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OCLP 2.5.1/3.0.0 RC5

iMac · 2011

iMac 2011: the newest macOS it can run

Every iMac sold in 2011, what Apple supports, what OpenCore Legacy Patcher adds, and what to expect on each macOS version. Generated from the OCLP 3.0.0 source.

Checked against OCLP 3.0.0-rc.5 sourceUpdated 8 min read
On this page 6 sections
  1. Which iMac 2011 do you have?
  2. macOS versions compared
  3. Model by model
  4. Installing on the iMac 2011
  5. Common questions
  6. Other Macs from 2011

Short answer

Apple stopped at macOS High Sierra. With OpenCore Legacy Patcher the iMac 2011 runs macOS Big Sur through macOS Tahoe 26. Our pick for most people: macOS Monterey (its GPU has no Metal support, so newer versions lose more apps). No Intel Mac can run macOS 27.

Which iMac 2011 do you have?

Apple sold 2 different models as the iMac 2011. They can behave differently with OCLP, so check your model identifier: choose Apple menu > About This Mac, then More Info > System Report, and read Model Identifier. Or open Terminal and run sysctl hw.model

IdentifierSold asGraphicsApple's last macOSOCLP
iMac12,1iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)		Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Sandy Bridge)
AMD Radeon HD 5000–6000 (TeraScale 2)		High SierraYes
iMac12,2iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Sandy Bridge)
AMD Radeon HD 5000–6000 (TeraScale 2)		High SierraYes

macOS versions compared

  • Apple supported by Apple, no patcher needed
  • OCLP runs with OpenCore Legacy Patcher
  • Legacy runs with OCLP; older “legacy Metal” GPU, more patches
  • No Metal runs with OCLP; GPU without Metal, apps that need Metal fail
  • No not possible
ModelCatalina10.15Big Sur11Monterey12Ventura13Sonoma14Sequoia15Tahoe26Golden Gate27
iMac12,1NoNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo
iMac12,2NoNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo

Model by model

iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) · iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)iMac12,1

Model identifier
iMac12,1
Board ID
Mac-942B5BF58194151B
CPU generation
2nd-gen Core i (Sandy Bridge)
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Sandy Bridge)
AMD Radeon HD 5000–6000 (TeraScale 2)
Wi-Fi
Atheros (AirPortAtheros40)
Last macOS from Apple
macOS High Sierra
T1 / T2 chip
None

Our pick

macOS MontereyNewest possible: macOS Sequoia

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Sandy Bridge) + AMD Radeon HD 5000–6000 (TeraScale 2), without Metal. Monterey keeps the most apps working on it. How we pick

iMac12,1: macOS Big Sur to Tahoe, and what OCLP patches on each
macOSStatusRoot patches OCLP applies
macOS Big Sur11.7.11No MetalIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2
macOS Monterey12.7.6No MetalIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless
macOS Ventura13.7.8No MetalIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless
macOS Sonoma14.8.9No MetalIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless
macOS Sequoia15.8.2No MetalIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless
macOS Tahoe26.7.2No MetalIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless · Modern Audio
macOS Golden Gate27NoNo Intel Mac can run macOS 27, with or without OCLP.

Compared with the iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010) iMac11,3

WhatiMac11,3iMac12,1
CPUCore i (Nehalem/Westmere)2nd-gen Core i (Sandy Bridge)
GraphicsATI Radeon HD 2000–4000 (TeraScale 1) + AMD Radeon HD 5000–6000 (TeraScale 2)Intel HD Graphics 3000 (Sandy Bridge) + AMD Radeon HD 5000–6000 (TeraScale 2)
  • Root patches on Tahoe. New compared with the iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010): Intel Sandy Bridge. No longer needed: AMD TeraScale 1.
  • Kexts OpenCore loads. Dropped: NoAVXFSCompressionTypeZlib.kext, NoAVXFSCompressionTypeZlib-AVXpel.kext and NoAVXFSCompressionTypeZlib-AVXpel-Tahoe.kext. (20 kexts on the iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010), 17 here, from our builds.)

How much patching iMac12,1 needs on each macOS

macOSPatch setsFiles installedFiles removedKDKMetallibSupportPkg
Big SurIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 22856NoNo
MontereyIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless3656NoNo
VenturaIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless4056YesNo
SonomaIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless4056YesNo
SequoiaIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless4456YesNo
TahoeIntel Sandy Bridge · AMD TeraScale 2 · Legacy Wireless · Modern Audio4756YesNo

OCLP installs 28 files for this Mac on Big Sur and 47 on Tahoe. A Kernel Debug Kit is needed from Ventura.

From OCLP's own documentation

OCLP changelog entries that name this Mac, newest release first, word for word:

  • 0.3.0 Add AppleGVA patch set for HD3000 machines → Mainly applicable for iMac12,x and iGPU-only MacBooks
  • 0.3.0 Add Legacy GCN support for iMac11,x and iMac12,x with upgraded GPUs
  • 0.3.0 Add Legacy GCN support for iMac11,x and iMac12,x with upgraded GPUs → Note: iMac12,x with legacy GCN will fail to wake
  • 0.1.5 Add agdpmod=vit9696 to all Nvidia Metal iMacs → Fixes external display support on Nvidia iMac12,x
  • 0.1.2 Probe hardware for Backlight pathing on iMac10,1, iMac11,x and iMac12,x with Metal GPUs
  • 0.0.12 Fix sleep for iMac12,x with upgraded GPUs

On Tahoe this Mac needs Intel Sandy Bridge, AMD TeraScale 2, Legacy Wireless and Modern Audio. What each of those restores, and what to keep ready when root patching: macOS Tahoe: what works and what does not.

Known issues

  • non-Metal GPU (macOS 11+) (source) Dortania, Supported Models
  • USB 1.1 (macOS 13+) (source) Dortania, Supported Models
  • Recommend upgrading to Metal GPU (source) Dortania, Supported Models
What OCLP puts on the EFI partition for iMac12,1 OpenCore 1.0.6 RELEASE · 17 kexts

From our build with the OCLP 3.0.0-rc.5 app's command line (--build --model iMac12,1) on a GitHub macOS runner, 2026-11-05. Boot arguments: keepsyms=1 debug=0x100 -lilubetaall -btlfxallowanyaddr amfi=0x80.

Kexts Reasons are shown for kexts that set this Mac apart; the rest are explained in the kext glossary.

  • Lilu.kext 1.7.2
  • CryptexFixup.kext 1.0.5
  • AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext 1.0.0
  • AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient.kext 1.0.0
  • ASPP-Override.kext 1.0.1 Forces ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin to outmatch X86PlatformPlugin and disable firmware throttling
  • CatalinaBCM5701Ethernet.kext 1.0.2 Inject old Broadcom Ethernet kext to resolve networking in Big Sur Needed on: 2011 and older Broadcom Ethernet require.
  • ECM-Override.kext 1.0.0
  • CatalinaIntelI210Ethernet.kext 1.0.0
  • corecaptureElCap.kext 1.0.2 Re-inject WiFi drivers from El Capitan Needed on: BCM94328, BCM94322 and Atheros chipsets.
  • IO80211ElCap.kext 2.0.1 Re-inject WiFi drivers from El Capitan Needed on: BCM94328, BCM94322 and Atheros chipsets.
  • AirPortAtheros40-Tahoe.kext 1.0.1
  • AppleALC.kext 1.6.3-Jazzzny
  • BlueToolFixup.kext 2.7.2
  • Bluetooth-Spoof.kext 1.0.0 Injects extra data into certain bluetooth chipsets for recognition by the system Needed on: Models with the BCM2070 or BCM2046 chipsets.
  • CSLVFixup.kext 2.6.1
  • AMFIPass.kext 1.4.1
  • RestrictEvents.kext 1.1.7

Settings specific to this Mac

  • Overriding ACPI SMC matching 41 of 86 builds
  • Enabling Windows 10 UEFI Audio support 21 of 86 builds
  • Enabling Atheros Networking Support 7 of 86 builds
  • Setting RestrictEvents patch arguments: sbvmm 43 of 86 builds

10 more settings are applied to most of the 86 Macs we built; they are listed in the full build log.

Full build log · config.plist · file list

Our build for iMac12,1 loads 17 kexts in an EFI folder of 19.1 MB. Across the 86 Macs we built, the median is 18; 36% of builds load fewer.

What owners reported for iMac12,1 12 reports on GitHub

12 issues were filed in OCLP's tracker with iMac12,1 as the machine model (12 closed, 0 open), filed 2021 to 2022; the newest is from 2022-02-23. The topics that come up most, by keyword match in the title and text: graphics (5), install or update (4) and black screen or boot failure (2). These are owners' reports, not confirmed bugs, and all of them were filed on OCLP versions from before 2024, so many describe problems that have since been fixed.

  • #977 2022-02-23 · closed · Big Sur · 1 comment Final Cut Pro crashes on startup | Motion doesn't render | Compressor is unstable and crashes often
  • #810 2021-12-15 · closed · Monterey · 7 comments Black screen on iMac 12,1 with macOS 12.0.1 after running the new OCLP 0.3.3
  • #653 2021-10-28 · closed · Monterey · 2 comments hello thanks for job i have truble in my device every time if move mouse screen flash color change and back ca
  • #554 2021-10-10 · closed · Monterey · 2 comments Why is the Bordvendor replaced with rubbish?
  • #516 2021-09-27 · closed · Monterey, macOS 11, Big Sur · 9 comments Allow Disabling of SIP Fully

iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)iMac12,2

OCLP treats this model exactly like iMac12,1: the same CPU, graphics, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth data, the same root patches on every macOS, and the same kexts in our build. What differs: board ID Mac-942B59F58194171B instead of Mac-942B5BF58194151B and sold as iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011). The macOS table, patch timeline and build details above apply unchanged.

What owners reported for iMac12,2 19 reports on GitHub

19 issues were filed in OCLP's tracker with iMac12,2 as the machine model (19 closed, 0 open), filed 2021 to 2022; the newest is from 2022-02-16. The topics that come up most, by keyword match in the title and text: install or update (14), black screen or boot failure (7) and graphics (5). These are owners' reports, not confirmed bugs, and all of them were filed on OCLP versions from before 2024, so many describe problems that have since been fixed.

  • #965 2022-02-16 · closed · Monterey · 1 comment 0.4.3 (build 14/02/22 TUI) on iMac 12,2 - Messages not working
  • #960 2022-02-15 · closed · Monterey · 1 comment Boot Picker wireless Keyboard & Mouse not working
  • #939 2022-02-02 · closed · Monterey, macOS 11, Big Sur · 11 comments Kernel panic when connecting ethernet cable on Thunderbolt Elgato Dock iMac12,2
  • #727 2021-11-13 · closed · Big Sur · 4 comments Unable to start macOS installer
  • #573 2021-10-15 · closed · Monterey · 5 comments Boot stuck on Apple logo with Monterey B10

Installing on the iMac 2011

Choose iMac12,1 or iMac12,2 as the target model when OCLP builds OpenCore (it detects it automatically when you run OCLP on this Mac). Before that, install the newest macOS Apple offers for it, macOS High Sierra, so the firmware is current. The steps themselves are the same for every Mac: How to install OpenCore Legacy Patcher.

Common questions

What does OCLP patch on a iMac 2011 running Tahoe?

The root patches for its hardware: Intel Sandy Bridge, AMD TeraScale 2, Legacy Wireless and Modern Audio. Which one applies depends on the model identifier; the table above lists each. Updates to macOS remove them, and Post-Install Root Patch puts them back.

What is the latest macOS for a iMac 2011?

Officially, macOS High Sierra. With OCLP: macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. macOS 27 does not support any Intel Mac.

Why do some apps not work on a patched iMac 2011?

Its graphics processor does not support Metal, Apple's graphics API. OCLP restores OpenGL acceleration, so the system runs smoothly, but apps that require Metal cannot run. That gets worse with each macOS version, which is why we suggest Monterey for these Macs.

Other Macs from 2011

Keep going

How to installThe complete step-by-step guide for OCLP 3.0macOS TahoemacOS 26 on unsupported Macs with OCLP 3.0Mac compatibilityEvery Intel Mac and the macOS it can run, with and without OCLP

Something wrong or out of date on this page? Email hello@oclp.dev and we will fix it (see our corrections policy).