macOS Mojave Installer App.
*Ensure that the tool successfully verifies the app.

Mac Os Mojave Patcher Download

3. Next, select your USB drive in the Target Volume list, and click 'Start Operation.'
4. When the operation completes, boot your target unsupported Mac off the USB drive you just created by holding down the Option key while turning on the machine, and selecting the drive.

Note: Only perform steps 5 and 6 if you intend to do a clean install. Otherwise, you can simply skip these steps and install to your volume containg a previous version of OS X, and it'll do an in-place upgrade.
5. When the installer boots, open Disk Utility from the Utilities menu, or by double-clicking it in the Utilities window on the bottom left corner of the screen.
6. Select the disk or partition you want to install on, and erase it, ensuring to use either Mac OS Extended (Journaled), or APFS as the filesystem type. If formatting an entire drive, ensure GUID is selected.
Important Note: Using APFS is REQUIRED in Mojave in order to receive system updates via the normal Software Update method. If you choose to continue using macOS Extended (Journaled) as your filesystem type, you will NOT receive System Updates via System Preferences.
• Using APFS on Late-2009 and later machines will work no differently than it did with High Sierra.
• If you have a machine that did NOT natively support High Sierra (and therefore cannot boot APFS volumes natively), please note the following:
7. Install macOS normally onto the desired volume.
8. When the install completes, reboot back onto the installer drive. This time, open the 'macOS Post Install' application.
9. In the application, select the Mac model you are using. The optimal patches will be selected for you based on the model you select. You can also select other patches of your choosing.
10. Select the volume you have just installed macOS Mojave on, and click 'Patch.' When it finishes patching, click 'Reboot'. It may sit there for a few moments rebuilding caches before rebooting.
• If for some reason the system fails to work correctly after rebooting, boot back into your installer drive, run the post install patch again, and select 'Force Cache Rebuild' before rebooting. This isn't necessary under most circumstances.
11. When it reboots, it should now boot into a fully working copy of macOS Mojave.
Additional Info:
• If selected in the macOS Post Install tool, your Mojave install will have a program named 'Patch Updater' located in your /Applications/Utilities folder. This program will alert you when new updates to patches are available for your machine, and will prompt you to install them. If you do not have Patch Updater installed, but would like it, you can download and run the script found hereto do so.
Re-installing Patches
• During system updates, some patches may get overwritten. Using the Patch Updater tool, it is possible to re-install these patches with one click. To do so, open the Patch Updater application, and select 'View Installed Updates', or use the 'View > Show Installed Updates' menu in the Menu Bar.
• To re-install a patch, simply right-click on it in the list and select 'Re-install'. You can also select the 'Re-install All' button to re-install all currently installed patches at once.
Updates
Important Note: Using APFS is REQUIRED in Mojave in order to receive system updates via the normal Software Update method. If you choose to continue using macOS Extended (Journaled) as your filesystem type, you will NOT receive System Updates via System Preferences. If you are not using APFS, you can follow the 10.14.1 installation steps below.
10.14.510.14.5 can be updated normally via the App Store if using an APFS volume, and will need to be patched using an installer volume created with Mojave Patcher version 1.3.1 and later after installing.

Mojave Patcher Tool For Unsupported Macs

10.14.410.14.4 adds new changes that ARE NOT patchable by the post-install tool of Mojave Patcher v1.2.3 and older! Before updating to 10.14.4, you you will need to use the latest Mojave Patcher version to create a new installer volume, using the 10.14.4 installer app. Then, update to 10.14.4, either by installing via Software Update, or by just using the installer volume you've created to install.
10.14.3If you are currently running 10.14.1 or 10.14.2, you can simply use the Software Update pane of System Preferences (if using APFS) to apply the 10.14.3 update. Once the update is installed, you will most likely need to re-apply post-install patches to get the system to boot again. This process is detailed in steps 8 - 10 above. If you are currently running 10.14.0, you'll need to proceed with the 10.14.1 update method described below.
10.14.2If you are currently running 10.14.1, you can simply use the Software Update pane of System Preferences (if using APFS) to apply the 10.14.2 update. Once the update is installed, you will most likely need to re-apply post-install patches to get the system to boot again. This process is detailed in steps 8 - 10 above. If you are currently running 10.14.0, or are using a non-AFPS volume, you'll need to proceed with the 10.14.1 update method described below.

Dosdude Mojave Patcher

10.14.1/macOS Extended (Journaled) volumesThe 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

Mac Os Catalina Patcher

• Download the installer using the Tools menu of Mojave Patcher
• Create a patched USB installer
• Boot from that, and install 10.14.1 onto the volume containing an older release.
• Once done, apply the post-install patches, and you should now be on 10.14.1.
http://dosdude1.com/mojave/