macOS 11
macOS Big Sur on unsupported Macs
Which Macs run macOS Big Sur with OpenCore Legacy Patcher, what works, and whether it is the right version for yours. Generated from the OCLP 3.0.0-rc.5 source, with notes from Dortania's documentation.
On this page 9 sections
- Big Sur at a glance
- Macs Apple dropped with Big Sur
- Which Macs run macOS Big Sur with OCLP
- What OCLP installs on Big Sur
- What OCLP changed for Big Sur, release by release
- What to know about Big Sur on a patched Mac
- Every Big Sur installer OCLP can download
- How to install macOS Big Sur with OCLP
- Common questions
Short answer
OpenCore Legacy Patcher has supported macOS Big Sur since its first releases. Every Mac OCLP supports can run it, from the 2007 iMac to the 2017 models, plus the 2019 iMac. The newest Big Sur installer in the app is 11.7.11 (build 20G1443, released 2026-02-02). Big Sur is the oldest macOS OCLP supports. Apple’s catalog lists 11.7.10 (September 2023) and one later build, 11.7.11 (February 2026); it is long past Apple’s normal support window. Choose a newer version unless you have a specific reason.
Big Sur at a glance
- Released by Apple
- November 12, 2020
- OCLP support since
- its first releases (late 2020)
- Newest version
- 11.7.11 (20G1443), listed after ticking “Show Older/Beta Versions”
- OCLP version to use
- 2.5.1 (stable)
Macs Apple dropped with Big Sur
Big Sur was the release OCLP was created for: it dropped the 2012 and early 2013 Macs. These are now the core of OCLP’s user base.
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBookAir5,1 - MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBookAir5,2 - MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBookPro9,1 - MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
MacBookPro9,2 - MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)
MacBookPro10,1 - MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)
MacBookPro10,2 - iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)
iMac13,1 - iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
iMac13,2 - iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)
iMac14,1 - iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)
iMac14,2 - iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)
iMac14,3 - Mac mini (Late 2012)
Macmini6,1 - Mac mini Server (Late 2012)
Macmini6,2
Which Macs run macOS Big Sur with OCLP
55 Mac models run macOS Big Sur only with OpenCore Legacy Patcher; 47 Intel models run it natively. Generated from the OCLP 3.0.0 source.
Supported by Apple 47
No patcher needed. Install macOS Big Sur from Software Update.
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013)MacBookAir6,1
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)MacBookAir6,2
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)MacBookPro11,1
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)MacBookPro11,2
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)MacBookPro11,3
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)MacPro6,1
- iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)iMac14,4
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)iMac15,1
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)MacBookPro11,5
- Mac mini (Late 2014)Macmini7,1
- 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
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)MacBook8,1
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)MacBookAir7,1
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)MacBookAir7,2
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)MacBookPro11,4
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)MacBookPro12,1
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)MacBook9,1
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)MacBookPro13,1
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)MacBookPro13,2
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)MacBookPro13,3
- iMac (21.5-inch, 2017)iMac18,1
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)iMac18,2
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017)iMac18,3
- iMac Pro (2017)iMacPro1,1
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)MacBook10,1
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)MacBookPro14,1
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)MacBookPro14,2
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)MacBookPro14,3
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)MacBookAir8,1
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)MacBookPro15,1
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)MacBookPro15,2
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)MacBookPro15,3
- Mac mini (2018)Macmini8,1
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)iMac19,1
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)iMac19,2
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)MacBookAir8,2
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)MacBookPro15,4
- MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)MacBookPro16,1
- MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)MacBookPro16,4
- Mac Pro (2019)MacPro7,1
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)iMac20,1
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)iMac20,2
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)MacBookAir9,1
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)MacBookPro16,2
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)MacBookPro16,3
With OCLP: no graphics patches needed 15
OpenCore boots it; root patches cover Wi-Fi, audio or other hardware only.
- Xserve (Early 2008)Xserve2,1
- iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)iMac13,1
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)iMac13,2
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012)MacBookAir5,1
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012)MacBookAir5,2
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)MacBookPro9,1
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)MacBookPro9,2
- MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)MacBookPro10,1
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012)MacBookPro10,2
- Mac mini (Late 2012)Macmini6,1
- Mac mini Server (Late 2012)Macmini6,2
- iMac (21.5-inch, Early 2013)iMac13,3
- iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)iMac14,1
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)iMac14,2
- iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)iMac14,3
With OCLP: GPUs without Metal 40
OpenGL acceleration is restored, but apps that require Metal do not run. Usable for basic work; expect missing features.
- iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007)iMac7,1AMD TeraScale 1 · Legacy Audio · Legacy Backlight Control · Nvidia Tesla
- iMac (20-inch, Early 2008)iMac8,1AMD TeraScale 1 · Legacy Audio · Legacy Backlight Control · Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook (13-inch, Early 2008)MacBook4,1Intel GMA X3100 · Legacy Backlight Control
- MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)MacBook5,1Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Air (Mid 2009)MacBookAir2,1Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008)MacBookPro4,1Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)MacBookPro5,1Nvidia Tesla
- Mac Pro (Early 2008)MacPro3,1AMD TeraScale 1
- iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009)iMac9,1Nvidia Tesla · Legacy Backlight Control · AMD TeraScale 1
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2009)iMac10,1AMD TeraScale 1
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2009)iMac11,1AMD TeraScale 1
- MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)MacBook5,2Nvidia Tesla · Legacy Backlight Control
- MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009)MacBook6,1Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)MacBookPro5,2Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)MacBookPro5,3Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)MacBookPro5,4Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)MacBookPro5,5Nvidia Tesla
- Mac mini (Early 2009)Macmini3,1Nvidia Tesla
- Mac Pro (Early 2009)MacPro4,1Nvidia Tesla
- Xserve (Early 2009)Xserve3,1Nvidia Tesla
- iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010)iMac11,2AMD TeraScale 1 · AMD TeraScale 2
- iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)iMac11,3AMD TeraScale 1 · AMD TeraScale 2
- MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010)MacBook7,1Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Late 2010)MacBookAir3,1Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Late 2010)MacBookAir3,2Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010)MacBookPro6,1Intel Iron Lake · Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)MacBookPro6,2Intel Iron Lake · Nvidia Tesla
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)MacBookPro7,1Nvidia Tesla
- Mac mini (Mid 2010)Macmini4,1Nvidia Tesla
- Mac Pro (Mid 2010)MacPro5,1AMD TeraScale 2
- iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)iMac12,1Intel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2
- iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)iMac12,2Intel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011)MacBookAir4,1Intel Sandy Bridge
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)MacBookAir4,2Intel Sandy Bridge
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)MacBookPro8,1Intel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)MacBookPro8,2Intel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2
- MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)MacBookPro8,3Intel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2
- Mac mini (Mid 2011)Macmini5,1Intel Sandy Bridge
- Mac mini (Mid 2011)Macmini5,2Intel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2
- Mac mini Server (Mid 2011)Macmini5,3Intel Sandy Bridge
What OCLP installs on Big Sur
| Patch set | Macs | Files installed | Files removed | Kernel Debug Kit | MetallibSupportPkg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD TeraScale 1Graphics | 8 | 19 | 30 | No | No |
| AMD TeraScale 2Graphics | 9 | 17 | 31 | No | No |
| Intel GMA X3100Graphics | 1 | 13 | 25 | No | No |
| Intel Iron LakeGraphics | 2 | 10 | 25 | No | No |
| Intel Sandy BridgeGraphics | 10 | 11 | 25 | No | No |
| Nvidia TeslaGraphics | 23 | 11 | 25 | No | No |
| Legacy AudioMiscellaneous | 2 | 2 | 6 | No | No |
| Legacy Backlight ControlMiscellaneous | 5 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
OCLP's source defines 21 patch sets; 8 of them are used on Big Sur. None needs a Kernel Debug Kit on Big Sur.
What OCLP changed for Big Sur, release by release
Every line of OCLP's own changelog that mentions Big Sur, newest release first, word for word. It shows what was broken and when it was fixed.
2.3.0 2025-03-31
- Resolve non-Metal crashing on macOS Big Sur and Sequoia (15.4)
0.4.4
- `bless` based reversion still supported in Big Sur+
0.3.2
- Requires macOS 11.3 or newer, for 11.2.3 and older use Minimal or higher spoofing
0.2.5
- Use plist override for BCM943224 and BCM94331 support in Big Sur+
- Requires macOS 11.3 (20E232) or newer
0.2.4
- Fix Catalyst App crashing in macOS 11.5 (ie. Messages.app)
- Work around macOS 11.3+ race condition on pre-Sandy Bridge Macs
0.1.8
- Fix Kernel Panic in Big Sur and Monterey
0.1.7
- Add TeraScale 2 Graphics Acceleration to Big Sur
What to know about Big Sur on a patched Mac
- Big Sur cannot revert root patches with a snapshot; reverting requires reinstalling (Dortania, Uninstall).
- On Big Sur, Metal Macs from 2012 (including NVIDIA Kepler and Intel HD 4000) can run with SIP fully enabled (Dortania).
Every Big Sur installer OCLP can download
| Version | Build | Released | Download size |
|---|---|---|---|
11.7.11 | 20G1443 | 2026-02-02 | 12.4 GB |
11.7.10 | 20G1427 | 2023-09-11 | 12.4 GB |
2 releases listed, 12.4 GB to 12.4 GB. Source: AppleDB, the same catalog OCLP 3.0.0 queries, fetched 2026-11-05. Release builds only; betas are left out.
How to install macOS Big Sur with OCLP
The process is the same for every macOS version: create the installer for macOS Big Sur in OCLP's Create macOS Installer, build and install OpenCore to the USB drive, boot it through EFI Boot, install, install OpenCore to the internal disk, and run Post-Install Root Patch. Every step with screenshots: How to install OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
Common questions
Can my Mac run macOS Big Sur?
If it is on OCLP's supported list, yes, with OpenCore Legacy Patcher. Check it in the Mac Checker.
Which OCLP version do I need for macOS Big Sur?
2.5.1, the current stable release. Newer OCLP versions keep supporting every macOS from Big Sur on.
Can I install macOS Big Sur without a USB drive?
If your Mac already runs Big Sur or newer through OCLP, you can upgrade from Software Update or an installer app. A first install from an older macOS needs a USB drive. See Install without USB.
Keep going
Something wrong or out of date on this page? Email hello@oclp.dev and we will fix it (see our corrections policy).