// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did OpenCore Legacy Patcher say? "I'm core-recting the past.
 | This article or section may have been copied and pasted from another location, possibly in violation of Wikipedia's copyright policy. (July 2026) |
| OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP) | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Screenshot of OCLP 2.4.0 | |
| Original authors | Mykola Grymalyuk, Dhinak G. |
| Developer | Dortania |
| Release | December 1, 2020 |
| Stable release | 2.4.1
/ September 1, 2025 |
| Written in | Python |
| Operating system | macOS |
| Available in | English |
| License | BSD 3-Clause License |
| Website | dortania |
| Repository | github |
OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP) is a software tool that allows the installation of newer versions of Apple's macOS operating system on older Mac computers (with Intel processors) that are no longer officially supported. It supports models manufactured from 2007 onwards. [1] The tool is exclusively aimed at Intel Macs and does not support computers with PowerPC or Apple Silicon processors. [1]
Currently (based on data from September 2025), OCLP supports the installation and updates of the operating systems macOS 11 Big Sur, macOS 12 Monterey, macOS 13 Ventura, macOS 14 Sonoma, and macOS 15 Sequoia. The software is available for free via its developers' website. [2][3]
Technical details and prerequisites
[edit]Installing the OCLP application requires at least OS X 10.10 Yosemite and a minimum of 4 GB of RAM. However, significantly more RAM is recommended for smooth system and application performance. Specifically for macOS Sonoma and newer versions, a strict minimum of 3 GB of RAM is required. Systems with 2 GB of RAM cannot install macOS Sonoma or Sequoia, and on Sequoia, booting the system might not even be possible. [1] The installation of Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura requires at least macOS 10.11 El Capitan, and the installation of Sonoma and Sequoia requires at least macOS 10.13 High Sierra. Users are highly recommended to update their Mac to the latest available native firmware before using the Patcher. [3]
The program does not need to build its own operating system, as it relies entirely on the OpenCore bootloader. It is an open-source alternative to the original macOS bootloader. Within the OpenCore bootloader, OCLP replaces certain components and creates a correspondingly customized OpenCore configuration file. Through this advanced bootloader, OCLP applies the necessary modifications (injections and patches) directly to the system's RAM rather than the disk. Because the interventions are not permanent in the firmware (zero firmware patching), a near-native experience is achieved while unlocking newer features on unsupported hardware, such as Hardware Acceleration, AirDrop, unlocking via Apple Watch, Sidecar, Universal Control, and Night Shift. [4]
OCLP stores a reference network to the replaced components in the RAM. This reference network is rebuilt on every reboot using the respective reference list. Some of the references require root privileges to handle the relevant components. Therefore, a root patch rebuilds the reference network whenever references, components, or hardware change. This root patch must be reinstalled after every OS update, as updates break the macOS system seal. This root patch also restores functionality to devices that are no longer officially supported (e.g., graphics cards, etc.). [4]
Updates and Limitations: OCLP supports "Over-The-Air" (OTA) updates through the macOS settings. However, it is highly recommended to disable automatic updates (even downloading them) to avoid unpredictable incompatibility errors. For major OS upgrades (e.g., macOS 13 to 14), using a USB is suggested. In case a downgrade is required, macOS does not allow retaining data, therefore erasing the drive and restoring from a backup is mandatory. [4]
Due to the age of the hardware, the following incompatibilities may occur: [4]
- Graphics (Non-Metal): Macs manufactured (mostly) before 2012 that do not support the Metal graphics protocol face issues such as the lack of blur effects and malfunctioning of apps like Maps or Find My in macOS Monterey and later.
- Older processors: The lack of AVX2 instruction support can cause modern applications to crash immediately with an "Illegal Instruction" error.
- iPhone Mirroring: Not supported on OCLP systems, as it requires Apple's T2 security chip.
- Apple Intelligence: Requires the Neural Engine unit (exclusive to Apple Silicon processors).
Future of OCLP: macOS Tahoe and the definitive end with Golden Gate
[edit]Although macOS Tahoe (which was released in late 2025) is the last version of macOS that retains support for Intel processors, as of today (July 2026), OCLP does not offer official support for it. The reason is the severe and intractable hardware incompatibilities that arose, such as the inability to read classic USB ports on older machines, incidents of total data loss, and severe unpredictable failures, forcing OCLP developers to ask users to immediately disable automatic updates and avoid installing Tahoe.
As Apple completes its transition to Apple Silicon processors, the end of the road for Intel Macs —and by extension for OCLP on future operating systems— is definitively confirmed with macOS Golden Gate. In this release, Apple has completely removed support and the core code for the Intel (x86_64) architecture. The operating system transitions exclusively to ARM code (for the M-series chips), and OCLP can no longer adapt to the new versions. It is not simply a lack of drivers, but an inability of the macOS kernel itself to run on old processors, marking the absolute end of installing new versions (from Golden Gate onwards) on Intel Macs.[5][6]
History
[edit]OCLP has existed since 2020, starting as a private project by its developers, and follows the Semantic Versioning standard. Since then, it has been developed by Dortania, a group of about 30 amateur developers worldwide. The lead developer was Ukrainian software developer Mykola Grymalyuk, also known as Khronokernel, before he joined Apple's bug bounty team in June 2025. [7] He was succeeded by his friend and co-developer Dhinak G.,[8] with whom he founded the OCLP project and released version 0.0.1 on December 1, 2020. [9] Ironically, the prototype of this Mac-only program was created using an HP Elite X2 G1 Windows tablet and an Intel X299 desktop, housed in a Power Mac G5 case. Grymalyuk published a retrospective on OCLP's five-year history. [10]
The foundations of the graphical user interface and the files to be programmed are similar to Collin Mistr's previous dosdude1 [11] OpenCore project. Mistr's patchers made it possible to install the earlier operating systems macOS 10.12 Sierra, 10.13 High Sierra, 10.14 Mojave, and 10.15 Catalina on older Intel Macs that were no longer supported.
The OCLP developers also aim to allow the use of obsolete computers with current operating systems for as long as possible for sustainability reasons. This means that older devices that are not compatible with new operating systems, but still function, do not need to be replaced with new devices due to planned obsolescence.
OCLP supports, for example, macOS Sequoia on 83 different Intel Macs from 2008 to 2019. [1]
Reception
[edit]According to a test report in the trade magazine "Mac & i" (issue 2/2023, p. 50, author Leo Becker),[12] OCLP was able to install a current macOS on most of the Macs tested (manufactured between 2012 and 2016).
The community also provides extensive support at the user and developer level, primarily through the official "OpenCore Patcher Paradise" server on the Discord platform for troubleshooting.
Supported Macs
[edit]According to the official website (July 17, 2026):[1]
| MacBook | ||
|---|---|---|
| Model | Identifier | Notes |
| MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) | MacBook5,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009) |
MacBook5,2 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] - Trackpad gestures are partially broken |
| MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009) | MacBook6,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010) | MacBook7,1 | |
| MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) | MacBook8,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] |
| MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016) | MacBook9,1 | |
| MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017) | MacBook10,1 | - Native graphics support |
| MacBook Air | ||
| Model | Identifier | Notes |
| MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2009) |
MacBookAir2,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010) | MacBookAir3,1 | |
| MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010) | MacBookAir3,2 | |
| MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011) | MacBookAir4,1 | |
| MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011) | MacBookAir4,2 | |
| MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012) | MacBookAir5,1 | - Legacy Metal (macOS 13+)[15] |
| MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012) | MacBookAir5,2 | |
| MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014) |
MacBookAir6,1 | |
| MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) |
MacBookAir6,2 | |
| MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015) | MacBookAir7,1 | |
| MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) |
MacBookAir7,2 | |
| MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018) | MacBookAir8,1 | - Supported natively up to Sonoma
- Currently not supported with OpenCore due to T2 issues[16] |
| MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019) | MacBookAir8,2 | |
| MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) | MacBookAir9,1 | Supported by Apple |
| MacBook Pro | ||
| Model | Identifier | Notes |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) |
MacBookPro4,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2009) |
MacBookPro5,1 | |
| MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009) |
MacBookPro5,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009) | MacBookPro5,3
MacBookPro5,4 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009) | MacBookPro5,5 | |
| MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010) | MacBookPro6,1 | non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) | MacBookPro6,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010) | MacBookPro7,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) |
MacBookPro8,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011) |
MacBookPro8,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011) | MacBookPro8,3 | |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) | MacBookPro9,1 | - Legacy Metal (macOS 13+)[15] |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) | MacBookPro9,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) |
MacBookPro10,1 | |
| MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2013) |
MacBookPro10,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) |
MacBookPro11,1 | |
| MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) |
MacBookPro11,2
MacBookPro11,3 | |
| MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) | MacBookPro11,4
MacBookPro11,5 | |
| MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) | MacBookPro12,1 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports) | MacBookPro13,1 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports) | MacBookPro13,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016) | MacBookPro13,3 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports) | MacBookPro14,1 | - Native graphics support |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports) | MacBookPro14,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017) | MacBookPro14,3 | - Legacy Metal (macOS 14+)[15] |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports) |
MacBookPro15,2 | - Supported by Apple |
| MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) |
MacBookPro15,1
MacBookPro15,3 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports) | MacBookPro15,4 | |
| MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) | MacBookPro16,1
MacBookPro16,4 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports) | MacBookPro16,2 | |
| MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports) | MacBookPro16,3 | |
| Mac mini | ||
| Model | Identifier | Notes |
| Mac mini (Early 2009) | Macmini3,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| Mac mini (Mid 2010) | Macmini4,1 | |
| Mac mini (Mid 2011) | Macmini5,1
Macmini5,2 Macmini5,3 |
- non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] |
| Mac mini (Late 2012) | Macmini6,1
Macmini6,2 |
- Legacy Metal (macOS 13+)[15] |
| Mac mini (Late 2014) | Macmini7,1 | |
| Mac mini (Late 2018) | Macmini8,1 | - Supported by Apple |
| iMac | ||
| Model | Identifier | Notes |
| iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007)
iMac (24-inch, Mid 2007) |
iMac7,1 | - Requires SSE4.1 CPU
- non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] - USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] - Remove stock Bluetooth to prevent panics |
| iMac (20-inch, Early 2008)
iMac (24-inch, Early 2008) |
iMac8,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| iMac (20-inch, Early 2009)
iMac (24-inch, Early 2009) iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009) |
iMac9,1 | - non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13]
- USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] - Recommend upgrading to Metal GPU[17] |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009)
iMac (27-inch, Late 2009) |
iMac10,1 | |
| iMac (27-inch, Late 2009) | iMac11,1 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) | iMac11,2 | |
| iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010) | iMac11,3 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011) |
iMac12,1 | |
| iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) | iMac12,2 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012) | iMac13,1 | - Legacy Metal (macOS 13+)[15] |
| iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) | iMac13,2 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Early 2013) | iMac13,3 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013) | iMac14,1 | |
| iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) | iMac14,2
iMac14,3 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014) | iMac14,4 | |
| iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015) |
iMac15,1 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015) | iMac16,1 | |
| iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015) | iMac16,2 | |
| iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) | iMac17,1 | |
| iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) | iMac18,1 | - Native graphics support |
| iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017) | iMac18,2 | |
| iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) | iMac18,3 | |
| iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019) | iMac19,1 | - Supported by Apple |
| iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019) | iMac19,2 | |
| iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) | iMac20,1
iMac20,2 | |
| iMac Pro (2017) | iMacPro1,1 | |
| Mac Pro | ||
| Model | Identifier | Notes |
| Mac Pro (Early 2008) | MacPro3,1 | - Recommend upgrade to Metal GPU[15]
- non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] - USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] - Remove stock Bluetooth to prevent panics |
| Mac Pro (Early 2009) | MacPro4,1 | - Recommend upgrade to Metal GPU[15]
- non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] - USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
Mac Pro (Mid 2012) |
MacPro5,1 | |
| Mac Pro (Late 2013) | MacPro6,1 | - Legacy Metal (macOS 13+)[15] |
| Mac Pro (2019) | MacPro7,1 | - Supported by Apple |
| Xserve | ||
| Model | Identifier | Notes |
| Xserve (Early 2008) | Xserve2,1 | - Recommend upgrade to Metal GPU
- non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+)[13] - USB 1.1 (macOS 13+)[14] |
| Xserve (Early 2009) | Xserve3,1 | |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Supported Models | OpenCore Legacy Patcher". dortania.github.io. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ "OpenCore Legacy Patcher". dortania.github.io. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- 1 2 dortania. "Releases · dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher". GitHub. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- 1 2 3 4 "FAQ | OpenCore Legacy Patcher". dortania.github.io. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ G, OWC Wayne (2026-06-15). "macOS 27 Golden Gate Drops Intel Support: Here's How to Find Out If You're Affected". Rocket Yard. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ Stojanovski, Damjan (2025-10-09). "OpenCore Legacy Patcher Does Not Support macOS Tahoe". The Mac Observer. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ "Apple Security Bounty".
- ↑ "dhinakg - Overview". GitHub. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ "macOS 11 Big Sur on Unsupported Macs Thread". MacRumors Forums. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ Grymalyuk, Mykola (2025-06-20). "OpenCore Legacy Patcher Retrospective & Next Chapter". Mykola’s blog. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ "dosdude1's Personal Web Server - Software". dosdude1.com. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- ↑ online, heise (2023-04-06). "Mac & i Heft 2/2023 jetzt im Handel". Mac & i (in German). Retrieved 2026-07-17.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
- ↑
- ↑