How to Install Monterey on Unsupported Mac 2022 Update

Is your Mac too old to run macOS Sierra? Not likely! Using the Monterey patcher, here’s how to update ancient Macs to Monterey. Other macOS versions are discussed as well.

Every year, Apple releases a new version of its macOS desktop and laptop operating system, which includes new features and enhancements. That’s all well and good, but Apple’s most recent version of macOS, Monterey, will not work on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac models released before late 2015. The 2016 MacBook is supported, as are the 2014 Mac mini and 2013 Mac Pro, however, those are the only Macs that can run macOS Monterey.

What if your MacBook or Mac is from before 2014 or 2015? This technically implies that until you follow this tutorial, you won’t be able to update your Mac to Monterey.

This isn’t a new occurrence. Big Sur was limited to a similar set of Mac’s when it arrived in 2020, however, there were a few more Macs on the list at the time, such as the 2014 iMac, 2013 and 2014 MacBook Air, 2013 and 2014 MacBook Pro, and 2015 MacBook.

Before you proceed with the recommendations below, keep in mind that Apple has chosen not to support the new Mac operating system on older Macs for a reason. Older Macs just lack the necessary components and processing power to handle the demands of today’s systems. So don’t expect Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, or any other recent macOS release to run nicely on an unsupported Mac.

Is it too late to upgrade my Mac?

Here’s a macOS compatibility checker that will tell you which versions of macOS your Mac can run.

According to Apple, the following Macs will be able to run Monterey:

• MacBook models from early 2016 or later
• MacBook Air models from early 2015 or later
• MacBook Pro models from early 2015 or later
• Mac mini models from 2014 or later
• iMac from 2015 or later
• iMac Pro (all models)
• Mac Pro models from late 2013 and later

According to Apple, the following Macs will be able to run Big Sur:

• MacBook models from early 2015 or later
• MacBook Air models from 2013 or later
• MacBook Pro models from 2013 or later
• Mac mini models from 2014 or later
• iMac models from 2014 or later
• iMac Pro (all models)
• Mac Pro models from 2013 or later

macOS Catalina will run on the following Macs, according to Apple:

• MacBook models from early 2015 or later
• MacBook Air models from mid-2012 or later
• MacBook Pro models from mid-2012 or later
• Mac mini models from late 2012 or later
• iMac models from late 2012 or later
• iMac Pro (all models)
• Mac Pro models from late 2013

macOS Mojave will run on the following Macs, according to Apple:

• Mac models from 2012 or later
• iMac Pro (from 2017)
• MacBook models from 2015 or later
• MacBook Pro models from 2012 or later
• MacBook Air models from 2012 or later
• Mac mini models from 2012 or later
• Mac Pro models from late 2013 (plus mid-2010 and mid-2012 models with recommended Metal-capable GPU)

The previous version of macOS, High Sierra, had a little more flexibility. Apple stated that it will happily run on a MacBook or iMac from late 2009 or after, as well as a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, or Mac Pro from 2010 or later.

If Apple determines that your Mac is too old to run Monterey (or any of the other macOS versions we mentioned above), you can update it.

Using a patcher, you can run newer macOS versions on older Macs.

However, don’t expect things to go well; in fact, you should anticipate issues. Be aware that your Mac may not perform optimally, and you may lose data as a result. (As a result, we recommend making a complete backup of your Mac first.)

Many older Macs, for example, encountered issues with their Wi-Fi connections after downloading macOS Big Sur. Installing the preview versions of Big Sur or Monterey if you require Wi-Fi is not recommended.

Running Monterey or another macOS on an unsupported Mac could also be considered a violation of Apple’s rules. If you’re interested in learning more about Apple’s terms and conditions, go-to Should you Agree to Apple’s Terms and Conditions.

How can I install Monterey on a Mac that isn’t supported?

If you try to install Monterey on a Mac that is more than a few years old, you will run into a few issues, the first of which is that Software Update will not let you install the new version of macOS.

This does not rule out the possibility of running Monterey on an older Mac. It is; all you need is a fix. The OpenCore Legacy Patcher is a patcher that can be used to install macOS Monterey on older Macs. The instructions and download may be found here.

Just keep in mind that the update may break Boot Camp Assistant, and other features you’re familiar with may not work.

It’s important to keep in mind that macOS patchers can’t do miracles, and not all Macs will be compatible. Make sure your Mac is compatible with the patcher before installing Monterey on an earlier Mac. Here’s a list of all the Macs that are supported.

On incompatible Macs, the procedure for updating to a new version of macOS is as follows:

1. Back up your Mac beforehand, just in case something goes wrong.
2. To begin, get the installation files for the macOS version you want to use, in this case, Monterey. You’ll need a Mac with compatibility to get these. You can acquire the installation files from the Mac App Store if they don’t show up in Software Update. Expect this to take a while because they are 12GB.
3. Now you must copy these installation files to a USB drive and prepare the drive for macOS Monterey installation. In a separate article, we’ll show you how to make a bootable macOS installer. The installation files will be found in the Applications folder.
4. The next step is to get the patcher software, which will essentially fool the installation files of the macOS version you wish to install into thinking the Mac is compatible. The patcher we described earlier can be downloaded here in its most recent form. Click the Download Zip and Code icons to get started.
5. You’ll locate the file “OpenCore-Patcher.app” after extracting the bundle from your download.
6. Run the OpenCore-Patcher app.
7. Choose Build OpenCore (unless you want to use the patcher on a separate Mac, in which case Change Model is the better option).
8. Once you’re in Build OpenCore, the process should finish shortly and you’ll be taken back to the main menu.
9. From the options, select Install OpenCore to USB/internal disk as the next step. (It is suggested that you install on a FAT32 drive.)
10. After you’ve done that, restart your Mac while holding down the Option (Alt) key.
11. A blank screen with a few drive options will appear when the Mac boots up. EFI Boot is the option to choose.
12. This will start OpenCore up. In the OpenCore Picker, pick Install macOS Big Sur, and you should see the option Install macOS Big Sur.
13. Now install macOS Monterey.

If you have any problems, we recommend that you do the actions listed here. It’ll take many hours to do the update.

How to install macOS updates on a Mac that isn’t supported

As soon as updates become available for macOS Monterey (or whichever version you choose), they will display in Software Updates. However, instead of installing these, you should make a USB stick with the current installation files and apply the update from there.

How to install Big Sur on a Mac that isn’t supported

Installing Big Sur on an unsupported Mac is also difficult, although this does not rule out the possibility of installing Big Sur on an earlier Mac. The big-sur-micropatcher, which can be downloaded from GitHub, is a patcher for installing macOS Big Sur on earlier Macs.

Check that the patcher is compatible with your Mac; this information should be available on the patch page (linked above).

The following is the technique for updating an incompatible Mac to Big Sur:

1. To begin, you’ll need to get the operating system’s installation files. You’ll need to get these on a Mac that’s compatible with them. You can acquire the installation files from the Mac App Store if they don’t appear in Software Update.
2. Now you must copy these installation files to a USB stick and prepare it for macOS Big Sur installation. In a separate article, we show you how to make a bootable macOS installer.
3. The next step is to find software that can deceive the installation files of the macOS version you wish to install into thinking the Mac is compatible. You can get the above-mentioned patcher from GitHub. Click the Download Zip and Code icons to get started.
4. You’ll locate the file “micropatcher.sh” after extracting the archive from your download.
5. Drag the file into a terminal window that has been opened. After that, execute the command.
6. Now use your bootable installer to install macOS.
7. After the installation, there may be more tasks to complete. These can be found in the big-sur-micropatcher instructions. Start a terminal and type “/ Volumes / Image Volume / set-vars.sh” once you’ve prepared the Mac with the USB stick. The script is part of the macOS Big Sur patch and modifies essential boot and system file settings.

It is possible that the update will take several hours. It seems that the installer had crashed during the upgrade in our case. You should wait in this scenario because the installation is normally still ongoing. Better means to upgrade a machine may be discovered throughout time. Using a bootable USB stick to update is currently the safest method.

How to run Catalina on a Mac that is more than ten years old

A developer identified as DOSDude1 offers a macOS Catalina Patcher for download. You can use the patch to install Catalina on an earlier Mac.

The Catalina hack does not work with every Mac, but it does work with a lot of them. You may check here to see if your Mac is supported.

DODDude1 has a video instruction on his website, which you may find here. The instructions below have been simplified, however, we urge that you follow his guide.

1. Here’s where you can get the most recent Catalina patch. (You may contribute by making a donation.)
2. Open the Catalina Patcher app.
3. Click Continue.
4. Choose Download a Copy.
5. The download (of Catalina) will begin; due to its size (almost 8GB), it will take some time.
6. Insert a flash drive.
7. Choose ‘Create a bootable installer from the options.
8. Connect the bootable installer to the Mac that needs to be updated.
9. Hold the Option/Alt key while restarting the Mac. The Mac will launch in Startup Manager as a result of this.
10. Choose the bootable installer drive and Enter.
11. Your Mac should now be in Recovery mode.
12. Choose Reinstall macOS and wait for the new version of macOS to install.
13. After the installation is complete, restart the Mac in Recovery mode and choose the drive containing the bootable installer.
14. Now select macOS Post Install, and the necessary fixes for Catalina will be installed on your Mac.
15. After you’ve applied the fixes, select Force Cache Rebuild.
16. Restart.
17. Your Mac should now boot into a fully functional copy of macOS Catalina when it reboots.

You’ll need to convert your hard drive to APFS if you’re using an older version of macOS than High Sierra or Mojave.

How to Install Mac OS X Mojave on an Older Mac

DOSDude1, like Catalina, is a patch tool that allows you to install macOS Mojave on an earlier Mac.

The Mojave Patch Tool is available for download here.

How to install High Sierra and previous versions on an older Mac

DOSDude1 created a patch for High Sierra and Sierra before that. You can go back to early 2008 models with the patch installed. It’s unlikely to run flawlessly, which is why Apple warns against taking this route. However, you should be able to produce acceptable results.

Why should you avoid installing a new macOS on an old Mac?

We wouldn’t recommend this workaround to beginners because it requires a moderate level of technical knowledge.

Remember that we’re going against Apple’s official recommendations here, which means that if something goes wrong – and something always goes wrong with an OS install, even if you’re using official software – your warranty isn’t going to help you. Of course, your 2008 Mac is unlikely to be covered by a warranty, so don’t be too concerned.

Before proceeding, make a backup of your Mac. There are two more caveats to keep in mind.

Apple may patch this hack at some point in the future, making it unusable. So, if you’re interested and confident that the risks and hardships are worth it to you, get in while you still have the opportunity.