Written by
Amanda WongSummary: If you have an old Mac that Apple does not officially support running macOS High Sierra, you can follow this guide to install macOS High Sierra on an unsupported Mac via the macOS High Sierra Patcher. To protect your important data, clone the Mac hard drive with iBoysoft DiskGeeker easily.
On September 25, 2017, macOS High Sierra, the fourteenth major release of macOS, was made available. Its goal is to improve on the previous macOS version, macOS Sierra, with a concentration on technical updates and performance enhancements rather than features. Because of this, it is comparable to earlier versions of macOS, such as Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion, and El Capitan. Photos and Safari are two of the apps that have changed significantly.
This post is right for you if you have an old Mac model that Apple doesn't support to run macOS High Sierra. Part of the unsupported Macs can run macOS High Sierra with the help of the macOS High Sierra patcher, read on to know whether your Mac is covered and how to install macOS High Sierre on unsupported Macs.
These unsupported Macs can install macOS High Sierra with macOS High Sierra patcher
Only if your old Mac model is officially supported by Apple, you can update it through the Software Update, the Mac App Store, a bootable USB installer for macOS, and more. When the old Mac is too old to be compatible with the macOS version you want to install, it is still possible to install macOS on unsupported Macs.
You can check the list below, and if your Mac model is covered, you can proceed to install macOS High Sierra on unsupported Macs:
- Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro (MacPro 3,1 and 4,1, iMac 8,1 and 9,1, MacBook Pro 4,1, 5,1 5,2, 5,3, 5,4, and 5,5)
- Late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook (MacBookAir 2,1, MacBook 5,1)
- Early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook (Mac Mini 3,1, MacBook 5,2)
- Early-2008 or newer Xserve (Xserve 2,1, Xserve 3,1)
Help others to identify whether their unsupported Macs can run macOS High Sierra!
DosDude High Sierra patcher: What is it and how does it work?
As we have explained, the common ways to update/install macOS High Sierra are not working on an unsupported Mac, therefore, we will need a macOS High Sierra patcher. One of the technical wizards, "DosDude," is the creator of this free third-party tool.
DosDube High Sierra Patcher essentially creates a modified USB installer drive (similar to the standard High Sierra boot installer drive you can create) that you can use to install macOS High Sierra along with a set of patched macOS High Sierra component files that allow it to boot on the unsupported Macs listed above. It prevents the macOS installation tool from determining that the computer you are using is too old and unsupported.
How to install macOS High Sierra on unsupported Macs? Complete tutorial
If your Mac model is officially unsupported to run macOS High Sierra but is one of the listed devices that can install macOS High Sierra with the DosDube patcher, now you can follow the steps below.
Before you proceed, you'd better make sure you have already created a backup of your Mac, a clean macOS install will erase the Mac hard drive and unexpected data loss may occur. To quickly and easily back up your Mac, try iBoysoft DiskGeeker, a professional Mac cloner.
What you need to prepare:
- Download the High Sierra patcher tool from here.
- A USB drive that's at least 8 GB in size.
- A copy of the macOS High Sierra Installer App. You can obtain it from the Mac App Store using a compatible machine, or download it within the macOS High Sierra Patcher.
Step 1. Open DosDude High Sierra patcher
- Locate the downloaded macOS High Sierra patcher in Finder, open the .dmg file, and wait for it to mount.
- Within the .dmg file, find the macOS High Sierra Patcher app.
- Double-click it to open the application.
Step 2. Download macOS High Sierra (Optional)
- In the patch tool window, tap "Tools" in the menu bar of High Sierra Patcher.
- Then select "Download macOS High Sierra" from the dropdown menu.
- Tap continue, and then select a location for the installer.
Step 3. Format the USB drive on Mac
- Connect the prepared USB drive to your Mac.
- Then launch Disk Utility and choose the USB drive from the sidebar.
- Tap Erase and choose OS X Extended (Journaled).
Step 4. Create a bootable USB installer
- Back to the Patcher tool, and select the High Sierra icon in the window.
- Choose your High Sierra installer and click open.
- Expand the dropdown menu of the hard drive icon, and choose your formatted USB drive.
- Click start operation.
Step 5. Boot the unsupported Mac from the USB
- Shut down the Mac, then start up your Mac, and simultaneously hold down the option key until you see the grey startup screen or the bong.
- Keep holding down the option key until a screen of multiple drives appears.
- Use the arrow keys to select the USB drive.
- Press enter when you have highlighted that box of the USB.
Step 6. Install macOS High Sierra
- Select the Mac drive/volume where you want to install High Sierra.
- Tap continue.
- Once the installation is completed, shut down your Mac.
- Reboot onto your High Sierra installer drive.
Step 7. Apple post-installation patches
- Click macOS Post Install in either the side menu or from the dropdown menu in utilities.
- Choose your type of Mac in the dropdown menu.
- Choose the drive for the patches (the one where you just installed High Sierra).
- Click Patch and tap Reboot.
- Wait for the Mac to reboot into a fully working copy of High Sierra.
Let others know how to install macOS High Sierra on unsupported Macs!
