Independent guide. Not affiliated with Dortania or the OpenCore Legacy Patcher project.Official project on GitHub
OCLP Field Guideoclp.dev
OCLP 2.5.1/3.0.0 RC5

Install

The OpenCore boot picker

On a patched Mac, two boot screens appear: Apple's startup manager (when you hold Option) and OpenCore's own picker. Knowing which is which, and four keys, solves most “my Mac won't boot” moments.

Checked against OCLP 3.0.0-rc.5 base config.plistUpdated 2 min read
On this page 5 sections
  1. Try it
  2. Apple's startup manager vs the OpenCore picker
  3. Every key
  4. Picker settings in OCLP
  5. Common questions

Short answer

Hold Option at startup and choose EFI Boot to start OpenCore. In the OpenCore picker, use the arrow keys and Enter to boot a disk, Space to show hidden entries such as Recovery, and Ctrl+Enter to make the selected disk the default. OCLP waits 5 seconds, then boots the default.

Try it

Boots your installed macOS through OpenCore. This is what you choose every day.

←→ moveEnter bootSpace show hidden entriesCtrl+Enter set default
Interactive replica, drawn by us (not OpenCore's artwork). Click it, then use the keys. Your entry names depend on your disks and macOS version.

Apple's startup manager vs the OpenCore picker

ItemApple startup managerOpenCore boot picker
How you get itHold Option right after pressing the power buttonChoose EFI Boot in Apple's manager, or it appears by itself once OpenCore is installed
What it showsDisks and USB drives, including EFI BootmacOS volumes, installers, Windows; Recovery and tools when you press Space
Boots a patched macOSNo: choosing the macOS disk here gives a prohibited signYes

Every key

KeyWhat it does
← →Move between entries
EnterBoot the selected entry
SpaceShow or hide auxiliary entries: Recovery, Reset NVRAM and tools. OCLP hides them by default (HideAuxiliary is on in its config).
Ctrl+EnterBoot the selected entry and make it the default (AllowSetDefault is on in OCLP's config)
Shift+EnterBoot the selected macOS in Safe Mode (Dortania uses this for the MacBookPro11,3 Monterey workaround)
Esc while choosing EFI BootShow the picker when it is hidden in settings

Picker settings in OCLP

  • Hide the picker: in OCLP's Settings, untick Show OpenCore Boot Picker, then rebuild and reinstall OpenCore. The Mac boots straight into macOS; hold Esc while selecting EFI Boot to see the picker.
  • Timeout: OCLP's base configuration waits 5 seconds (Timeout = 5) before booting the default entry.
  • Mac Pros, Xserves and iMacs with upgraded GPUs may show no Apple startup manager. Dortania's boot guide explains how to set OpenCore as the boot device from Recovery with bless.

Common questions

The OpenCore boot picker is not showing.

Either OpenCore is not installed on the disk you started from (choose EFI Boot in Apple's startup manager), or the picker is hidden in settings (hold Esc). If EFI Boot does not appear at all, OpenCore is not on any connected disk.

How do I get to Recovery on a patched Mac?

In the OpenCore picker press Space and choose Recovery. Command-R alone gives a prohibited sign.

How do I boot Windows?

Choose the Windows entry in the OpenCore picker. See OCLP and Windows.

Keep going

How to installThe complete step-by-step guide for OCLP 3.0TroubleshootingErrors and fixes, with the error decoderInstall without USBWhat works without a USB stick, and what does not

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