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    dortania

    dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher

    #262 this week

    Experience macOS just like before

    ios
    big-sur
    macos
    opencore
    patcher
    Python
    NOASSERTION
    18.5K stars
    2.0K forks
    18.5K GitHub watchers
    Updated 10/8/2026
    View on GitHub

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    Use Cases & Benefits

    • Enables installation and usage of macOS Big Sur and newer on unsupported Macs using OpenCore and custom patches.
    • Revives older Macs by unlocking native macOS features and supporting modern system updates without firmware patching.
    • Use for upgrading legacy Macs from 2007 onwards to run the latest macOS versions with full hardware support.
    • Use for enabling advanced features like Sidecar, AirPlay to Mac, and enhanced power management on unsupported Apple hardware.
    • Use for maintaining system security with support for System Integrity Protection, FileVault 2, and secure boot on patched Macs.

    About OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher

    OpenCore Patcher Logo

    OpenCore Legacy Patcher

    A Python-based project revolving around Acidanthera's OpenCorePkg and Lilu for both running and unlocking features in macOS on supported and unsupported Macs.

    Our project's main goal is to breathe new life into Macs no longer supported by Apple, allowing for the installation and usage of macOS Big Sur and newer on machines as old as 2007.

    GitHub all releases GitHub top language Discord

    Noteworthy features of OpenCore Legacy Patcher:

    • Support for macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia
    • Native Over the Air (OTA) System Updates
    • Supports Penryn and newer Macs
    • Full support for WPA Wi-Fi and Personal Hotspot on BCM943224 and newer wireless chipsets
    • System Integrity Protection, FileVault 2, .im4m Secure Boot and Vaulting
    • Recovery OS, Safe Mode and Single-user Mode booting on non-native OSes
    • Unlocks features such as Sidecar and AirPlay to Mac even on native Macs
    • Enables enhanced SATA and NVMe power management on non-Apple storage devices
    • Zero firmware patching required (ie. APFS ROM patching)
    • Graphics acceleration for both Metal and non-Metal GPUs

    Note: Only clean-installs and upgrades are supported. macOS Big Sur installs already patched with other patchers, such as Patched Sur or bigmac, cannot be used due to broken file integrity with APFS snapshots and SIP.

    • You can, however, reinstall macOS with this patcher and retain your original data

    Note 2: Currently, OpenCore Legacy Patcher officially supports patching to run macOS Big Sur through Sonoma installs. For older OSes, OpenCore may function; however, support is currently not provided from Dortania.

    Getting Started

    To start using the project, please see our in-depth guide:

    Support

    This project is offered on an AS-IS basis, we do not guarantee support for any issues that may arise. However, there is a community server with other passionate users and developers that can aid you:

    Running from source

    To run the project from source, see here: Build and run from source

    Credits

    • Acidanthera
      • OpenCorePkg, as well as many of the core kexts and tools
    • DhinakG
      • Main co-author
    • Khronokernel
      • Main co-author
    • Ausdauersportler
      • iMacs Metal GPUs Upgrade Patch set and documentation
      • Great amounts of help with debugging, and code suggestions
    • vit9696
      • Endless amount of help troubleshooting, determining fixes and writing patches
    • EduCovas
    • ASentientHedgehog
      • non-Metal patch set for nVidia Tesla/Fermi/Maxwell/Pascal, AMD TeraScale 1/2, and Intel Core 1st/2nd Generation GPUs
    • ASentientBot
    • cdf
    • Syncretic
    • dosdude1
      • Main author of the original GUI
      • Development of previous patchers, laying out much of what needs to be patched
    • parrotgeek1
    • BarryKN
      • Development of previous patchers, laying out much of what needs to be patched
    • mario_bros_tech and the rest of the Unsupported Mac Discord
      • Catalyst that started OpenCore Legacy Patcher
    • arter97
      • SimpleMSR to disable firmware throttling in Nehalem+ MacBooks without batteries
    • Mr.Macintosh
      • Endless hours helping architect and troubleshoot many portions of the project
    • flagers
      • Aid with Nvidia Web Driver research and development
      • non-Metal patch set for nVidia Tesla/Fermi/Maxwell/Pascal, AMD TeraScale 1/2, and Intel Core 1st/2nd Generation GPUs
      • Metal bundle interposer for AMD GCN 1 - 5 and Intel Core 5th/6th Generation GPUs
      • LegacyRVPL, SnapshotIsKill, etc. to aid in rapid testing and development
    • joevt
    • Jazzzny
      • Research and various contributions to the project
      • UEFI Legacy XHCI research and development
      • NVIDIA OpenCL research and development
      • MacBook5,2 research and development
        • LegacyKeyboardInjector
      • Pre-Ivy Bridge Aquantia Ethernet Patch
      • Non-Metal Photo Booth Patch for Monterey+
      • GUI and Backend Development
        • Updater UI
        • macOS Downloader UI
        • Downloader UI
        • USB Top Case probing
        • Developer root patching
      • Vaulting implementation
      • macOS 15 3802 Helios Research
      • UEFI bootx64.efi research
      • universal2 build research
      • Various documentation contributions
    • Amazing users who've graciously donate hardware:
    • MacRumors and Unsupported Mac Communities
      • Endless testing and reporting issues
    • Apple
      • for macOS and many of the kexts, frameworks and other binaries we reimplemented into newer OSes

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