Written by
Amanda WongSummary: You can install macOS Mojave on an unsupported Mac with detailed steps in this post. To protect your Mac from data loss, it is highly recommended that you clone the drive with iBoysoft DiskGeeker to make a backup.
The 15th major version of macOS, known as macOS Mojave, was made available to the general public in 2018. macOS Mojave is the final version of macOS to include the iTunes and Dashboard applications. It introduces the "dark mode" and brings several iOS apps, such as Voice Memos, Home, and Apple News, to the desktop operating system. Mojave is the last version of macOS that can be booted from an HFS+ partition without the need for third-party patching, and it is the last version of macOS that embraces 32-bit applications.
Compared to macOS High Sierra, Mojave has a more limited list of officially compatible systems and requires a GPU that supports Metal. Many Macs released between late 2009 and 2011 are no longer supported by Mojave. If you attempt to install macOS Mojave on an unsupported Mac, you can read this post for a solution.
Which unsupported Macs can run macOS Mojave?
Wither every release of the new macOS, Apple drops its support for some old Mac models. This may make macOS Mojave incompatible with your Mac devices, officially, macOS Mojave works on the following Macintosh computers running OS X Mountain Lion or later:
- iMac (Late 2012 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
- Mac Mini (Late 2012 or later)
- Mac Pro (2013, 2010–2012 supported with a Metal-capable graphics card)
Even if your old Mac is not supported by Apple officially, you can still run macOS Mojave on it with the assistance of the Mojave patcher tool. Check the list of unsupported Macs that can install macOS Mojave:
Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro:
- MacPro3,1
- MacPro4,1
- iMac8,1
- iMac9,1
- iMac10,x
- iMac11,x
- iMac12,x
- MacBookPro4,1
- MacBookPro5,x
- MacBookPro6,x
- MacBookPro7,1
- MacBookPro8,x
Late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook:
- MacBookAir2,1
- MacBookAir3,x
- MacBookAir4,x
- MacBook5,1
Early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook:
- Macmini3,1
- Macmini4,1
- Macmini5,x
- MacBook5,2
- MacBook6,1
- MacBook7,1
Early-2008 or newer Xserve:
- Xserve2,1
- Xserve3,1
If your Mac model is covered here, then you can keep reading to install macOS Mojave on unsupported Mac.
Let others know whether their unsupported Macs can run macOS Mojave!
What is DosDude Mojave patcher?
The Mojave pather can help you install macOS Mojave on unsupported Macs, this free third-party tool is from "DosDude," a technical wizard. In essence, the Mojave Patcher Tool makes a modified USB installer drive (which is comparable to the standard Mojave boot installer drive you can make) that you can use to install both macOS Mojave and a set of patched macOS Mojave component files that enable it to boot on the otherwise unsupported Macs listed below.
You can download the Mojave Patcher Tool for Unsupported Macs from DosDude1. The same developer who carried out this task for High Sierra has also provided several additional workarounds and hacks for users of old Apple devices. The tool is undoubtedly a clever piece of programming that is well beyond our capabilities, but in the end, it only accomplishes one thing: it stops Apple's macOS installation tool from detecting that the computer you're using is too old.
How to install macOS Mojave on unsupported Mac?
After understanding the macOS Mojave patcher, now, we can now proceed to the specific steps of installing macOS Mojave on an old Mac model that is not officially supported by Apple.
It is recommended to back up your Mac before you perform major operations to avoid unexpected data loss, to quickly and easily clone your Mac hard drive, you can try iBoysoft DiskGeeker, its Disk Clone feature can create a 1-to-1 copy of your Mac.
Things you'll need:
- Get a copy of the Mojave Patch Tool by clicking this link.
- Before beginning, make sure your Mac is compatible.
- To complete this procedure, you will need a flash drive with a minimum capacity of 16 GB.
Step 1. Reformat the USB drive
- Insert your desired USB drive into your Mac.
- Then open Disk Utility and select the USB drive from the sidebar.
- Click Erase and choose OS X Extended (Journaled).
Step 2. Open DosDude Mojave patcher
- After downloading the macOS Mojave patcher, open the .dmg file and wait for it to mount.
- Inside the .dmg file, find the application named macOS Mojave Patcher.
- Double-click it to open the application.
Note: If you get the error message "macOS Mojave Patcher can't be opened because it's from an unidentified developer.", you can bypass this by right-clicking the application and clicking open.
Step 3. Get a copy of the macOS Mojave installer application
- Go back to the patch tool window and head to the menu bar of Mojave Patcher.
- Tap "Tools" and then select "Download macOS Mojave" in the dropdown menu.
- Click continue, and then select where you want to save the installer.
Step 4. Install macOS Mojave on the USB drive
- Select the Mojave icon in the macOS Mojave Patcher window.
- Choose your Mojave installer and click open.
- Choose your USB drive by expanding the dropdown menu of the hard drive icon.
- Click start operation.
Step 5. Boot the unsupported Mac from the USB
- Completely shut down the Mac, press the power button on your Mac, and hold down the option key on the keyboard until you see the grey startup screen or the bong.
- Keep holding down the option key until a screen of several drives appears.
- Use the arrow keys to choose the USB drive.
- Press enter when you have highlighted that box.
Step 6. Install macOS Mojave on the unsupported Mac
- Select the HDD/SSHD/SSD where you want to install Mojave.
- Click continue.
- Once the installation is done, shut down your computer.
- Reboot onto your Mojave installer drive.
- Click macOS Post Install in either the side menu or from the dropdown menu in utilities.
- Select your type of Mac in the dropdown menu.
- Choose the drive for the patches (the one where you just installed Mojave).
- Click Patch and click Reboot.
- Now have been rebooted into a fully working copy of Mojave.
Share these detailed steps to help others install macOS Mojave on unsupported Mac!
