Install macOS Sonoma on Unsupported Macs using OpenCore (Step-by-Step Tutorial)

all of our videos are available in 4K resolution hello everyone in this video I'll guide you through the process of installing Sonoma on an unsupported iMac using a USB drive you can create the install USB with open core on any Mac from 2008 to 2023 even on the Mac where you want to install it as long as the iMac has at least High Sierra installed we choose the Mac M1 to create the installation USB it is not possible to create a bootable us B with 8 GB of memory if you'd like to make one you'll need at least 16 GB of memory or more connect the USB to your Mac and let's dive into the world of open core and make the most out of your Mac experience let's get started we're going to start by opening dis utility open spotlight you can do this by pressing CMD and space or by clicking on the magnifying glass in the top Corner when you type disk Disk Utility should appear and you can press enter to open it with this program you can manage and modify the drives on your Mac you should now see the USB you just connected you need to format the USB so click on it and press erase to create a bootable USB for open core we need to format the USB to Macos extended journaled the name is not important because open core will change it later anyway click on erase the formatting is complete click on done press command q and open Safari we need to download open core Legacy Patcher it can be downloaded from GitHub and I will provide a direct link in the description click on getting started on this page you will find all the information about open core click on download and build Mac OS installer click on open core Legacy Patcher release apps on this page you will find the open core file that you need to to download scroll down until you see assets download the Open core Patcher app zip file after downloading click the magnifying glass icon to open the file in the downloads folder once the file is downloaded proceed to open it this is the open Patcher app we're looking for click on it and press command C navigate to your applications folder and press command V return to your downloads folder and select the two files and press command back backspace finally let's launch open core and install it on the USB this is the menu of the open core Legacy Patcher in this menu you can see which iMac open core has detected and it will create the installer for that model unless you change it this is crucial because we need to ensure that we input our model so that open core knows what to install to input your iMac model press settings and here you can enter your target click on host model and select your iMac model model I have the iMac model 11.2 don't know which iMac you have here's a quick 10-second explanation Apple icon about this Mac system report and here you'll find your Mac model okay let's continue after entering your target press return click on create Mac OS installer since we don't have Mac OS we'll download it from open core click on download Mac OS installer open core will proceed to verify the installation catalog from Apple's service here you'll see a list of all available Mac OS versions in this tutorial we're opting for Mac OS Sonoma click on download the Macos download duration depends on your internet connection it might take a while so take your time open core Legacy Patcher needs administrator priv privileges to extract the installer enter your password and press okay once that's done you'll receive the message finished extracting the installer would you like to continue and create a Mac OS installer it's wise to check your finder folder to see if the install Mac OS Sonoma is in the applications folder as you can see the file is in the application folder and now we go back to open core to complete the installation click on yes and click on create Mac OS installer in this window opencore is asking you to select a local Mac OS installer this is the file we just saw in the application folder click on install Mac OS Sonoma now they're asking you to select a local dis and that is this drive in my case it's dis 7 click on dis 7 7 now you'll receive this notification are you sure you want to erase flash drive all data will be lost this cannot be undone click on yes enter your password and press okay this process will also take a while so I'm going to grab a cup of tea see you in a bit now it's done and you get the message installer created successfully would you like to continue and install open core to this dis we want this so we press yes now you're finished and you receive the notification finished building your open core configuration would you like to install open core now yes that's what we want click on install to disk now you need to select the disc you want to install open core onto in my case it's dis 7 click on disk 7 S1 EFI 29.7 MB it will ask for your username and password enter those and press okay opencore has finished installing to disk this means the installation was successful and the opencore USB with somoma is a reality click okay we're done with the installation on this Mac and can now install the USB on the unsupported iMac connect the USB to the unsupported iMac when you start up the iMac immediately press the option key this will open the boot picker when you're in the boot picker choose the EFI boot with the open core patch logo hold down the option key and click on the arrow in this screen we see Macintosh HD this is the internal disc on the device and you see the Mac OS Sonoma installer that we just created select install Mac OS Sonoma and click the Arrow again to launch the installer choose your language and click on the Arrow we must format the internal drive before it can be used as a new boot Drive press the erase button a menu will now appear you can choose the name of the dis Macintosh is what I call mine the dis must be erased in format apfs and the scheme must be guide partition map in order to function properly when you're finished click erase click on done now that a new dis has been created you're able to start with a new installation press command Q select the option install Mac OS Sonoma and then click the continue button the installation will now begin all you have to do is Click continue on the next screen click agree a popup window will appear asking if you have read the terms and conditions you agree here as well select the drive where you want to install somoma and click continue the installation process will now begin on your Mac as we wait I'd really like to know what you think of this video whether you liked it or didn't please share your thoughts in the comments below I've got more videos on my channel that can help you with installing upgrading or fixing a Mac check them out and your support means a lot all right the video is sped up a bit since this follows a standard procedure your iMac May restart a few times but don't worry it's part of the process during the final startup a progress bar appears at 1% indicating this is the last phase of the installation once this is completed you'll need to complete the iMac setup and after that you officially have somoma installed on an unsupported map once the iMac has started up you'll receive this message opencore Legacy Patcher has detected that you are booting open core from a USB or external drive if you would like to boot your Mac normally without a USB drive plugged in you can install open core to the internal hard drive I think it's wise not to start up from a USB every time so I choose to install open core on the internal hard drive if you also want to install open core on your internal hard drive press okay this will automatically launch open core on the unsupported Mac click on install to disk just like we did before open core will build automatically but now you have to install it to your internal drive we're putting it on the Apple SSD labeled as disk zero click on the EFI partition enter your password and press okay now you can see that open core is getting installed on your iMac we need to restart the iMac one last time I don't want to press the option key every time I start my iMac open core can automatically choose the correct hard drive to start from but before we proceed to restart the Mac we need to eject the USB drive with the somoma installer first okay we have disconnected the USB drive and now we can restart the iMac during the restart we're holding down the option key you'll notice that the icon for the drive has changed from an orange USB drive to an internal SSD hard drive icon next we'll click on the arrow and here we can choose our desired startup disc when you press the control key something specific happens the icon transforms into a rewind Arrow the rewind Arrow signifies that the hard drive will boot from this disc every time hold down the control key and choose the somoma hard drive by pressing the arrow now you've successfully completed the installation of somoma on an unsupported Mac if you have any questions please leave them in the comments down below if you enjoyed this video please like share and subscribe tell your friends about us and we'll keep making videos like this until next time take care bye

Channel: Macintosh Team

Views: 4,235

Keywords: Install macOS Sonoma, Unsupported Macs, open core, Tutorial, Easy Guide, macOS Upgrade, Mac Performance, Mac Tips, Sonoma Compatibility, Mac DIY, macOS Features, Unsupported Mac Upgrade, Mac OS, System Upgrade, MacOS Sonoma Installation, Mac OS Hack, Apple Tips, Mac How-To, MacOS Tips, Software Update, MacOS Sonoma Features, Unsupported Mac Compatibility, MacOS Hacks, Mac OS Upgrade Guide, MacOS Tutorial, Sonoma Compatibility Guide, Mac Support, Upgrade Your Mac.

Id: wtZMtbtTCE0

Length: 11min 9sec (669 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 24 2023