Difficulty

Easy

Steps

16

Time Required

                          1 - 2 hours

Sections

1

  • How to install macOS Mojave on Unsupported Macs
  • 16 steps

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Introduction

Please do note that if you install any Mojave update from Apple on your Mac you will “brick” your machine and you will be required to do erase your HDD/SSHD/SSD and start over. ’''

What you need

Step 1

              How to install macOS Mojave on Unsupported Macs
  • Grab a copy of the Mojave Patch Tool at the link below:
  • http://dosdude1.com/mojave/
  • Make sure that your Mac is compatible (in “Requirements”) before you start.
  • You will need a flash drive that is at least 16 GB in size and a copy of the patch tool in order to do this process.

Grab a copy of the Mojave Patch Tool at the link below:

http://dosdude1.com/mojave/

Make sure that your Mac is compatible (in “Requirements”) before you start.

You will need a flash drive that is at least 16 GB in size and a copy of the patch tool in order to do this process.

1024

Step 2

  • Once the patch tool has finished downloading, open it the .dmg file and wait for it to mount.
  • Inside the .dmg file, you will see an application named macOS Mojave Patcher. Double click it to open the application.
  • If you get the error message “macOS Mojave Patcher can’t be opened because it’s from an unidentified developer.”,(2nd image) you can bypass this by right clicking the application and clicking open (3rd image).

Once the patch tool has finished downloading, open it the .dmg file and wait for it to mount.

Inside the .dmg file, you will see an application named macOS Mojave Patcher. Double click it to open the application.

If you get the error message “macOS Mojave Patcher can’t be opened because it’s from an unidentified developer.”,(2nd image) you can bypass this by right clicking the application and clicking open (3rd image).

Step 3

  • Now, we will format the USB drive so it can be used by the patch tool.
  • Insert your 16 GB or higher USB drive into your Mac.
  • Open Disk Utility
  • Type “disk utility” into spotlight search and it should show up.
  • Erase the USB Drive and format it into macOS Extended (Journaled) format. The name of the drive does not matter.

Now, we will format the USB drive so it can be used by the patch tool.

Insert your 16 GB or higher USB drive into your Mac.

Open Disk Utility

Type “disk utility” into spotlight search and it should show up.

Erase the USB Drive and format it into macOS Extended (Journaled) format. The name of the drive does not matter.

Step 4

  • If your Mac is not supported by this patch tool the patch tool will let you know that your machine does not support the Mojave patch. If that error is shown, it’s the end of the road for your Mac. :-(
  • Go back to the patch tool window and go the the menu bar
  • These following steps are only necessary if you do not have a copy of the Mojave installer application.
  • Click “Tools” and then click “Download macOS Mojave” in the dropdown menu when it appears.
  • Click continue, and then select where you will save the installer.
  • I saved the installer to my desktop. Save it to wherever you want, just remember where you saved it.

If your Mac is not supported by this patch tool the patch tool will let you know that your machine does not support the Mojave patch. If that error is shown, it’s the end of the road for your Mac. :-(

Go back to the patch tool window and go the the menu bar

These following steps are only necessary if you do not have a copy of the Mojave installer application.

Click “Tools” and then click “Download macOS Mojave” in the dropdown menu when it appears.

Click continue, and then select where you will save the installer.

I saved the installer to my desktop. Save it to wherever you want, just remember where you saved it.

Step 5

  • Once the Mojave installer has finished downloading, select the Mojave icon in the macOS Mojave Patcher window.
  • Select your Mojave installer and click open
  • Now, select your volume by clicking the dropdown menu under the picture of a hard drive. You want to select the name of your USB drive.
  • My USB drive is not Macintosh HD. Do not select your Mac’s hard drive/solid state drive/solid state hybrid drive. Instead, select your USB drive’s name.
  • Click start operation. This may take a while to complete based on your drive speed.

Once the Mojave installer has finished downloading, select the Mojave icon in the macOS Mojave Patcher window.

Select your Mojave installer and click open

Now, select your volume by clicking the dropdown menu under the picture of a hard drive. You want to select the name of your USB drive.

My USB drive is not Macintosh HD. Do not select your Mac’s hard drive/solid state drive/solid state hybrid drive. Instead, select your USB drive’s name.

Click start operation. This may take a while to complete based on your drive speed.

Step 6

  • Once this process has been completed, eject your USB drive and shut down your Mac.
  • Press the power button on your Mac and hold down the option key on the keyboard as soon as you either see the grey startup screen or the bong.
  • If you only have a windows keyboard holding down the “ALT” key has the same effect as holding the option key.
  • Keep holding the option key down until you see a screen that looks similar to the picture I attached.

Once this process has been completed, eject your USB drive and shut down your Mac.

Press the power button on your Mac and hold down the option key on the keyboard as soon as you either see the grey startup screen or the bong.

If you only have a windows keyboard holding down the “ALT” key has the same effect as holding the option key.

Keep holding the option key down until you see a screen that looks similar to the picture I attached.

Step 7

  • Use the arrow keys to move the outlined box over to the yellow box with the USB logo on it. Press enter when you have highlighted that box.

Use the arrow keys to move the outlined box over to the yellow box with the USB logo on it. Press enter when you have highlighted that box.

Step 8

  • Only perform steps 8 and 9 if you intend to do a clean install. Otherwise, you can simply skip these steps and install to your volume containg a previous version of OS X, and it’ll do an in-place upgrade.
  • Open disk utility by going to utilities in the menu bar and clicking disk utility.

Only perform steps 8 and 9 if you intend to do a clean install. Otherwise, you can simply skip these steps and install to your volume containg a previous version of OS X, and it’ll do an in-place upgrade.

Open disk utility by going to utilities in the menu bar and clicking disk utility.

Step 9

  • Click on your HDD/SSHD/SSD in the sidebar menu and click erase at the top of the window.
  • Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS and name your HDD/SSHD/SSD to whatever name you would like it to have.
  • The format APFS is required in Mojave to get the usual software system updates. If you prefer to select Mac OS Extended (Journaled), you won’t get any system updates.
  • APFS will work on the End 2009 models and later as with High Sierra. If your device doesn’t support originally High Sierra (and therefore isn’t able do start with APFS) , you won’t have any recovery partitions and the reboot display will be different.
  • Once you have successfully erased your drive, click the words “disk utility” in the menubar. Click close and Disk Utility should close.

Click on your HDD/SSHD/SSD in the sidebar menu and click erase at the top of the window.

Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS and name your HDD/SSHD/SSD to whatever name you would like it to have.

The format APFS is required in Mojave to get the usual software system updates. If you prefer to select Mac OS Extended (Journaled), you won’t get any system updates.

APFS will work on the End 2009 models and later as with High Sierra. If your device doesn’t support originally High Sierra (and therefore isn’t able do start with APFS) , you won’t have any recovery partitions and the reboot display will be different.

Once you have successfully erased your drive, click the words “disk utility” in the menubar. Click close and Disk Utility should close.

Step 10

  • Click continue at this menu

Click continue at this menu

Step 11

  • Click your HDD/SSHD/SSD that you want Mojave to be installed onto. Click continue after selecting your drive.

Click your HDD/SSHD/SSD that you want Mojave to be installed onto. Click continue after selecting your drive.

Step 12

  • Sit back and relax while Mojave is being installed onto your Mac.
  • Pro tip: If you would like to see what is going on behind the scenes of the installer window you can press Command + L to see the installer log.

Sit back and relax while Mojave is being installed onto your Mac.

Pro tip: If you would like to see what is going on behind the scenes of the installer window you can press Command + L to see the installer log.

Step 13

  • Once the installer is done installing, shut down your computer.
  • Follow step 6 again to reboot onto your Mojave installer drive.
  • This time, instead of installing Mojave again we need to install the necessary patches for Mojave to run properly.
  • Click macOS Post Install in either the side menu or from the dropdown menu in utilities.

Once the installer is done installing, shut down your computer.

Follow step 6 again to reboot onto your Mojave installer drive.

This time, instead of installing Mojave again we need to install the necessary patches for Mojave to run properly.

Click macOS Post Install in either the side menu or from the dropdown menu in utilities.

Step 14

  • Select your type of Mac in the dropdown menu.
  • The patch tool automatically detects your Mac model and shows what you have here. If you are unsure at all which Mac you have, select the model listed here.
  • My suggestion is that you select ALL of the checkboxes that you can. It does not hurt to do so and it can be helpful later on. Most of the checkboxes are necessary for Mojave to run properly anyways.
  • Not all of the checkboxes will be selected at first. Be sure to select all of them.
  • Choose the drive for the patches (the one where you just installed Mojave). Click patch after doing all of the necessary things above.

Select your type of Mac in the dropdown menu.

The patch tool automatically detects your Mac model and shows what you have here. If you are unsure at all which Mac you have, select the model listed here.

My suggestion is that you select ALL of the checkboxes that you can. It does not hurt to do so and it can be helpful later on. Most of the checkboxes are necessary for Mojave to run properly anyways.

Not all of the checkboxes will be selected at first. Be sure to select all of them.

Choose the drive for the patches (the one where you just installed Mojave). Click patch after doing all of the necessary things above.

Step 15

  • Click reboot after all of the patches are completed.
  • The patch too might rebuild the cache after pressing reboot, so be patient and wait for your Mac to reboot on its own.

Click reboot after all of the patches are completed.

The patch too might rebuild the cache after pressing reboot, so be patient and wait for your Mac to reboot on its own.

Step 16

  • You should now have been rebooted into a fully working copy of Mojave. Yay you!
  • If the reboot is not successful, start the patch tool again to reinstall the patches and select the box “Force Cache Rebuild” before the reboot.

You should now have been rebooted into a fully working copy of Mojave. Yay you!

If the reboot is not successful, start the patch tool again to reinstall the patches and select the box “Force Cache Rebuild” before the reboot.

Done!

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Peter C - Nov 16, 2018

Reply

I love how I’m being congratulated with “You’re Finished!”!!!

jetjock256 - Oct 25, 2019

I have a mid 2009 MacBook Pro. I’ve gone through this process. Everything has worked great, till I reboot. It gets most of the way through then it hangs up. I’ve let it set for hours and nothing. You have any suggestions?

Douglas Lee - Jan 14, 2020

After initial install, the computer cannot complete reboot without the patch “MacOS Post install” (see step 13 above). This will require a hard shut down (hold down the power button if it is stuck) and restart holding down the alt/option key until you can select the installer again. This time, do not reinstall the OS but click on the button on the side (or double click it), or select in the pull down menu.

This will need to be repeated for updates, if new updates also get stuck.

Hope this helps.

Bill Hines - Dec 5, 2018

Reply

I have a Macbook 2008 with 10.7.5 on it and am being told that is the end of the line. Will this work on my Macbook?

Luke L - Jul 3, 2019

If it’s a white MacBook you can hack Mountain Lion and maybe even later with the OS X Hackers tools (which I’ve never used.) If it’s an aluminum 2008 MacBook, it is compatible with the Mojave patcher.