GUIDE How To Update OpenCore Bootloader

How To Update OpenCore​

This guide covers updating OpenCore using several methods and is supported by both i.e. Legacy and UEFI. By following this guide, you'll be able to update the OpenCore on your non-Apple computer for its seamless operation.

What is OpenCore?​

Unlike Clover, OpenCore is a Bootloader that is capable of booting a variety of Operating Systems, including macOS. Although every Operating System contains its bootloader which allows booting the OS on the target machine, OpenCore is mainly intended for booting macOS on non-Apple computers and Legacy Macs as well.

Why do I need to Update the OpenCore?​

Often, from time to time, new bugs are found by developers and fellow users and fixes are introduced with a new revision in the kext to fix the reported bugs so that the hardware runs more reliably. In order to have those fixes, updating kexts is necessary. Similarly, on non-Apple computers, kexts must be updated accordingly, on a regular basis to prevent any issue and the purpose is the same, i.e. reliability.

From time to time, new bugs are found by the developers and fellow users and the fixes and workarounds are introduced along with some new features or improved support for existing hardware or support for new hardware for better compatibility.

NOTE: When updating OpenCore, its always recommended to update the related kexts as well. See updating kexts for more information.


This guide already assumes that you have followed the installation guide and have installed OpenCore and have configured the config.plist as well. This guide will only focus on updating an existing version of OpenCore which is installed onto your system.

Method #1: Manually

Using this method, you don't need any sort of app to update the OpenCore and can use Finder which is available within macOS. To update the OpenCore manually, follow the steps below:

STEP 1: Download the latest OpenCore

To begin with the OpenCore update, the very first step is to download the OpenCore. To download the latest OpenCore, follow the steps below.

1. Download OpenCore Pkg. The OpenCore Pkg comes in two variants. DEBUG and RELEASE.

Version	Notes
DEBUG	Helps in debugging boot issues Can add some delay in boot times Recommended for debugging purposes.
RELEASE	Not much help for debugging boot issues. Troubleshooting is difficult Recommended for production use.

2. Download the RELEASE folder followed by the release version. For e.g. OpenCore-0.9.4-RELEASE.zip.
3. Extract the downloaded zip file. When extracting, you'll get 4 folders as listed below:

Directories	Description
Docs	Contains documentation, changelog, sample config.plist, and ACPI samples for OpenCore.
IA32	Contains OpenCore EFI, 32-bit OpenCore Boot Loader. Required for OS X 10.4.1 through 10.4.7
Utilities	Contains several utilities.
X64	Contains OpenCore EFI, 64-bit OpenCore Boot Loader. Required for OS X 10.8 and newer

STEP 2: Backup existing EFI

Before you proceed with updating OpenCore, we advise you to perform a backup of your EFI. In case the update fails or you encounter any issues with the update, you can roll back to your existing working EFI. It is never recommended to make any edits directly in the EFI of the ESP and such practice is highly discouraged without having a backup as a fail-safe option. See How to Backup EFI for more information.

STEP 3: Mount your EFI

STEP 4: Replace Files

Once you have mounted the EFI, the next step is to replace the updated OpenCore files with the existing files in the ESP. To replace the files, follow the steps below

1. Navigate to OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE directory. You'll need to replace the following files with the updated one you just downloaded in STEP #1 of this guide.

Replace BOOTx64.efi in EFI/BOOT from OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE/X64/BOOT directory.
Replace OpenCore.efi in EFI/OC from OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE/X64/OC directory
Replace OpenRuntime.efi and other necessary drivers in EFI/OC/Drivers from OpenCore-0.X.X-RELEASE/X64/OC/Drivers directory


NOTE: With the introduction of .content visibility since opencore xyz, replacing the entire BOOT directory with is recommended.

STEP 5: Update config.plist

STEP 6: Validating config.plist

STEP 7: Restart your System

Method #2: Using OCAT​

OpenCore Auxialiries Tool (OCAT) is one of the widely used tools to edit config.plist and perform the related functions. Using OpenCore Auxiliaries Tool (OCAT), you can update the OpenCore Bootloader and the related kexts within a few clicks. It's one of the easiest and hassle-free methods to update the OpenCore Bootloader. To mount your EFI Partition using OpenCore Configurator, follow the steps below:

1. Download OC Auxiliary Tools from the downloads section of this forum.
2. Mount the .DMG file by opening the .dmg file.
3. Move the OCAuxiliaryTools to your Applications directory.
4. Perform an upgrade check for the OC Auxiliary Tools App using Help>Download Upgrade Packages. If there's any available package for an upgrade, it will download it. Once it finishes downloading, click on Close and start upgrade and the App will upgrade to its latest version. After the upgrade, when the App reopens, check for an update using Help> Update Check. If you're using the latest version, you'll see the following:

NOTE: You don't need to follow this step if you have downloaded the latest OC Auxiliary Tools.

5. Mount the ESP using Edit>Mount ESP. When prompted, select Mount.
6. When prompted again, enter your password.
7. To prevent any error during the update process, we recommend you to backup the working EFI directory from the ESP. If something goes wrong, you can always roll back this EFI. Plug any USB Flash Drive and format the USB using the following parameters:

Name: EFI
Format: MS-DOS (FAT)
Scheme: Master Boot Record

8. Now, copy the EFI directory from the root of the ESP to the USB Flash Drive root.
9. Once you're done with the copying, eject the USB Flash Drive.
10. Once you have backed up the working EFI, the next step is to update the OpenCore Files. Open the config.plist from ESP>EFI>OC usingOCAuxiliaryTools.app.
11. Click on the Sync icon to Upgrade OpenCore and Kexts icon and you'll see something similar to the following
12. Select Latest Version from the Choose OpenCore Version option and then Click on Get the Latest version of OpenCore and it will update the OpenCore Database.
13. Click on Start Sync to update the OpenCore.
14. Once the OpenCore Database is updated, you'll see the following:
15. Click on the Sync icon again and you'll notice that the OpenCore files have been updated now
16. Click on the Save button
17. Click on OC Validate and look for any error. If there's none, you should see the following:
18. Quit OCAT.

NOTE: With the introduction of .contentVisibility since OpenCore 0.9.4, replacing the entire BOOT directory is recommended if using any prior version than 0.9.4, or the picker will have EFI Partition as an extra entry. This step is not required for 0.9.4 and later.

19. Restart your system for the changes to take effect.
20. Once you have restarted the system, open Hackintool and check the OpenCore Bootloader version using the Boot section. It should be updated to the latest version.