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

MacBook Air · 2015–2017

MacBook Air 2015–2017: the newest macOS it can run

Every MacBook Air sold in 2015–2017, 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 6 min read
On this page 6 sections
  1. Which MacBook Air 2015–2017 do you have?
  2. macOS versions compared
  3. Model by model
  4. Installing on the MacBook Air 2015–2017
  5. Common questions
  6. Other Macs from 2015–2017

Short answer

Apple stopped at macOS Monterey. With OpenCore Legacy Patcher the MacBook Air 2015–2017 runs macOS Big Sur through macOS Tahoe 26. Our pick for most people: macOS Sequoia. No Intel Mac can run macOS 27.

Which MacBook Air 2015–2017 do you have?

Apple sold 2 different models as the MacBook Air 2015–2017. 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
MacBookAir7,1MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)Intel Iris / HD 6000 (Broadwell)MontereyYes
MacBookAir7,2MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)		Intel Iris / HD 6000 (Broadwell)MontereyYes

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
MacBookAir7,1AppleAppleAppleOCLPOCLPOCLPOCLPNo
MacBookAir7,2AppleAppleAppleOCLPOCLPOCLPOCLPNo

Model by model

MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)MacBookAir7,1

Model identifier
MacBookAir7,1
Board ID
Mac-9F18E312C5C2BF0B
CPU generation
5th-gen Core (Broadwell)
Graphics
Intel Iris / HD 6000 (Broadwell)
Wi-Fi
Broadcom BCM4350/4360-class (AirportBrcmNIC)
Last macOS from Apple
macOS Monterey
T1 / T2 chip
None
Battery rating
1,000 cycles to 80% capacity, Apple

Our pick

macOS SequoiaNewest possible: macOS Tahoe

Graphics: Intel Iris / HD 6000 (Broadwell), patched as Metal (31001). Sequoia is the newest macOS the stable OCLP 2.5.1 supports. How we pick

MacBookAir7,1: 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 Ventura13.7.8OCLPIntel Broadwell
macOS Sonoma14.8.9OCLPIntel Broadwell · Modern Wireless · PCIe FaceTime Camera
macOS Sequoia15.8.2OCLPIntel Broadwell · Modern Wireless · PCIe FaceTime Camera
macOS Tahoe26.7.2OCLPIntel Broadwell · Modern Wireless · Modern Audio · PCIe FaceTime Camera
macOS Golden Gate27NoNo Intel Mac can run macOS 27, with or without OCLP.

Compared with the MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013) MacBookAir6,1

WhatMacBookAir6,1MacBookAir7,1
CPU4th-gen Core i (Haswell)5th-gen Core (Broadwell)
GraphicsIntel Iris / HD (Haswell)Intel Iris / HD 6000 (Broadwell)
StoragemSATANVMe
Last macOS from ApplemacOS Big SurmacOS Monterey
  • Root patches on Tahoe. New compared with the MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013): Intel Broadwell. No longer needed: Intel Haswell.
  • Kexts OpenCore loads. Dropped: MonteAHCIPort.kext. (19 kexts on the MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013), 18 here, from our builds.)

How much patching MacBookAir7,1 needs on each macOS

macOSPatch setsFiles installedFiles removedKDKMetallibSupportPkg
VenturaIntel Broadwell70NoNo
SonomaIntel Broadwell · Modern Wireless · PCIe FaceTime Camera110NoNo
SequoiaIntel Broadwell · Modern Wireless · PCIe FaceTime Camera100NoNo
TahoeIntel Broadwell · Modern Wireless · Modern Audio · PCIe FaceTime Camera130YesNo

OCLP installs 7 files for this Mac on Ventura and 13 on Tahoe. A Kernel Debug Kit is needed from Tahoe.

From OCLP's own documentation

Universal Control. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hardware: Wi-Fi 5 + BT 4.0. Not out of the box. Hardware supports UC. Spoofing required. Dortania, Universal Control guide

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

  • 1.4.0 Restore SPI Keyboard and Trackpad support for macOS 14.4 and newer → Applicable for MacBook8,1, MacBookAir7,x and MacBookPro12,1-14,x
  • 0.5.0 Add Ventura-dropped Models: → MacBookAir7,x

On Tahoe this Mac needs Intel Broadwell, Modern Wireless, Modern Audio and PCIe FaceTime Camera. What each of those restores, and what to keep ready when root patching: macOS Tahoe: what works and what does not.

Known issues

  • Legacy Metal (macOS 13+) (source) Dortania, Supported Models
What OCLP puts on the EFI partition for MacBookAir7,1 OpenCore 1.0.6 RELEASE · 18 kexts

From our build with the OCLP 3.0.0-rc.5 app's command line (--build --model MacBookAir7,1) on a GitHub macOS runner, 2026-11-05. Boot arguments: keepsyms=1 debug=0x100 -lilubetaall 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
  • ECM-Override.kext 1.0.0
  • CatalinaIntelI210Ethernet.kext 1.0.0
  • AirportBrcmFixup.kext 2.2.1
  • IOSkywalkFamily.kext 1.2.0
  • IO80211FamilyLegacy.kext 1.0.0
  • AirPortBrcmNIC-Tahoe.kext 1.0.0
  • KDKlessWorkaround.kext 1.0.0 Helps with Mac os updates on KDKless patched systems
  • IOS3XeFamily.kext 1.0.0 Restores S1X/S3X NVMe support removed in macOS 14.0 beta 2 (Apple SSDs such as AP0128H and AP0256H); also covers Macs with the 12+16 pin SSD layout and newer drives.
  • CSLVFixup.kext 2.6.1
  • AMFIPass.kext 1.4.1
  • RestrictEvents.kext 1.1.7
  • AppleHSSPISupport.kext 1.0.0 macOS 14.4 beta 1 strips SPI-based top case (keyboard and trackpad) support for Broadwell through Kaby Lake MacBooks and the MacBookAir6,x; OCLP adds it back.
  • AppleHSSPIHIDDriver.kext 1.0.0 Part of the same SPI top case support: restores the keyboard and trackpad on Broadwell to Kaby Lake MacBooks and the MacBookAir6,x.
  • AppleTopCaseInjector.kext 1.0.0 Part of the same SPI top case support: restores the keyboard and trackpad on Broadwell to Kaby Lake MacBooks and the MacBookAir6,x.
  • AppleUSBTopCase.kext 1.0.0 Restore USB Keyboard support on Mac OS Ventura
  • AppleUSBMultitouch.kext 1.0.0 Restore USB Trackpad support on Mac OS Ventura
  • AppleCameraInterface.kext 1.0.0

Settings specific to this Mac

  • Enabling VMX Bit for non-macOS OSes 11 of 86 builds
  • Enabling Boot Logo patch 21 of 86 builds
  • Setting RestrictEvents patch arguments: sbvmm 43 of 86 builds
  • Enabling SPI-based top case support 14 of 86 builds

6 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 MacBookAir7,1 loads 18 kexts in an EFI folder of 36.3 MB. Across the 86 Macs we built, the median is 18; 45% of builds load fewer.

No issue in OCLP's tracker was filed with MacBookAir7,1 as the machine model (searched 2026-11-05), so there is no owner feedback to summarise for this exact model.

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) · MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)MacBookAir7,2

OCLP treats this model exactly like MacBookAir7,1: 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-937CB26E2E02BB01 instead of Mac-9F18E312C5C2BF0B, a 13-inch screen instead of 11-inch and sold as MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) · MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017). The macOS table, patch timeline and build details above apply unchanged.

No issue in OCLP's tracker was filed with MacBookAir7,2 as the machine model (searched 2026-11-05), so there is no owner feedback to summarise for this exact model.

Installing on the MacBook Air 2015–2017

Choose MacBookAir7,1 or MacBookAir7,2 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 Monterey, 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 MacBook Air 2015–2017 running Tahoe?

The root patches for its hardware: Intel Broadwell, Modern Wireless, Modern Audio and PCIe FaceTime Camera. 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 MacBook Air 2015–2017?

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

Other Macs from 2015–2017

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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