MacOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac I'm having an old MacBook Air 4.2, (mid 2011, SSD, 4 Gb memory), which have been running Catalina for quite some time despite that the max OS is High Sierra. I have been using the great work by dosedudes1 and his Catalina patcher. 10.16 11.0 big sur early 2008 early 2009 encoding hevc mac mac pro macos macpro 3.1 macpro 4.1 macpro 5.1 micropatcher mid 2012 opencore unsupported Sidebar Sidebar Home.

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. Big Sur is a significant update that is supposed to bring macOS more in-line with iOS. However, with every new update older Macs get left behind even though some devices can last for several years. If your old Mac is optimized and you’ve taken good care of it then it’s probably still running great.

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.

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

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:

Install Big Sur Macbook Pro Mid 2012

• 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”).

Macos 11 Big Sur On Unsupported Macs

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.

Macos Big Sur On Unsupported Macbook Pro

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.

Download Macos Big Sur On Unsupported Mac

Photo credit: ©canva.com

Big Sur on unsupported Mac

Installing Big Sur on an unsupported Mac can’t be done the regular way through System Preferences > Software update. However, if the machine’s not too old, there’s still a way to install Big Sur on an unsupported Mac using a specially developed patcher tool.

Big Sur Workaround

At first glance, it may seem impossible to install macOS Bug Sur on a machine that’s not supported. If you are using a Mac that’s too old and go to its Software Update section, you will see that you are simply not allowed to install the Big Sur upgrade. If, however, you are determined to get Big Sur on your Mac, it may still be done in a roundabout way, by using a specially-developed patcher that you can download from here.

Depending on how old your Mac is, the patcher may or may not enable you to install Big Sur – some Macs are just too old, and even the patcher cannot make it possible for the latest macOS to be installed on them.

On the linked page (from where you can download the patcher), you can find notes that show for which Mac models (and hardware compositions) the patcher is most likely to work and for which it’s not recommended to try it. Carefully look through those notes and if it turns out that your Mac doesn’t have the necessary prerequisites, it’s best if you don’t try the patcher as it will probably not work and may cause unnecessary complications that could be difficult to fix. There is a reason why the latest macOS isn’t supported on older Mac models. The system requirements of Big Sur are higher than what most of the older models can effectively handle and so, unless you are certain that your Mac can run on Big Sur (check the notes in the link), it would probably be best if you kept its current macOS, that it can run stably.

Important Note

Also, it is important that you back up your important data – even if your Mac model and hardware composition are compatible with the patcher according to the notes, you should still make sure that any important data you don’t want to lose is safely backed up.

Another thing to mention is that, if you are using FireVault, you need to have it turned off, or else the patcher will probably not work.

The last precaution before you start with the Big Sur installation is to download the current macOS that you have on your Mac/MacBook onto a USB stick so that, should there be a problem with the Big Sur installation, you can always install the older macOS onto the machine using the USB stick.

Mac Mini 2012 Big Sur

With all that out of the way, here’s how you can use the Big Sur patcher to upgrade your unsupported Mac to the latest macOS.

How to install Big Sur on unsupported Mac

To install Big Sur on an unsupported Mac, you must first create a bootable USB drive using a special patcher app. Then you need to use the USB drive to install Big Sur on the unsupported Mac, and, lastly, you must install the needed patches.

Creating a bootable USB stick using the Big Sur patcher.

The first phase of the process involves creating a bootable USB drive with the help of a special patcher, so here’s how to do that:

1. Start by getting an empty USB stick with enough space on it – it is recommended the stick has at least 16 GB free storage space (the more, the better).
2. Plug the empty USB stick into your Mac, go to Spotlight (the magnifying glass icon in the top-right), type Disk Utility, and hit Enter.
3. Select the View icon in the top-left and select Show All Devices.
4. Click on the USB drive from the left panel, and select Erase.
5. In the Erase window, make sure that the format is set to Mac OS Extended and click on Erase.
6. After the USB drive is erased, close the Disk Utility, open your browser, and go to the page where the patcher is (here is the link to it again). DO NOT remove the USB stick from your Mac – it must stay plugged into the computer during the next steps.
7. Look at the right side of the page, where it says Releases (you may have to scroll down a bit), and select Latest.
8. You will see the latest available patch and down below, under assets, you will see the download link/links for it. Click on the first link and download the file on your Desktop.
9. Next, close the browser, open the patcher, and when a window pops up on your screen, double-click on the Patched Sur icon.
10. When macOS asks you if you are sure you want to open the app, select Open and select Start from the newly-opened window.
11. Next, the patcher will automatically detect what Mac model you are using and show you what Big Sur features will work on it and what features won’t be available – select Continue in that window.
12. If you want, read the guide that appears on your screen and click Continue again.
13. On the next page, make sure that the “Release” option is selected, and click on Continue.
    
14. In the next screen, select Update, and then click Continue.
    
15. Wait until the download finishes and then click on Download macOS 11.0.1 (or whatever macOS version is shown).
    
16. Wait for the loading process to complete (it’s likely going to take quite a lot of time, so be patient), provide your Mac password, and click on Continue.
17. Next, select the name of the empty USB stick and then select Continue, and Continue again on the next page.
18. The following process could take quite some time, so be patient, wait for everything to be finished, and then close the window. Once the process is complete, macOS Big Sur will be downloaded onto the empty USB stick and will be ready to be installed on your Mac. To close the window, click on Patched Sur in the top-left and select Quit Patched Sur.

How To Install Macos Big Sur On Unsupported Mac

Installing macOS Big Sur

Once you have the bootable USB stick ready, it’s time to install Big Sur on your Mac.

Big Sur Unsupported Patch

1. Shut down your Mac and when it powers down completely, start it back up, and immediately after pressing the power button, press and hold the left Option (Alt) key.
2. Once you get a screen with three different options, select the one labeled Install macOS Big Sur. If you don’t get that screen and your Mac starts normally, repeat the previous step until you get the screen with the three options.
   
3. When your Mac loads to a screen with four different options, do the following if the current macOS on the computer isn’t Catalina but one that is older. If your current macOS is Catalina, skip steps 4 to 7 and go directly to step 8.
4. Select Disk Utility and then click on Continue.
5. Click on the View icon from the top and select Show All Devices (like you did in one of the earlier steps).
6. In the left panel, select the drive on which the current macOS is installed (should be the one shown at the top).
7. Next, click on Erase, make sure that the format is set to APFS, and select Erase.
   • Important!: this action will erase everything on the selected hard drive, so it is important to have previously backed up data you wouldn’t want to lose. If you haven’t done that, restart your Mac, back up your data, and then erase the drive.
8. Once the drive is erased, go back to the screen with four options, select Install macOS Big Sur, and click Continue, and then Continue again.
9. Agree to the Terms and Conditions, on the next page, select the drive on which you’d like Big Sur to be installed, and select Continue. This will begin the installation of Big Sur and, again, depending on a number of factors, this process could anywhere between 45 minutes to 3 hours (or more).

Patiently wait for the installation to complete and once your Mac starts again, you will have Big Sur installed onto it. If you have performed a fresh install of Big Sur (if you’ve first erased your previous OS, you will have to go through several normal setup steps that are very easy to complete).

Installing Necessary Patches

The last phase of the Big Sur installation is to install several important patches to make your Mac function properly.

1. Once the computer starts after the Big Sur installation, and you complete any required setup steps (in case you’ve performed a fresh install of the OS), open the icon of the bootable USB drive.
2. Open the Patched Sur app and select the Patch Kexts.
   
3. Click Continue, enter your password and click on Continue again.
   
4. Once the patches are installed, the app will ask you to restart your Mac, so click on the Restart to Finish option and wait for the computer to restart.
5. If your Mac is a very old one, one thing that could help it run smoother is to go back to the Patcher, select Settings, and click on the Disable Animations option. We also recommend selecting the Clean Leftovers button to get rid of any unnecessary files and free up some space on the computer.

Once this is finished, your Mac will be ready for use with the macOS Big Sur installed on it. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments section below.