Install Macos Big Sur On Unsupported Mac

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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

  1. 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.
  2. Today I will show you how to Install macOS 11 Big Sur on an Unsupported Mac. To be clear this guide shows you how to install Mac OS Big Sur, it is up to you.
  3. Dec 10, 2020 Running Big Sur on another macOS on an unsupported Mac may also be considered against Apple's terms and conditions. For information about Apple's terms and conditions read: Should you agree to.

Dec 10, 2020 Luckily there's a patcher for installing macOS Big Sur on older Macs available - the big-sur-micropatcher can be downloaded from GitHub. Note that macOS patchers cannot perform magic and not all.

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.

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.

Installing macOS Big Sur

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

  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.

author ：gc(at)sysin.org, Home page ：www.sysin.org

Please visit the original link ：https://sysin.org/article/install-macos-11-on-unsupported-mac/, Check out the latest version of . Reprint please keep the original link .

Friendship tips ： Please back up the data before installing the system ！

The author tests one Mac mini 2012 later, No longer Big Sur Official support list , Use the following method , Already working perfectly Big Sur.

1. macOS Big Sur Official release

macOS Big Sur

A new look ,

Whatever you want to do .

macOS Big Sur Take the combination of powerful strength and beautiful appearance to a new height . A brand new design with elaborate design , So that you can fully feel Mac The charm of ;Safari Browser ushers in a major update , When you have a good look ; Map app And information app Full of new features , You can explore ; More transparent privacy rights , Protection is also more thoughtful .

macOS Big Sur 11.0 release date: 2020.11.11

2. Official list of support

  • MacBook 2015 and later Learn more

  • MacBook Air 2013 and later Learn more

  • MacBook Pro Late 2013 and later Learn more

  • Mac mini 2014 and later Learn more

  • iMac 2014 and later Learn more

  • iMac Pro 2017 and later (all models)

  • Mac Pro 2013 and later Learn more

3. Unsupported models and problems

according to macrumors Summary of , Unsupported Mac It can be divided into several situations ：

Official support macOS Catalina But not by macOS Big Sur Supported by Mac Model ：

-- these Mac Can operate normally Big Sur, however Wi-Fi Not working properly .（ This type of machine is the easiest to run perfectly with patches Big Sur, Now it's just Wi-Fi The problem of .）

You can follow the steps below , This paper focuses on this type of aircraft .

  • 2012 and Early 2013 MacBook Pro
    • MacBookPro9,x
    • MacBookPro10,x
  • 2012 MacBook Air
    • MacBookAir5,x
  • 2012 and 2013 iMac
    • iMac13,x
    • iMac14,x
  • 2012 Mac mini
    • Macmini6,x
  • 2010-2012 Mac Pro*
    • MacPro4,1
    • MacPro5,1

*Not officially supported in macOS Catalina, but are fully capable of running both Catalina and Big Sur with a Metal-compatible GPU and upgraded Wifi/BT card.

Mac Can be patched and run normally macOS Catalina, And it could be patched to run macOS Big Sur：

-- these Mac Now you can start Big Sur, But there's no Wifi Or graphics acceleration support .

This type of machine requires additional steps to solve the installation problem .

  • 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 were almost unusable when running Catalina and will be under Big Sur as well.)
    • iMac12,x (systems with AMD Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx series GPUs were almost unusable when running Catalina and will be under Big Sur as well.)
    • 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 were almost unusable when running Catalina and will be under Big Sur as well.)
    • MacBook5,2
    • MacBook6,1
    • MacBook7,1
  • Early-2008 or newer Xserve:
    • Xserve2,1*
    • Xserve3,1*

*Not officially supported in macOS Catalina, but are fully capable of running both Catalina and Big Sur with a Metal-compatible GPU and upgraded Wifi/BT card.

Totally unsupported Mac：

This type of machine does not need to be installed Big Sur.

  • 2006-2007 Mac Pros, iMacs, MacBook Pros, and Mac Minis:
    • MacPro1,1
    • MacPro2,1
    • iMac4,1
    • iMac5,x
    • iMac6,1
    • iMac7,1
    • MacBookPro1,1
    • MacBookPro2,1
    • MacBookPro3,1
    • Macmini1,1
    • Macmini2,1
  • — The 2007 iMac 7,1 is compatible with Catalina and potentially Big Sur if the CPU is upgraded to a Penryn-based Core 2 Duo, such as a T9300.
  • 2006-2008 MacBooks:
    • MacBook1,1
    • MacBook2,1
    • MacBook3,1
    • MacBook4,1 (as with Mojave and Catalina, we'll be on our own here, but Big Sur will be running on this machine!)
  • 2008 MacBook Air (MacBookAir 1,1)
  • All PowerPC-based Macs
  • All 68k-based Macs

4. download macOS Big Sur

  • Mac App Store

    open App Store Search directly macOS Download it .

    After downloading , You can see Install macOS Big Sur Located in the application （Application） Under the table of contents .

  • Baidu SkyDrive DMG Mirror image

    Please visit ：https://sysin.org/article/macOS-Big-Sur/

    After downloading , Double-click to open dmg file , take Install macOS Big Sur Drag and drop to the application （Application） Next .

5. Patch tool download

(1) Hax.dylib： link 1

(2) big-sur-micropatcher

6. Installation mode ： New installation or upgrade installation under the current system

(0) Prerequisite

Make sure Mac The system currently running is macOS Catalina.

(1) Boot to recovery mode （recovery mode）

When starting or restarting , Hold down Command + R Don't play it until the splash screen （Apple logo） appear .

without recovery Partition , Need to press Command + Option + R, Will start Internet Recovery.

(2) Ban sip (System Integrity Protection)

Utilities ( Utilities ) -> Terminal（ terminal ） Enter the command csrutil disable press return .

(3) Ban compatibility check

Continue to execute commands in the terminal ：

(4) restart , Normal start macOS Catalina

(5) Ban libraries validation

Open the terminal and execute the command ：

(6) Insert library

Will download Hax.dylib Files in home Under the table of contents , namely /Users/< Your username >/ Under the table of contents , Execute commands at the terminal ：

(7) Start installation macOS Big Sur

New installation

Before you start installing , We turn on “ Disk tools ” Create a new one APFS Dossier , Then double-click in the application Install macOS Big Sur Start installation , Target disk select the newly created volume , After installation , Will automatically start to the new system .

After installation, you can delete the original system APFS Dossier , Keep only Big Sur System .

upgrade installation

Double click... In the application Install macOS Big Sur Start normal installation . The target partition of the installation selects the partition where the current system is located , That is to automatically upgrade and install .

By default , Factory settings have only one partition , be known as ：Macintosh HD

(8) Solve the problem of network card driver

On some models , The wireless network card is working properly （Late 2013 iMac, Or your 2012/2013 The model uses 802.11ac The network card has been replaced 802.11n network card ）.

If the wireless card doesn't work , It needs to be handled as follows ：

You need to use the following 7 The method of article , Create and launch U disc . Restart the system , Hold down Option Key until the boot partition selection screen appears , Boot to 'Install macOS Big Sur', After starting , choice “Utilities ( Utilities ) -> Terminal（ terminal ）”, Execute the following command ( All three formats can support , Choose any one ,“Macintosh HD” Is your default system installation partition name , Replace... According to the actual name )：

And then restart to macOS Big Sur, here Wi-Fi It's normal .

7. Installation mode ： New installation with mobile media

Unsupported

Tips ：U Disk can also be replaced by a mobile hard disk , especially SSD mobile hard disk drive , Faster .

7.1、 Create boot media

（1） Create a start U disc

Prepare one 16G Or above U disc , open “ Utilities > Disk tools ”, choice U disc , Click on “ erase ”, The format is as follows ：

  • Mac OS X Expand （ Journal style ）;
  • GUID Partition map ;
  • Partition name ：MyVolume（ The default is Untitled, You can customize , Note the following terminal command MyVolume Also change it to the same name you defined ）

Open the terminal , Execute the following command ：

Be careful ： After creation , The partition name will be automatically changed to ：/Volumes/Install macOS Big Sur

（2） Create a boot partition （ Warning ： Test only , It is not recommended to use ）

Warning ： If you use the following 7.3 and 7.4 Step operation , Will modify the system automatically created EFI The contents of the volume .

If you use Bootcamp Installed Windows 10 Dual system , And use ” Start partition “ Instead of U Disk start , There is only one 'EFI Boot' Icon , however Windows Of 'EFI Boot' Icon disappear , Will not be able to start to Windows.

In addition, after the system is installed , 'EFI Boot' Unable to delete .

open “ Disk tools ”, Click on ” Partition “ Button , Create an approximately 16G Of “macOS Expand （ Journal style ）” Partition （ Not APFS volume ）, Name it Install, Execute the command to write ：

How To Install Macos Big Sur 11.2 On An Unsupported Mac

Be careful ： After creation , The partition name will be automatically changed to ：/Volumes/Install macOS Big Sur

7.2、 take big-sur-micropatcher Unzip and put it in home Under the table of contents , namely /Users/< Your username >/ Under the table of contents

7.3、 function micropatcher.sh

Macos Big Sur Review

Open the terminal and execute the command ：

7.4、 function install-setvars.sh

Continue to execute at the terminal ：

7.5、 Automatic patch execution

Restart the system , Hold down Option Key until the boot partition selection screen appears , Two additional icons will appear 'Install macOS Big Sur' and 'EFI Boot', choice 'EFI Boot', From now on 'EFI Boot' Partition start , Waiting for a few seconds will automatically shut down （ It may shut down in an instant ）, The process will do the following ：disabling SIP, disabling authenticated root, and enabling TRIM on non-Apple SSDs.

Tips ： If you're not sure which one to choose 'EFI Boot' Icon , For example, it has been installed Windows Dual systems may have extra 'EFI Boot' Icon , Can be U Pull out the disk and plug it in again , Watch the icon change to determine . In fact, the icon of mobile media is different .

Macos Big Sur Download

7.6、 Start installation macOS Big Sur

Reboot , Hold down Option Key until the boot partition selection screen appears , choice Install macOS Big Sur, After starting , choice “ Disk tools ”, Erase the system partition （ The default name is “Macintosh HD”, Format selection APFS）, Start installation .

7.7、 Solve the problem of network card driver

On some models , The wireless network card is working properly （Late 2013 iMac, Or your 2012/2013 The model uses 802.11ac The network card has been replaced 802.11n network card ）.

If the wireless card doesn't work , Again using U Disk boot to 'Install macOS Big Sur' Partition , After starting , choice “Utilities ( Utilities ) -> Terminal（ terminal ）”, Execute the following command ( All three formats can support , Choose any one ,“Macintosh HD” Is the default name , Modify according to the actual name )：

7.8、 restart

here Wi-Fi The repair was successful ,macOS Big Sur It's fully operational .

8. About reporting errors ：BIErrorDomain Error 2

This error is usually due to insufficient disk space on the destination , Usually 35GB The space left and right . If Install app Not placed in “ Applications ” Under the table of contents , The same error message will appear .

9. Additional steps

about 2012、2013 Model year , Official support macOS Catalina But not by macOS Big Sur Supported by Mac Model ,Mac It's working perfectly , But some old models , It takes some extra steps , See the following instructions ：