How to install macOS High Sierra on some of the unsupported Mac's:) I hope this guide will be helpful:) Follow me on Social media Click 🔔 to get. The procedure for updating to a new version of macOS on incompatible Macs is as follows: First you will need to obtain the installation files for the operating system. You'll have to obtain these using a. Now you need to load these installation files onto a USB stick and prepare the USB stick for. After downloading, double-click to open the dmg file, and drag Install macOS Big Sur to the application (Application). Make sure the Mac is currently running on macOS Catalina. When booting or restarting, press and hold Command + R until the splash screen (Apple logo) appears. How to install Big Sur on unsupported Mac To install Big Sur on an unsupported Mac, you must first create a bootable USB drive using a special patcher app. Then you need to use the USB drive to install Big Sur on the unsupported Mac, and, lastly, you must install the needed patches. Creating a bootable USB stick using the Big Sur patcher.

In this article, we will determine if your old Mac can still be updated to newer versions of macOS.

Most Apple devices have an average 5-year support lifespan, which means that they will receive software updates, including bug fixes, patches, and security updates over those years.

Until then, macOS and iOS devices are considered “unsupported” by Apple due to forced obsolescence of hardware.

In other words, Apple stopped supporting all its macOS and iOS devices with continuous software and operating system updates due to hardware limitations.

This is because as hardware ages, it cannot dully support newer programs that might be too advanced for its capability.

Starting with Mojave Apple did not allow older Macs to upgrade to newer macOS versions. With every new macOS release the minimum year of Mac hardware increases. While most pre-2012 officially cannot be upgraded, there are unofficial workarounds for older Macs.

According to Apple, macOS Mojave supports:

MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
iMac Pro (2017)
Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models)

According to Apple, macOS Catalina supports:

MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
iMac Pro (2017)
Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)

Lastly, macOS Big Sur supports these devices:

MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
MacBook Air introduced in 2013 or later
MacBook Pro introduced in late 2013 or later
Mac mini introduced in 2014 or later
iMac introduced in 2014 or later
iMac Pro
Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later

If you see that your Mac is older than mentioned above, you definitely can’t expect to update your device to newer macOS versions.

Does Apple still support your version of macOS?

Usually, macOS automatically updates itself once the software is rolled out to its users. But first, know which version of macOS your device is running.

To know which version of macOS you are using, click the Apple icon at the top left corner of your screen and select About This Mac.

A Window will appear showing the version of macOS running on your device.

Note: If you are using an older device, it will show that your system is called “OS X” (OS X 10.11 El Capitan is the latest) instead of “macOS” (starting from macOS 10.12 Sierra onwards).

Updating your Mac to the newest macOS versions

If Apple still supports your device, you can directly update your device from the About This Mac window by clicking “Software Update.”

This will download the latest version of macOS to your device. Alternatively, you can type “macOS <version>” on the App Store if you wish to install a specific macOS version on your device.

After the download completes, the installer will open automatically. Click Continue and follow the instructions and let it complete the process.

Make sure not to use your computer, put it to sleep, or close it slid during the installation process. Doing so may corrupt the installation files and your current system files.

Why Mac Won’t Update to Newer Versions of macOS

Usual installation problems across different versions of macOS could be:

Incompatible Mac
The update couldn’t be downloaded
Insufficient storage space

Problem 1: Incompatible Mac

As stated before, newer versions of macOS do not support really old Mac devices. Always check if your device is supported by Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, or other macOS versions before updating.

Problem 2: The update couldn’t be downloaded

In downloading the macOS update, you might receive an error message that says, “Installation of macOS could not continue. Installation requires downloading important content. That content can’t be downloaded at this time. Try again later.”

Other users might find that the download progress bar might be stuck.

If you encounter these problems, the culprit might be a network error. Try these fixes:

Check your router if you have a stable internet connection and not experiencing a network hiccup.
If you are using a wireless internet connection, try switching to an Ethernet cable connection to ensure that the download speed is consistent.
Lastly, check Apple’s System Status and see if The Apple Serve is live.

If the problem persists, there may be several people downloading the update at the same time. This most likely happens at the early release of the update so try downloading the update at non-peak times.

Problem 3: Insufficient storage space

In most cases, download files abruptly stop downloading if there is not enough space left in the computer, causing partial installation files to be stored in your system.

To fix this problem:

Look for a file name called “Install macOS <version number of what you are trying to install>“. For example, “Install macOS 10.14” for Mojave, “Install macOS 10.15” for Catalina, and “macOS 11.2” for Big Sur.
Delete the file.
Reboot and make sure to free up more than the necessary space required for the download file.
Download the file again.

Your device should automatically start the installation once it’s done. Otherwise, open the folder where you saved the update file and double-click it to prompt the installation.

Installing Newer Versions of macOS in Safe Mode

Some applications, startup items, or extensions might interfere with the installation process, causing it to terminate or not run the update at all.

To ensure that no other programs are causing this problem, you can install Mojave, Catalina, or Big Sur in Safe Mode.

To restart your device in Safe Mode:

Shut down your Mac.
Wait for 15 seconds until the device fully shuts down.
Press the power button and press Shift as soon as your Mac starts up.
Release the Shift key when the Apple logo appears.

From there, proceed to install the new version of the macOS you wish to upgrade to.

Do You Need to Update/Upgrade Your Mac?

Short answer: yes.

You need to update your macOS to the newest version mainly because of the security updates and performance fixes that come along with it. This ensures that your device is less vulnerable to hacks and more stable as new features are being released by Apple.

However, if you’re using a Mac that’s older than the Mac devices listed above, you might want to consider not upgrading to newer macOS versions like Mojave or Catalina.

Older devices might suffer compatibility issues with older applications once you decide to upgrade your Mac to newer macOS versions.

Especially in macOS Catalina, where Apple fully transitioned to 64-bit Mac applications, dropping full support for older 32-bit applications.

On the other hand, macOS Mojave (10.14) is the last macOS version that supports 32-bit applications.

For old Mac owners, this could be the closest to the newest macOS version that they can upgrade to while keeping most of their programs working on their device.

Installing New macOS Versions on Unsupported Macs

Even if your Mac is too old to update, it does not mean that it is impossible to install newer macOS versions to your old Mac. <

Install Macos Big Sur On Unsupported Mac