With the release of macOS Mojave, a number of old Macs were left unsupported. Apple’s reason behind this change was reportedly due to older internal and discrete graphics cards which do not support Metal. Even though macOS High Sierra also required Metal compatible graphics hardware, somehow, the latest updates to Metal render the older Macs incompatible with Mojave. Luckily, as with Apple’s previous operating system updates, a macOS Mojave Patcher tool is available that uses some workarounds to make the latest OS work on unsupported Macs.
Jun 19, 2018 Apple’s latest iteration to its desktop operating system was announced at WWDC earlier this month. Named ‘macOS Mojave,’ the update brings with it a bevy of new features including some long-awaited things like the dark mode, and other features and cosmetic upgrades that are pretty nice.So, if you’re wondering how to get these features on a Windows 10 PC, well we’ve got your back.
Collin aka dosdude1, has been working on the patcher tools since a long time. They are available for free, and are updated for every major macOS release, to help users with unsupported Macs to use Apple’s latest desktop operating system. The patcher is available as a macOS app which helps users create a bootable USB drive, with a modified version of macOS Mojave. The USB can then be installed to get Mojave in a working condition on your old Mac.
If the name of this tool sounds familiar, it is because we have written about it before in our guide on downloading macOS Mojave full installer without using Mac App Store.
Install macOS Mojave on unsupported Mac
Here are all the notes and steps that you need to follow to get Mojave running on an unsupported Mac.
The following Macs are supported by this tool:
- 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
If you have any Mac older than these, or not from this list, perhaps it’s time to upgrade to a newer one because even the patcher tool cannot make it compatible with newer macOS versions. Even from this list, some Macs do not support AMD GPU graphics acceleration, iSight camera, Trackpad or Wifi. Make sure that you check the dosdude1’s website to figure out whether you’ll face any of these issues and if there’s a workaround.
To use the tool, make sure that you have a USB drive with at least 16GB storage capacity. You can download the Patcher from here.
The tool supports built-in downloading for the latest version of macOS Mojave so you do not have to download from the Mac App Store. Once the OS is downloaded, plugin your USB drive, select the download OS file, and click Start Operation. Once the process completes, plugin the USB into your supported Mac, and reboot using the USB drive. Follow the usual installation process, but note that once the install completes, you’ll have to reboot using the USB drive again and use the macOS Post Install utility. Here, you’ll have to select your Mac, so that any relevant optimization or compatibility patches are applied to your installation.
Secuextender For Mac Mojave 2017
After all of the above is done, you should be able to enjoy Mojave on your Mac.
The developer has also created an instructional video to guide users through the installation process. You can watch the YouTube video below:
You'll need a very good reason and it'd be best if you didn't do it on your main Mac. However, installing Mojave on some older Macs can be done — and fairly easily. AppleInsider explains if you really must know.
This year's macOS Mojave beta, and subsequent update, won't run and can't be installed on any Mac older than about 2012 — or so Apple thinks. However, if you're the sort to believe that every year Apple tries to force everyone to buy new Macs, and you also forget that 2012 was six years ago, you're in luck.
But, there is now a way to ignore Apple and install macOS Mojave on any Mac you like. Or at least any Mac you like back to around 2008.
Secuextender For Mac Mojave Az
There are exceptions. The new and most utterly not Apple supported macOS Mojave Patcher Tool will even go back to 2007 if you have a very specific iMac that you've already upgraded in a very specific way. That said, Apple's official list also has exceptions: if you have the right Mac Pro you can install Mojave on even a mid-2010 machine.
We get that you may well not be able to afford a new Mac. These are far from cheap machines. Plus even a ten-year-old MacBook Pro is a good computer and we'd not be at all surprised if you were still getting great use out of it.
We would just then be surprised that you want to risk that great use by installing a macOS update that it can't handle.
The Mojave Patcher Tool for Unsupported Macs is available for download from DosDude1. This is the same guy that did this for High Sierra, and has supplied a series of other hacks and workarounds for fans of older Apple hardware.
Doubtlessly the tool is a clever piece of programming that is be far beyond our skill, but ultimately it just does one thing — it prevents Apple's macOS installation tool from spotting that the machine you're using is too old.
Secuextender For Mac Mojave 2
Other than that, it takes macOS Mojave and installs it on a drive. But, if you're now wondering where it gets Mojave from, you've spotted a potential hang-up in the process.
To get a copy of macOS Mojave to install on an unsupported Mac, you have to be in the Apple Beta program but more importantly than that, you have to download it on a supported Mac.
So, unless you've got friends who have newer Macs yet not enough conscience to warn you off this idea because it is potentially hazardous to your data and hardware, you've got to personally have a Mojave-capable Mac. If you have, go ahead, use Mojave on that.
Normally we'd be hesitant about that too. Apple's macOS, like any operating system, is so complex that it's bound to have some problems on older gear. Every year we generally advise you to wait a little while before installing the final version. Every year we also point out that installing the beta is fine so long as you do it on a spare Mac.
We say both of those things about Macs that are supposed to be able to run these things. Even when they are, the advice to wait for a while after official release is a good suggestion. The advice to stay away from the beta versions entirely on a critical work machine is more like a firm rule.
If you use this tool to install macOS Mojave on a Mac that Apple itself says won't work, you can't honestly expect a great experience. You're not going to transform that brilliant 2008 MacBook Air into a 2018 model. You're more likely to transform it into a somewhat less brilliant 2008 brick under more load than the hardware should have to bear.
It is good to have the same macOS on all of your machines, and it's even slightly disorientating when you're swapping between Mojave and Sierra. However, take the disorientation because it's better than having no functioning Mac at all.
One more thing. If you do use this patch tool to install macOS Mojave on your main Mac, please remember that you can still read AppleInsider on your iPhone if things go awry.
AppleInsider has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content.