How to Install macOS Sonoma on Unsupported Macs
An EliteMacx86 Exclusive Guide - This guide covers a clean installation of macOS Sonoma on Unsupported Macs, unofficially.
Overview
Today, Apple announced their new macOS lineup i.e macOS Sonoma 14.0 which is Apple's newest and most awaited OS. Monterey added massive updates and improvements from its predecessor, Big Sur.
Packed with new features and functionality, the most noticeable update that can be seen and experienced is the new GUI. Featuring a much more "iOS" look and feel and is as smooth as butter. With each release of macOS, Apple removes support for old hardware.
Unfortunately, with the announcement of macOS Sonoma, Apple has officially dropped support up to Skylake. Luckily, for our users and readers, we're going to provide you with a complete installation guide step-by-step.
If you've made an attempt to install macOS Sonoma before reading this guide, you've probably been greeted with the Internet Recovery or no-entry sign immediately after booting from the Sonoma installer.
With this in mind, you'll have to use other ways to get macOS Sonoma on your unsupported Mac.
Compatibility
Before you proceed with a clean installation, we suggest you to check the compatibility of the Mac model. Have another Mac model and want to run macOS Sonoma? You can find the complete list of supported Mac models for macOS Sonoma and check whether your Mac model is listed. The compatibility list is linked below.
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Requirements
Before you start with this guide, here are the requirements for setting up macOS Sonoma on your unsupported Mac mini.
If you meet the above requirements, you're good to go and can start with the guide.
STEP 1: Create a Backup of your Mac
Before you proceed with the installation, we advise you to perform a backup of your Mac. In case the installation fails or you encounter any issue with the installation, you can roll back to your existing installation.
To create a Backup for your Mac, follow the guide linked below.
STEP 2: Download macOS Sonoma
The next step is to download macOS Sonoma. Normally, you won't be able to get new updates as you're using an unsupported Mac and Apple will block updates for the new OS. However, there's another workaround available and you can download a copy of macOS Sonoma very easily. To download macOS Sonoma, follow the guide below
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STEP 3: Create macOS Sonoma Bootable USB
After downloading macOS Sonoma, the next step is to create the Bootable USB for macOS Sonoma. To create macOS Sonoma Bootable USB, follow the guide below.
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STEP 4: Preparing the USB Installer
The next step is to prepare the USB installer for booting macOS Sonoma. Typically, involving the preparation of EFI using OCLP.
1. On your target Mac, boot to Desktop.
2. Apple menu > About This Mac>System Report
3. Note down the model identifier. In our case, it's Macmini7,1
4. Download OCLP from the download section of this forum.
5. Open OCLP and you'll see something similar to the screenshot attached below.
6. OCLP detects the Mac model automatically. However, it is still recommended to select the target Mac model identifier from the drop-down selection, especially if you're running OCLP from any other than the target Mac.
To select the target Mac model, simply click on the Settings icon and select the target Mac model identifier from the drop-down selection. In addition, disable verbose, if you don't want to debug the installation.
7. Click on Return to Main Menu and you should have something similar to the screenshot attached below.
8. Click on Build and Install OpenCore. Once the OpenCore is built, it will prompt you to view the log and install OpenCore to the target disk for booting.
9. When prompted, Click on Install to disk.
10. When prompted, click on OK to allow disk access.
11. Select the Bootable USB you prepared in Step #3. In our case, it's disk2 - SanDisk.
12. From the available FAT32 (ESP) Partition, select the disk to install OpenCore. When prompted, enter your system password
13. Once OCLP finishes installing OpenCore to the target disk, you'll see the following.
And within a few seconds, it will prompt to reboot.
14. Once, you're done with all the above processes, click on Reboot.
15. After clicking on Reboot, you'll see the confirmation dialogue box to restart your Mac. Simply click on Restart to restart your Mac
STEP 5: Booting the macOS Installer
Once you finish setting up USB, you're ready to install macOS Sonoma on your Unsupported Mac.
1. Start/Restart your Mac and while starting/restarting, hold down the option (⌥) key or Alt Key (if you're using a non-Apple Keyboard) on your Keyboard. You'll see something like this below.
2. Select EFI Boot (with the OCLP logo) and press enter to boot.
Upon booting, you'll see something like the one below.
3. When at the OC Boot picker, select Install macOS 14 beta and press enter to boot. The installer will load in a while.
STEP 6: Installing macOS Sonoma
1. When at the installation screen, select Disk Utility and click on Continue
2. Click on View and then select Show All Devices
3. Now select your Hard Drive or SSD on which you want to install macOS and use the following parameters to erase your drive.
Name: Macintosh HD
Format: APFS
Scheme: GUID Partition Map
4. Once the parameter is set, click on Erase button and the disk will be erased.
5. After easing the disk, click on Done and close Disk Utility
6. Select Install macOS 14 beta and click on Continue and then continue with the options.
7. Now select Macintosh HD and click on Continue.
Now, macOS Sonoma will begin installing to your selected disk.
Here it ends the first phase of the installation.
When your Mac restarts, it will automatically boot from macOS Installer to continue the installation.
Once more, the Mac will restart, and when your Mac restarts, it will automatically boot from macOS Installer to continue the second phase of the installation. Upon completion, your Mac will automatically restart.
After the second phase of the installation, your Mac will restart one more time, and this time it will automatically boot via Macintosh HD as shown below.
STEP 7: Finishing macOS Setup
After booting via Macintosh HD, the installation would be complete and it's time to set up the macOS for the first usage with the newly installed macOS.
When you're at the welcome screen, continue with the basics options such as Keyboard setup, Network, Computer Account, and Privacy settings.
Now the installation is complete!
Enjoy macOS Sonoma on your Unsupported Mac
Current Issues
github.com
An EliteMacx86 Exclusive Guide - This guide covers a clean installation of macOS Sonoma on Unsupported Macs, unofficially.
Overview
Today, Apple announced their new macOS lineup i.e macOS Sonoma 14.0 which is Apple's newest and most awaited OS. Monterey added massive updates and improvements from its predecessor, Big Sur.
Packed with new features and functionality, the most noticeable update that can be seen and experienced is the new GUI. Featuring a much more "iOS" look and feel and is as smooth as butter. With each release of macOS, Apple removes support for old hardware.
Unfortunately, with the announcement of macOS Sonoma, Apple has officially dropped support up to Skylake. Luckily, for our users and readers, we're going to provide you with a complete installation guide step-by-step.
If you've made an attempt to install macOS Sonoma before reading this guide, you've probably been greeted with the Internet Recovery or no-entry sign immediately after booting from the Sonoma installer.
With this in mind, you'll have to use other ways to get macOS Sonoma on your unsupported Mac.
Compatibility
Before you proceed with a clean installation, we suggest you to check the compatibility of the Mac model. Have another Mac model and want to run macOS Sonoma? You can find the complete list of supported Mac models for macOS Sonoma and check whether your Mac model is listed. The compatibility list is linked below.
macOS Ventura Compatibility - Can your Mac run it?
macOS Ventura Compatibility List Read the official macOS Ventura System compatibility to confirm whether your current Mac hardware is supported and is capable of running macOS 13. While it's still in Beta, macOS Ventura is coming this fall. Following is the list of compatible Mac models which...
elitemacx86.com
Requirements
Before you start with this guide, here are the requirements for setting up macOS Sonoma on your unsupported Mac mini.
| Mac | Late 2009, Mid 2010, Mid 2011, and Late 2012 |
| Boot ROM Version | Latest Boot ROM installed |
| USB Flash Drive | At least 16GB |
If you meet the above requirements, you're good to go and can start with the guide.
STEP 1: Create a Backup of your Mac
Before you proceed with the installation, we advise you to perform a backup of your Mac. In case the installation fails or you encounter any issue with the installation, you can roll back to your existing installation.
To create a Backup for your Mac, follow the guide linked below.
STEP 2: Download macOS Sonoma
The next step is to download macOS Sonoma. Normally, you won't be able to get new updates as you're using an unsupported Mac and Apple will block updates for the new OS. However, there's another workaround available and you can download a copy of macOS Sonoma very easily. To download macOS Sonoma, follow the guide below
GUIDE - How to Download macOS Sonoma on Unsupported Mac
How to Download macOS Sonoma on Unsupported Mac An EliteMacx86 Exclusive Guide - This guide covers downloading a copy of macOS Sonoma, unofficially. Overview Today, Apple announced their new macOS lineup i.e macOS Sonoma 13.0 which is Apple's newest and most awaited OS. Monterey adding...
elitemacx86.com
STEP 3: Create macOS Sonoma Bootable USB
After downloading macOS Sonoma, the next step is to create the Bootable USB for macOS Sonoma. To create macOS Sonoma Bootable USB, follow the guide below.
GUIDE - How to Create macOS Sonoma Bootable USB
How to Create macOS Sonoma Bootable USB The following is a guide for creating macOS Sonoma Bootable USB. The installation has been covered in another section. You can use this USB for a clean install of macOS Sonoma on your compatible Mac. Before you start with this guide, here are a few...
elitemacx86.com
STEP 4: Preparing the USB Installer
The next step is to prepare the USB installer for booting macOS Sonoma. Typically, involving the preparation of EFI using OCLP.
1. On your target Mac, boot to Desktop.
2. Apple menu > About This Mac>System Report
3. Note down the model identifier. In our case, it's Macmini7,1
4. Download OCLP from the download section of this forum.
5. Open OCLP and you'll see something similar to the screenshot attached below.
NOTE:
|
6. OCLP detects the Mac model automatically. However, it is still recommended to select the target Mac model identifier from the drop-down selection, especially if you're running OCLP from any other than the target Mac.
To select the target Mac model, simply click on the Settings icon and select the target Mac model identifier from the drop-down selection. In addition, disable verbose, if you don't want to debug the installation.
7. Click on Return to Main Menu and you should have something similar to the screenshot attached below.
8. Click on Build and Install OpenCore. Once the OpenCore is built, it will prompt you to view the log and install OpenCore to the target disk for booting.
9. When prompted, Click on Install to disk.
10. When prompted, click on OK to allow disk access.
11. Select the Bootable USB you prepared in Step #3. In our case, it's disk2 - SanDisk.
12. From the available FAT32 (ESP) Partition, select the disk to install OpenCore. When prompted, enter your system password
13. Once OCLP finishes installing OpenCore to the target disk, you'll see the following.
And within a few seconds, it will prompt to reboot.
14. Once, you're done with all the above processes, click on Reboot.
15. After clicking on Reboot, you'll see the confirmation dialogue box to restart your Mac. Simply click on Restart to restart your Mac
NOTE:
|
STEP 5: Booting the macOS Installer
Once you finish setting up USB, you're ready to install macOS Sonoma on your Unsupported Mac.
1. Start/Restart your Mac and while starting/restarting, hold down the option (⌥) key or Alt Key (if you're using a non-Apple Keyboard) on your Keyboard. You'll see something like this below.
2. Select EFI Boot (with the OCLP logo) and press enter to boot.
Upon booting, you'll see something like the one below.
3. When at the OC Boot picker, select Install macOS 14 beta and press enter to boot. The installer will load in a while.
STEP 6: Installing macOS Sonoma
1. When at the installation screen, select Disk Utility and click on Continue
2. Click on View and then select Show All Devices
3. Now select your Hard Drive or SSD on which you want to install macOS and use the following parameters to erase your drive.
Name: Macintosh HD
Format: APFS
Scheme: GUID Partition Map
4. Once the parameter is set, click on Erase button and the disk will be erased.
5. After easing the disk, click on Done and close Disk Utility
6. Select Install macOS 14 beta and click on Continue and then continue with the options.
7. Now select Macintosh HD and click on Continue.
Now, macOS Sonoma will begin installing to your selected disk.
NOTES:
|
Here it ends the first phase of the installation.
When your Mac restarts, it will automatically boot from macOS Installer to continue the installation.
Once more, the Mac will restart, and when your Mac restarts, it will automatically boot from macOS Installer to continue the second phase of the installation. Upon completion, your Mac will automatically restart.
After the second phase of the installation, your Mac will restart one more time, and this time it will automatically boot via Macintosh HD as shown below.
STEP 7: Finishing macOS Setup
After booting via Macintosh HD, the installation would be complete and it's time to set up the macOS for the first usage with the newly installed macOS.
When you're at the welcome screen, continue with the basics options such as Keyboard setup, Network, Computer Account, and Privacy settings.
Now the installation is complete!
NOTES:
|
Enjoy macOS Sonoma on your Unsupported Mac
Current Issues
macOS Sonoma and OpenCore Legacy Patcher Support · Issue #1076 · dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher
With the unveiling of macOS 14, Sonoma, Apple has continued their march towards removal of older Intel Macs. And with this, many more critical drivers used by our older systems have been changed or...
github.com
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