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OCLP 2.5.1/3.0.0 RC5

iMac · 2019

iMac 2019: the newest macOS it can run

Every iMac sold in 2019, 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 4 min read
On this page 6 sections
  1. Which iMac 2019 do you have?
  2. macOS versions compared
  3. Model by model
  4. Installing on the iMac 2019
  5. Common questions
  6. Other Macs from 2019

Short answer

Apple stopped at macOS Sequoia. With OpenCore Legacy Patcher the iMac 2019 runs macOS Big Sur through macOS Tahoe 26. Our pick for most people: macOS Sequoia. No Intel Mac can run macOS 27.

Which iMac 2019 do you have?

Apple sold 2 different models as the iMac 2019. 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
iMac19,1iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)Intel UHD 630 / Iris Plus (Coffee Lake)
AMD Radeon Pro 400/500 (Polaris)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega		SequoiaYes
iMac19,2iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)Intel UHD 630 / Iris Plus (Coffee Lake)
AMD Radeon Pro 400/500 (Polaris)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega		SequoiaYes

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
iMac19,1AppleAppleAppleAppleAppleAppleOCLPNo
iMac19,2AppleAppleAppleAppleAppleAppleOCLPNo

Model by model

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)iMac19,1

Model identifier
iMac19,1
Board ID
Mac-AA95B1DDAB278B95
CPU generation
8th/9th-gen Core (Coffee Lake)
Graphics
Intel UHD 630 / Iris Plus (Coffee Lake)
AMD Radeon Pro 400/500 (Polaris)
AMD Radeon Pro Vega
Wi-Fi
Broadcom (T2-era)
Last macOS from Apple
macOS Sequoia
T1 / T2 chip
None

Our pick

macOS SequoiaNewest possible: macOS Tahoe

Apple supports macOS Sequoia on this Mac. How we pick

iMac19,1: macOS Big Sur to Tahoe, and what OCLP patches on each
macOSStatusRoot patches OCLP applies
macOS Big Sur11.7.11AppleSupported by Apple: install from Software Update.
macOS Monterey12.7.6AppleSupported by Apple: install from Software Update.
macOS Ventura13.7.8AppleSupported by Apple: install from Software Update.
macOS Sonoma14.8.9AppleSupported by Apple: install from Software Update.
macOS Sequoia15.8.2AppleSupported by Apple: install from Software Update.
macOS Tahoe26.7.2OCLPModern Audio
macOS Golden Gate27NoNo Intel Mac can run macOS 27, with or without OCLP.

This model shipped with (or commonly runs) more than one GPU. OCLP picks the patch set for the GPU it finds: Intel UHD 630 / Iris Plus (Coffee Lake) + AMD Radeon Pro 400/500 (Polaris) → no graphics patch; Intel UHD 630 / Iris Plus (Coffee Lake) + AMD Radeon Pro Vega → no graphics patch.

Compared with the iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) iMac18,3

WhatiMac18,3iMac19,1
CPU7th-gen Core (Kaby Lake)8th/9th-gen Core (Coffee Lake)
GraphicsIntel Iris Plus / HD 600-series (Kaby Lake) + AMD Radeon Pro 400/500 (Polaris)Intel UHD 630 / Iris Plus (Coffee Lake) + AMD Radeon Pro 400/500 (Polaris) + AMD Radeon Pro Vega
Wi-FiBroadcom BCM4350/4360-class (AirportBrcmNIC)Broadcom (T2-era)
BluetoothBRCM20703UART
Last macOS from ApplemacOS VenturamacOS Sequoia
  • Root patches on Tahoe. No longer needed: Modern Wireless.
  • Kexts OpenCore loads. Dropped: ECM-Override.kext, CatalinaIntelI210Ethernet.kext, AirportBrcmFixup.kext, IOSkywalkFamily.kext, IO80211FamilyLegacy.kext, AirPortBrcmNIC-Tahoe.kext, IOS3XeFamily.kext, CSLVFixup.kext and AMFIPass.kext. (11 kexts on the iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017), 2 here, from our builds.)

On Tahoe this Mac needs 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

  • Supported by Apple Dortania, Supported Models
What OCLP puts on the EFI partition for iMac19,1 OpenCore 1.0.6 RELEASE · 2 kexts

From our build with the OCLP 3.0.0-rc.5 app's command line (--build --model iMac19,1) on a GitHub macOS runner, 2026-11-05. Boot arguments: keepsyms=1 debug=0x100 -lilubetaall.

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

  • Lilu.kext 1.7.2
  • RestrictEvents.kext 1.1.7

Settings specific to this Mac

  • Enabling Boot Logo patch 21 of 86 builds
  • Setting RestrictEvents patch arguments: sbvmm 43 of 86 builds

4 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 iMac19,1 loads 2 kexts in an EFI folder of 11.1 MB. Across the 86 Macs we built, the median is 18; this is the lowest.

No issue in OCLP's tracker was filed with iMac19,1 as the machine model (searched 2026-11-05), so there is no owner feedback to summarise for this exact model.

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)iMac19,2

OCLP treats this model exactly like iMac19,1: 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-63001698E7A34814 instead of Mac-AA95B1DDAB278B95 and sold as iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019). The macOS table, patch timeline and build details above apply unchanged.

No issue in OCLP's tracker was filed with iMac19,2 as the machine model (searched 2026-11-05), so there is no owner feedback to summarise for this exact model.

Installing on the iMac 2019

Choose iMac19,1 or iMac19,2 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 Sequoia, 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 2019 running Tahoe?

The root patches for its hardware: 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 2019?

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

Other Macs from 2019

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

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