How to Upgrade to macOS Tahoe on Unsupported Mac
An EliteMacx86 Exclusive Guide - This guide covers the upgrade process from of macOS Tahoe on Unsupported Macs, unofficially.Overview
Today, Apple announced their new macOS lineup i.e macOS Tahoe (26.0) which is Apple's newest and most awaited OS. Sequoia added massive updates and improvements from its predecessor, Sonoma.
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 Tahoe, Apple has officially dropped support up to all Intel Macs except for a few models. Luckily, for our users and readers, we'll provide you with a complete upgrade guide step-by-step to upgrade to macOS Tahoe on your unsupported Mac.
If you've made an attempt to install macOS Tahoe before reading this guide, you've probably been greeted with the Internet Recovery or no-entry sign immediately after booting from the Tahoe installer. With this in mind, you'll have to use other ways to upgrade your Unsupported Mac to macOS Tahoe.
Compatibility
Before you proceed with the upgrade, we suggest you to check the compatibility of the Mac model:
Have another Mac model and want to run macOS Tahoe? You can find the complete list of supported Mac models for macOS Tahoe and check whether your Mac model is listed. The compatibility list is linked below:
macOS Ventura Compatibility - Can your Mac run it?
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Requirements
Before you start with this guide, here are the requirements for upgrading to macOS Tahoe on your unsupported Mac.
| 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.
For Clean Install of macOS Tahoe on Unsupported Macs
GUIDE - How to Install macOS Ventura on Unsupported Macs
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STEP 1: Create a Backup of your Mac
Before you proceed with the upgrade, we advise you to perform a full backup of your Mac. In case the upgrade fails or you encounter any issue with the upgrade, you can roll back to your existing installation.
STEP 2: Complete existing Updates
If there any updates pending and you haven't updated the system yet, its highly recommended to apply such pending updates.
STEP 2: Download macOS Tahoe
The next step is to download macOS Tahoe. 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 Tahoe very easily. To download macOS Tahoe, follow the guide below
GUIDE - How to Download macOS Ventura on Unsupported Mac
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STEP 3: Setup OpenCore
The next step is to set up OpenCore which will allow upgrading your Unsupported Mac to macOS Tahoe. 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.
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 con Settings and select the target Mac model identifier from the drop-down selection under the Target Model option. In our case, it would be Macmini7,1. In addition, it would be good to disable verbose, if you don't want rolling texts on your screen during the booting and installation phase.
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.
16. Select the current disk on which an older version of macOS is installed. In our case, it's disk0 - CT240BX500SSD1
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17. From the available FAT32 (ESP) Partition, select the disk to install OpenCore. When prompted, enter your system password
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18. Once OCLP finishes installing OpenCore to the target disk, you'll see the following.
View attachment 6132
And within a few seconds, it will prompt to reboot.
19. Once, you're done with all the above processes, click on Ignore.
STEP 2: Update Bootloader
You must update your existing bootloader to the latest possible version. Please note that as this is a new macOS version, the existing bootloader may not work properly, therefore you must use the latest commits of OpenCore for a hassle-free upgrade experience. The minimum recommend version is (v1.5) or later. If you have used Xcode and know how to build kexts from source, build from the latest commit. Users who are new to Xcode can find the pre-built version of OpenCore in the attachment. This is mandatory for the smooth upgrade ensuring the update doesn't break the system and enter into a loop state or result in an unbootable system.
To update, just replace the files with the latest one in the following directories:
OpenCore.efi in ESP/EFI/OC
Drivers in ESP/EFI/OC/Drivers
STEP 3: Update Kexts
Unlike the bootloader, you must update the kexts too. The essential kexts are Lilu, WhateverGreen, and AppleALC. If you're using some other kext and an update is available, you should update that too. If you have used Xcode and know how to build kexts from source, build from the latest commit. Users who are new to Xcode can find the pre-built version of the essential kexts in the attachment. This is mandatory for the smooth upgrade ensuring the update doesn't break the system and enter into a loop state or result in an unbootable system.
To update, just replace the kexts with the latest version you downloaded in
ESP/EFI/OC/Kexts directory.STEP X: Modify OpenCore Configuration
As OCLP is not ready yet for macOS Tahoe, some manual configuration is required in order to boot macOS Sequoia installer. Follow the steps below.
1. Download Xcode or any .plist editor. You can use Text Edit as well.
2. Open config.plist from ESP/EFI/OC directory using the editor of your choice.
3. Find boot args line and add the following with a single space: no_compact_check
4. Disable the following kexts.
5. Save config.plist.
STEP 4: Update Kernel Patches
20. After clicking on Reboot, you'll see the confirmation dialogue box to restart your Mac. Simply click on Restart to restart your Mac
STEP 4: Boot using OpenCore
Once you're done with STEP #3, you need to boot using OpenCore. To boot using OpenCore, follow the steps below.
1. Restart your Mac and while restarting, hold down the option key and boot from EFI Boot with the OCLP icon.
View attachment 6133
2. When at OC Boot picker, select your system drive (the drive on which you have existing macOS) and press enter to boot and it will boot back to the old macOS.
View attachment 6134
STEP 5: Upgrade to macOS Sequoia
After booting using OpenCore, the next step is to upgrade to macOS Sequoia. To upgrade your Unsupported Mac to macOS Sequoia, follow the steps below.
1. From the Applications folder, right-click on Install macOS Sequoia beta and click on open
2. Click on Continue and then continue with the options as shown below.
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Now, macOS Sequoia will begin installing to your selected disk.
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3. Once the first phase completes, the installer will prompt for restarting your Mac and your Mac will restart automatically.
View attachment 6140
After restarting, it will continue the installation
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Your Mac will restart again and when your Mac restarts, it will automatically boot from macOS Installer to continue the installation. If for any reason, the installer does not auto boot, select macOS Installer in the boot picker and then boot. The installation will continue. If you choose to boot from Macintosh HD or (your drive name), the system will boot back to your previous installation without upgrading to macOS Sequoia.
View attachment 6142
Once again, your Mac will restart and when your Mac restarts, it will automatically boot from Macintosh HD to continue the installation, like above and after it boots, you'll see something like below.
View attachment 6143
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After this process, your Mac will complete the upgrade process and you'll be asked to enter your password to login into macOS Sequoia.
View attachment 6145
Enter your password and you have successfully upgraded to macOS Tahoe on your unsupported Mac.
