GUIDE How to Boot macOS Installer on Desktops and Laptops using OpenCore [UEFI/Legacy] - OpenCore Install Guide

[EliteMacx86]

How to remove/bypass Vista remote management while installing Mac Os on PC ??

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[tuankun151]

How to Boot macOS Installer on Desktops and Laptops using OpenCore [UEFI/Legacy] - OpenCore Install Guide​

Booting the OS X/macOS installers on a non-Apple computer can be challenging for new users. This guide is intended for those who wish to use OpenCore as a Bootloader and it covers a step-by-step process to boot the OS X/macOS installer on your target Desktop or Laptop using the OpenCore bootloader along with the installation and post-installation. Both installing using OpenCore UEFI and OpenCore Legacy are described in this guide.

By following this guide, you'll also be able to create a complete OpenCore EFI for your particular system. This guide supports both Intel and AMD Desktops and Intel and AMD Laptops with UEFI/Legacy boot mode. Of course, the hardware compatibility must be taken care of. Those who are still using Clover as a primary bootloader, can either switch to OpenCore or can follow Clover Installation Guide.

Although UEFI Capable Systems have several advantages over Legacy, there can be systems that do not support UEFI booting and are only capable of Legacy booting. But if you do have a system that supports UEFI booting, it is recommended to use UEFI booting over the legacy boot.

• If you're having a computer that is UEFI capable, follow the UEFI instructions.
• If you're having a system that doesn't have UEFI capabilities, then follow the Legacy instructions.

What is OpenCore?

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OpenCore is a bootloader - Unlike any other bootloader such as GRUB, it is an advanced bootloader especially designed to boot macOS/OS X on Non-Apple computers and is capable of booting a variety of other Operating Systems including Windows and Linux. OpenCore differs a lot from Clover and has been designed with security and quality, allowing us to use many security features found on real Macs such as System Integrity Protection and FileVault. Moreover, configuring an OpenCore EFI (used for booting) is way less complex than Clover and provides much more modern functionality than Clover. Although, still lacks some of the great features which are implemented in Clover such as on-the-fly hot patching. However, there are more advantages to using OpenCore due to its easy-to-configure in nature and regular updates. More in-depth information can be found in Why you should use OpenCore over Clover and other Bootloaders.



OpenCore is almost always changing to support recent versions of macOS and newer computers. It is complex and more difficult to set up OpenCore when you are not familiar with all the components and a variety of options that can be used to configure OpenCore for booting into macOS.

The purpose of this guide is to show how to create a macOS Bootable USB and create OpenCore EFI which can be used to install macOS/OS X on a target computer. Where creating EFI is the main essence of the guide as that's what most people are looking for. It is strongly advised to create a configuration (OpenCore EFI) from scratch without the involvement of someone's else configuration and files and this is where this guide comes into place.


Using OpenCore EFI from another system or picking from the Internet (mostly from Github or other forums) is relatively easy than creating yours, but will not result in many benefits due to the difference in the hardware and the vendor. Although it may be capable of booting macOS/OS X on a target system, these pre-made EFIs not only come with a lot of unnecessary SSDTs, Kexts, and Quirks but also includes custom branding and are usually way lot cluttered than the original method and are generally not reliable (missing hardware functionality and/or features) which is not the preferred choice. Often, it makes it difficult to inject patches, Device Properties, and Quirks due to being prevented from being injected which is why most of the guides generally don't work with such EFIs. Everything is injected forcibly to ensure the macOS/OS X installer boots anyhow on the target system, which still fails in several cases.

There could be known performance-related issues i.e. getting less performance than the system is actually capable of or it may not perform well on your system in general (even if it is working for the primary user). In addition, despite having the same hardware configuration, there are chances that your system may require some additional configuration than the EFI you're using to boot. Most of the users just want to boot the macOS installer on their systems, without getting to know the basics involved which is the key and this is why it makes it more difficult to troubleshoot if such configuration fails to boot the macOS/OS X installer on the target system.

Just to avoid reading and investing time into building a proper EFI, several users use the EFI of someone else. This is a very common practice often followed by new users building their OpenCore EFI and this is why such users run into different issues and invest their time effortlessly to fix the junk. Rather than investing time in troubleshooting the installation and fixing someone's else EFI configuration, which is not even intended for your particular system, it would make more sense to create your own OpenCore EFI and move in the right direction in the first place. Using someone's EFI not just makes it difficult to boot the macOS/OS X installer, but it invites way more issues than it could have originally.

Due to all these reasons, using OpenCore EFI from some other computer or user is never advised and such practice is highly discouraged, especially on this forum. If you don't follow the guide carefully, after a point of time, you will end up frustrated if you're lacking time and patience. Of course, it's your computer and you have the right to decide whether to install macOS for your use case or not.






Please do not expect to have everything working (in terms of hardware, feature, or functionality) once you're booted into macOS/OS X. This guide only aims to install macOS/OS X on a target computer and the rest of the steps are covered in the Postinstallation guide.


For users who are not familiar with OpenCore or if they haven't used it before, this guide may seem a bit complex to them, but it is quite simple if you read and go through the steps carefully. Those users who are familiar with OpenCore or have used it before will find this guide relatively easy to follow than any other guide!

I. Requirements

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Before you jump into making an OpenCore based EFI, you need to take care of the following.

Hardware Information
You should have at least the following information to check the compatibility of your system.

• Motherboard Chipset Series
• CPU Model and Generation
• GPU Model
• Storage Devices and their Configuration (AHCI/RAID/IDE)
• Laptop/Desktop model if it is branded/OEM
• Ethernet chip Model
• WiFi/BT Model

A Compatible Hardware
This guide requires compatible hardware to work. Even if you manage to install OS X/macOS, some features either may work partially or may not work at all. See the compatibility section for more information.

Storage Devices and Space

• A Compatible HDD or SSD (NVMe/PCIe/SATA SSD) for installation. If you're using High Sierra and later, an SSD is recommended for optimal performance.
• At least 16GB of USB if you're going to use macOS to create the Bootable USB using the Offline Method.
• At least 2GB of USB if you're going to use macOS, Windows, or Linux to create the Bootable USB using the Online Method.
• At least 30GB of space for macOS/OS X installation on the target Drive.

Internet Connection
An internet connection is required to download the files. If using the Online Method for Installation, you'll also require a compatible working Ethernet or WiFi connection with a proper speed. Ethernet is generally preferred over WiFi or any other network setup to avoid hassles. However, if you do not wish to use Ethernet or don't have a proper setup yet, you can also use a Compatible WiFi Card to achieve the same. Please be advised that a majority of WiFi Cards are not supported under macOS. USB based WiFi Dongles and USB to LAN Adapters may not work in this case. iPhone/iPad supporting Mobile Data can be used but requires proper USB mapping (since Big Sur 11.3 and later). If you do not have a compatible Ethernet, WiFi Card, or iPhone/iPad, you can use HoRNDIS to tether your Android's Mobile Data. In addition, please be advised that carrier charges may apply if using Mobile Data for the internet.

A Computer
To create the Bootable USB and the OpenCore EFI, you'll need a computer with either macOS (preferred) or Windows (Windows 10 or newer) or any Linux distribution (Ubuntu preferred), and the OS must be functioning properly. In addition, you'll need at least 30GB (macOS) and 15GB (Windows or Linux) of disk space to download the required files.

BIOS
Although always recommended, you must flash the latest available BIOS/UEFI on the target system, if not already. However, there could be exceptional cases where the new/latest BIOS has bugs which can prevent from booting the macOS/OS X Installer. In such cases, you'll need to roll back the BIOS until you find the stable version.

Time and Patience
To create a clutter-free, highly reliable OpenCore EFI especially curated for your particular system, you'll get to know the basics of the OpenCore EFI and how to build it for a target system, you should be prepared to read, learn, and even search for the specific issue on the internet if you're encountering one. This is not a simple one-click setup or the copy/paste method. Having said that, please be advised that it would require a tremendous amount of patience and time to get the expected results.

Experience
Although this guide includes every crucial step, including the basic ones, having experience with the basic usage of tools such as Command Prompt, Terminal or File Explorer can be really helpful when following the guide.

II. Gathering System Info

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Before you start, get to know about your hardware. This is mainly required for OEM machines like Laptops and pre-built systems. Starting your journey without knowing your hardware will make your journey difficult with no chance of success. Also when seeking support on this forum, the hardware details should be present in your profile. Before asking for support, make sure your profile includes the hardware details.

To find out the complete details of your system, refer to the following guide linked below for more information.

How to find Complete System Information

Before you start to install, we recommend you to find out the complete system specification which will speed up the installation process and you can complete the post installation, very easily. Without knowing the complete system specification, you'll not be able to install or fix the issues...

elitemacx86.com

You can skip this section and head to Creating macOS Bootable USB if you're already aware of the system specifications.

III. Checking Compatibility

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Once you have gathered the system details, the next step is to perform a compatibility check against the hardware you have. This step is important as it will give you an exact idea of whether your system is compatible or not, what exact hardware is compatible, what hardware needs to be replaced with a compatible one, and whether you can proceed with the purpose of installing macOS or not. To check whether your hardware is compatible or not, simply match your hardware from the compatibility list given below.

If you determine that your hardware is compatible, you can proceed to the next step. If not, you'll have to replace the hardware with a compatible one if you're willing to have a perfect setup with general functionality such as graphics acceleration and network. Make sure you pay attention to the hardware limitations while checking the compatibility. You'll find the limitations for each of the hardware types.

CPU Compatibility

CPU Compatibility List For macOS [Intel/AMD]

CPU Compatibility List For OS X and macOS [Intel/AMD] Overview OS X and macOS do not support a major number of CPUs, unlike Windows or Unix. QUICK INFO: OS X & macOS support all CPUs till date, starting from Pentium 4 CPUs with 32-bit architecture only support OS X 10.4.1 to 10.6.8 CPUs...

elitemacx86.com

GPU Compatibility

Intel GPU Compatibility List for macOS

Intel GPU Compatibility List for macOS QUICK INFO: Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge display must specify AAPL00,DualLink in Device Properties. 0 for 1366x768 and 1 for 1600x900 and higher displays. Some Haswell systems may require Legacy/CSM in BIOS to fix the glitches and artifacts. Haswell...

elitemacx86.com

AMD APU Compatibility List for macOS

AMD APU Compatibility List for macOS Limitations Only supports Metal 2 and Metal 3 compatible APUs. Supports macOS Big Sur 11.x to macOS Sonoma. Only supports UEFI Motherboards. DP/HDMI Audio isn't supported at the moment. VGA isn't supported at the moment. Sleep/Wake is broken at the moment...

elitemacx86.com

AMD GPU Compatibility List for macOS

AMD GPU Compatibility List for macOS AMD APU Compatibility https://elitemacx86.com/threads/amd-apu-compatibility-list-for-macos.1157/ 1. Desktop Series II. Radeon X500 Series Supported Since: 10.3 Max Native Support: 10.7.5 Max Patched Support: Metal: Not Supported H.264: H.265: Not...

elitemacx86.com

NVIDIA GPU Compatibility List for macOS

NVIDIA GPU Compatibility List for macOS 100 Series (Tesla) Model Metal 10.6.x 10.7.x 10.8.x 10.9.x 10.10.x 10.11.x 10.12.x 10.13.x 10.14.x 10.15.x 11.x 12.x 13.x GeForce G 100 Yes Yes Yes (With patch No No No No GeForce GT 120 Yes Yes No No No No No GeForce...

elitemacx86.com

Storage Compatibility

Storage Compatibility for macOS

Storage Compatibility for macOS Intel AHCI and RAID Controllers Vendor Chipset Series VEN ID:EV ID Support Kext Intel 5 Series Chipset 8086:3b29 8086:3b22 8086:3b2f Intel 5 Series/3400 Series Chipset SATA RAID Controller 8086,3b25 8086,3b2C Intel 6 Series Chipset 8086:1c02 8086:1c03...

elitemacx86.com

Network Compatibility

Ethernet Compatibility List for macOS [1GbE, 5GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, 50GbE, 100GbE]

Ethernet Compatibility List for macOS AQuantia AQC-107 AQC-113 ASUS XG-C100C TP-Link TX401 GIGABYTE GC-AQC113C Myri10G Drivers and Tools Supported models: 10G-PCIE-8A-xx, 10G-PCIE2-8B-xx, 10G-PCIE2-8C-xx and 10G-PCIE3-8E-xx Manufacturer Model Chipset Speed 10.6.x 10.7.x 10.8.x 10.9.x...

elitemacx86.com

WiFi Compatibility List for OS X and macOS [Broadcom, Atheros, Intel and Realtek]

WiFi Compatibility List for OS X and macOS [Broadcom, Atheros, Intel and Realtek] Following are the list of compatible and non-compatible WiFi models for Mac. For Broadcom https://www.elitemacx86.com/threads/how-to-enable-broadcom-wifi.606/ For Atheros...

elitemacx86.com

Thunderbolt Compatibility

Thunderbolt Compatibility List for macOS

Thunderbolt Compatibility List for macOS Controller Family 10.6.x 10.7.x 10.8.x 10.9.x 10.10.x 10.11.x 10.12.x 10.13.x 10.14.x 10.15.x 11.x 12.x 13.x 82523EF Light Ridge 82523EFL Light Ridge DSL2310 Eagle Ridge...

elitemacx86.com

Hello,
I followed the steps you instructed, but when I boot from the USB, it hangs on this screen. Can you help me figure out why? Below are the files on my USB. I am Vietnamese, so I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes. Thank you.
File on my USB: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FlDY3CqgbFKKNyAekdaRRCJs_6KAWA8h/view?usp=sharing

 

[EliteMacx86]

Hello,
I followed the steps you instructed, but when I boot from the USB, it hangs on this screen. Can you help me figure out why? Below are the files on my USB. I am Vietnamese, so I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes. Thank you.
File on my USB: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FlDY3CqgbFKKNyAekdaRRCJs_6KAWA8h/view?usp=sharing

Why are you using EnableWriteUnprotector and RebuildAppleMemoryMap together?