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Apple updates its desktop operating system, macOS, on a yearly basis, introducing new features that further enhance the high-end experience on offer. macOS Catalina introduced Sidecar, a feature that uses your iPad to provide a dual-display experience, alongside Screen Time support, an upgraded Photos app and more, but what if your Mac is too old to get the update?
Download Mac Os Catalina From Windows
Download the latest Catalina Installer using the latest Catalina Patcher version. Some third-party applications do not open or crash on launch This is an issue Apple introduced in 10.15.4, and is not an issue with the patch itself. How to create a bootable macOS Catalina installer drive Put the macOS Catalina installer on an external USB thumb drive or hard drive and use it to install the operating system on a Mac.
While there’s no official way to install macOS Catalina on an older Mac, there are third-party workarounds – we talk you through the best right here.
Is my Mac too old for macOS Catalina?
While you might want to upgrade to macOS Catalina, you might not be able to – it all depends on the model of Mac or MacBook that you have. Much like iOS, Apple only supports recent hardware in macOS Catalina, due to likely performance issues with the power-hungry OS running on older kit.
Here’s a complete list of macOS Catalina-compatible desktops and laptops:
- MacBook: early 2015 or later
- MacBook Air: mid-2012 or later
- MacBook Pro: mid-2012 or later
- Mac mini: late 2012 or later
- iMac: late 2012 or later
- iMac Pro: all models
- Mac Pro: late 2013 or later
This means that, essentially, if your kit was released earlier than 2012, you’re out of luck – or are you? While there’s no official way to get macOS Catalina on an older Mac, there’s a techy workaround that’ll get the system running on your older kit – although whether you should or not is a different question altogether.
How to get Catalina on an older Mac
The problem is that, if you’re running an older unsupported machine, macOS Catalina simply won’t be available to download via the App Store. Even if you did manage to get a copy via third-party means, code baked into the install will stop it from running on unsupported hardware, but there is a workaround.
The macOS Catalina Patcher was created by third-party developer DOSDude1, and although you’ll likely run into some problems from time to time, it does allow you to run Catalina on unsupported hardware – even if it does go against Apple’s terms and conditions. Admittedly, the workaround doesn’t work with every Mac, but there’s a large collection listed on dosdude1.com with some going back to early 2008.
There is an in-depth video tutorial on the DOSDude1 website for those interested, but for those in a rush, we’ve simplified the steps right here:
- Download the macOS Catalina Patcher from dosdude1.com.
- Open the Catalina Patcher app.
- Click Continue.
- Click Download a Copy. The macOS Catalina download should then begin, but at around 8GB, it’ll likely take a while depending on your internet speeds.
- Plug in a USB memory stick – we’ve got a roundup of the best USB drives if you’re in need.
- Click Create a bootable installer and wait for the installer to be transferred to your USB drive.
You’ve now created a bootable macOS Catalina installer on your USB stick – next, you need to install it on your older Mac.
- Plug the USB stick into your older Mac.
- Restart your Mac while holding Option/Alt (depending on when it was made) to access Startup Manager.
- Select the bootable installer and click Enter. Your Mac should then open in Recovery mode.
- Click Reinstall macOS and wait for macOS Catalina to be installed on your machine.
- After the installation, restart the Mac in recovery mode and select the bootable drive once again.
- This time, select macOS Post Install. This will install all the third-party patches on your Mac that’ll make Catalina work.
- Once the patches have been installed, select Force Cache Rebuild.
- Restart your Mac.
When your Mac restarts, it should boot into a fully-functioning version of macOS Catalina, ready for you to enjoy.
To get more out of your Mac, take a look at how to use an iPad as a second display, and how to screen record on a Mac too.
In October last year, Apple releases a new version of macOS dubbed as ‘Catalina.’ This latest installment of macOS includes new features, including new apps for podcasts, music, and TV (replacing iTunes), the ability to use iPad as an external monitor, a revamped Photos app, and many more. Seeing this, it’s no wonder that some Mac users want to update their OS version to Catalina. However, not all of them have the luxury to do so.
Officially, macOS Catalina won’t work on older Mac devices that are deemed not powerful enough, according to Apple. Additionally, they provided the official list of the supported Macs:
- MacBook models released in 2015 or after
- MacBook Air models released in mid-2012 or after
- MacBook Pro models released in mid-2012 or after
- Mac mini models released in late 2012 or after
- iMac models released in late 2012 or after
- iMac Pro released in 2017
- Mac Pro models from late 2013
This means that if you have a Macbook Air or iMac released in 2011, you won’t be able to upgrade your OS to Catalina. What version of macOS do you have?
If you’re unsure what version of macOS you have, you can check your macOS or OS X version by clicking the Apple icon at the top-left corner of Mac’s screen, then select About This Mac. In the Overview tab, look at the Mac model year below the OS version number. If the year is the same or above the previous compatibility list, then you should be able to install macOS Catalina formally. If not, read on.
Make your old Mac support macOS Catalina
Older Mac owners don’t have to worry. It’s not the end of the world. There’s a patch that lets you install Catalina to Macs that are not officially supported.
The patch is known as DosDude Catalina Patcher. DosDude Catalina Patcher is a third-party tool, meaning Apple does not develop the tool. It’s made by an individual developer instead. Keep in mind that just because you can make your old Mac run Catalina, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will always be a good thing to do.
Apple prevents older devices to run Catalina for a reason. As mentioned before, anything older than the officially supported hardware will most likely offer suboptimal performance using Catalina, not to mention that some features need newer hardware to function properly.
Despite that, it doesn’t mean that all old machines won’t run macOS Catalina well. Given that your hardware is capable enough, running Catalina shouldn’t introduce any lasting problems. The macOS Catalina Patcher is also updated regularly to address any issues that may surface. Otherwise, you can always downgrade your macOS to an older version if needed.
Install macOS Catalina on an older Mac
Before we begin, it might be a good idea to have a backup of your system using Time Machine, just in case. Creating a backup is always recommended. It’s not only useful for installing a new OS version can enable you to undo any changes after an update, which would be very helpful should something go wrong.
Download Catalina On Unsupported Mac
Once you are ready to jump into upgrading, follow the step-by-step guide below to install macOS Catalina on an older Mac using DosDude Catalina Patcher.
- First off, download the most recent version of Catalina Patcher from the official website.
- After the app is downloaded and installed, open it.
- The app will present you with a welcoming message. Keep clicking Continue until it finishes.
- Afterward, you need to get the macOS Installer App from Apple. You can either Download a Copy or Browse for a Copy… if you already have one. If you choose to download, the file size is about 7 to 8 GB, so you may need to wait for a while.
- Plug in a USB flash drive to your Mac and select Create a bootable installer on the Installation Method section.
- On the next screen, your flash drive should be detected as a volume. Else, you may have to first format your USB drive into macOS Extended Journaled if you haven’t already.
- When the flash drive is detected, select it, and click Start.
- Once the bootable installer is copied into the USB drive, restart your Mac. Hold down the Option key while the rebooting process takes place to open up the Startup Manager.
- From the boot list, choose the USB flash drive installer.
- Then, you’ll be taken to the macOS Utilities window. One thing to note is that if you run a version of macOS that is earlier than High Sierra, you’ll need to reformat your installation hard drive to APFS before proceeding. Use the Disk Utility option from the available list on the macOS Utilities window to do so. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
- Click on Reinstall macOS to install Catalina. Simply follow the process until the new OS, and the relevant patches are installed successfully.
Now, you can enjoy the latest version of macOS on an older Mac. Remember that Apple doesn’t recommend you do this, so some troubles might show up when operating your device. Even though dosdude1, the developer of Catalina Patcher, introduces new patches regularly, it shouldn’t be surprising if the experience may not be as good as using Catalina on Macs that officially supports it.