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

MacBook Pro · 2009

MacBook Pro 2009: the newest macOS it can run

Every MacBook Pro sold in 2009, 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 10 min read
On this page 6 sections
  1. Which MacBook Pro 2009 do you have?
  2. macOS versions compared
  3. Model by model
  4. Installing on the MacBook Pro 2009
  5. Common questions
  6. Other Macs from 2009

Short answer

Apple stopped at OS X El Capitan. With OpenCore Legacy Patcher the MacBook Pro 2009 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 MacBook Pro 2009 do you have?

Apple sold 5 different models as the MacBook Pro 2009. 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
MacBookPro5,1MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2009)		NVIDIA GeForce (Tesla)El CapitanYes
MacBookPro5,2MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)		NVIDIA GeForce (Tesla)El CapitanYes
MacBookPro5,3MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)		NVIDIA GeForce (Tesla)El CapitanYes
MacBookPro5,4MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)		NVIDIA GeForce (Tesla)El CapitanYes
MacBookPro5,5MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)NVIDIA GeForce (Tesla)El CapitanYes

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
MacBookPro5,1NoNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo
MacBookPro5,2NoNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo
MacBookPro5,3NoNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo
MacBookPro5,4NoNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo
MacBookPro5,5NoNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo MetalNo

Model by model

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) · MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2009)MacBookPro5,1

This model was sold in more than one year. Its full section, with the macOS table, hardware comparison and owner reports, is on the earlier page.

MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) · MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)MacBookPro5,2

Model identifier
MacBookPro5,2
Board ID
Mac-F2268EC8
CPU generation
Core 2 Duo (Penryn)
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce (Tesla)
Wi-Fi
Broadcom BCM4331 (legacy)
Last macOS from Apple
OS X El Capitan
T1 / T2 chip
None
Battery rating
1,000 cycles to 80% capacity, Apple

Our pick

macOS MontereyNewest possible: macOS Sequoia

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce (Tesla), without Metal. Monterey keeps the most apps working on it. How we pick

MacBookPro5,2: macOS Big Sur to Tahoe, and what OCLP patches on each
macOSStatusRoot patches OCLP applies
macOS Big Sur11.7.11No MetalNvidia Tesla
macOS Monterey12.7.6No MetalNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless
macOS Ventura13.7.8No MetalNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Legacy USB 1.1
macOS Sonoma14.8.9No MetalNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Legacy USB 1.1
macOS Sequoia15.8.2No MetalNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Legacy USB 1.1
macOS Tahoe26.7.2No MetalNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Modern Audio · Legacy USB 1.1
macOS Golden Gate27NoNo Intel Mac can run macOS 27, with or without OCLP.

Compared with the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) MacBookPro5,1

The hardware OCLP looks at is identical.

  • Root patches on Tahoe. The same set as the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008).
  • Kexts OpenCore loads. The same 23 as the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008).

How much patching MacBookPro5,2 needs on each macOS

macOSPatch setsFiles installedFiles removedKDKMetallibSupportPkg
Big SurNvidia Tesla1125NoNo
MontereyNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless1725NoNo
VenturaNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Legacy USB 1.12125YesNo
SonomaNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Legacy USB 1.12525YesNo
SequoiaNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Legacy USB 1.12925YesNo
TahoeNvidia Tesla · Legacy Wireless · Modern Audio · Legacy USB 1.13125YesNo

OCLP installs 11 files for this Mac on Big Sur and 31 on Tahoe. A Kernel Debug Kit is needed from Ventura.

From OCLP's own documentation

Universal Control. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hardware: Wi-Fi 4 / BT 2.1 EDR. Not out of the box. Use a Broadcom USB Bluetooth 4.0+ Dongle Dortania, Universal Control guide

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

  • 0.3.0 Add Legacy GMUX patchsets → Applicable for dual GPU MacBookPro5,x and demuxed MacBookPro8,x

On Tahoe this Mac needs Nvidia Tesla, Legacy Wireless, Modern Audio and Legacy USB 1.1. 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
What OCLP puts on the EFI partition for MacBookPro5,2 OpenCore 1.0.6 RELEASE · 23 kexts

From our build with the OCLP 3.0.0-rc.5 app's command line (--build --model MacBookPro5,2) on a GitHub macOS runner, 2026-11-05. Boot arguments: keepsyms=1 debug=0x100 -lilubetaall -nomt_core -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
  • AAAMouSSE.kext 0.95-Dortania Translates SSE4.2 instructions to compatible code for SSE4,1 CPUs, required for AMD Metal drives Needed on: MacPro3,1.
  • telemetrap.kext 1.0.0 Ensures telemetry.plugin doesn't run, required for SSE4,1 CPUs Needed on: Penryn CPUs.
  • CryptexFixup.kext 1.0.5
  • NoAVXFSCompressionTypeZlib.kext 12.3.1 Prevents AVXFSCompressionTypeZlib crash on pre AVX1.0 systems in 12.4+
  • NoAVXFSCompressionTypeZlib-AVXpel.kext 12.6 Prevents AVXFSCompressionTypeZlib crash on pre AVX1.0 systems in 12.4+
  • NoAVXFSCompressionTypeZlib-AVXpel-Tahoe.kext 26.7 Prevents AVXFSCompressionTypeZlib crash on pre AVX1.0 systems in 12.4+
  • 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
  • nForceEthernet.kext 1.0.1 Inject old NVIDIA Ethernet kext to resolve networking in Catalina and newer Needed on: 2010 and older NVIDIA 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.
  • 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
  • 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

Settings specific to this Mac

  • Overriding ACPI SMC matching 41 of 86 builds
  • Enabling BCM94328 Networking Support 19 of 86 builds
  • Fixing AVX hardcoding in JavaScriptCore 31 of 86 builds
  • Setting RestrictEvents patch arguments: sbvmm,jsc 28 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 MacBookPro5,2 loads 23 kexts in an EFI folder of 21.9 MB. Across the 86 Macs we built, the median is 18; 79% of builds load fewer.

What owners reported for MacBookPro5,2 7 reports on GitHub

7 issues were filed in OCLP's tracker with MacBookPro5,2 as the machine model (7 closed, 0 open), filed 2021; the newest is from 2021-12-24. The topics that come up most, by keyword match in the title and text: black screen or boot failure (4), install or update (3) and graphics (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.

  • #842 2021-12-24 · closed · Monterey · 0 comments FireWire boot support not working for MacBookPro
  • #717 2021-11-10 · closed · Big Sur · 3 comments Instant GPU Switching doesn't work on MacBookPro5,2 due to wrong AppleMuxControl.kext version
  • #709 2021-11-08 · closed · Monterey, macOS 11, Big Sur · 3 comments Activating FileVault2 on macOS 11.6(.1) renders system unbootable
  • #584 2021-10-17 · closed · Monterey · 11 comments MBP5,2 booting stalls after having applied the volume patches
  • #514 2021-09-27 · closed · Big Sur · 3 comments Restore Instant GPU Switching on MacBook Pro Mid 2009 (MacBookPro5,2)

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009) · MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)MacBookPro5,3

OCLP treats this model exactly like MacBookPro5,2: 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-F22587C8 instead of Mac-F2268EC8, a 15-inch screen instead of 17-inch and sold as MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009) · MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009). The macOS table, patch timeline and build details above apply unchanged.

What owners reported for MacBookPro5,3 3 reports on GitHub

3 issues were filed in OCLP's tracker with MacBookPro5,3 as the machine model (3 closed, 0 open), filed 2021; the newest is from 2021-12-14. The topics that come up most, by keyword match in the title and text: wi-fi (1) and install or update (1). 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.

  • #799 2021-12-14 · closed · Monterey · 5 comments WiFi broken after update to Monterey 12.1 final from 12.0.1, using OLP 0.3.1
  • #718 2021-11-10 · closed · Monterey · 1 comment MacBookPro5,3 back screen using post-patches
  • #672 2021-10-31 · closed · Monterey · 3 comments Podcast When I click on p[odcast the app opens for the first timed there notification comes on about your priv

MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009) · MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)MacBookPro5,4

OCLP treats this model exactly like MacBookPro5,2: 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-F22587A1 instead of Mac-F2268EC8, a 15-inch screen instead of 17-inch and sold as MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009) · MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009). The macOS table, patch timeline and build details above apply unchanged.

What owners reported for MacBookPro5,4 1 report on GitHub

1 issue was filed in OCLP's tracker with MacBookPro5,4 as the machine model (1 closed, 0 open), filed 2021; the newest is from 2021-11-16. 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.

  • #733 2021-11-16 · closed · Monterey · 3 comments Monitor Resolution Issue

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)MacBookPro5,5

OCLP treats this model exactly like MacBookPro5,2: 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-F2268AC8 instead of Mac-F2268EC8, a 13-inch screen instead of 17-inch and sold as MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009). The macOS table, patch timeline and build details above apply unchanged.

What owners reported for MacBookPro5,5 3 reports on GitHub

3 issues were filed in OCLP's tracker with MacBookPro5,5 as the machine model (3 closed, 0 open), filed 2021; the newest is from 2021-11-03. The topics that come up most, by keyword match in the title and text: graphics (2), black screen or boot failure (1) and install or update (1). 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.

  • #694 2021-11-03 · closed · Big Sur · 8 comments Use Shift+Tab to select Done in widgets
  • #688 2021-11-03 · closed · Big Sur · 4 comments Graphical glitches menu bar control center MacBookPro4,1 and 5,5 with Big Sur 11.5.2 and 11.6.1
  • #665 2021-10-30 · closed · Monterey · 1 comment Final Cut Pro Trial crashes after start

Installing on the MacBook Pro 2009

Choose MacBookPro5,1 or MacBookPro5,2 or MacBookPro5,3 or MacBookPro5,4 or MacBookPro5,5 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, OS X El Capitan, so the firmware is current. The steps themselves are the same for every Mac: How to install OpenCore Legacy Patcher.

Memory

Macs with 2 GB of memory cannot install macOS Sonoma or newer (Dortania, Supported Models). Upgrade the memory first if your Mac allows it.

Common questions

What does OCLP patch on a MacBook Pro 2009 running Tahoe?

The root patches for its hardware: Nvidia Tesla, Legacy Wireless, Modern Audio and Legacy USB 1.1. 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 Pro 2009?

Officially, OS X El Capitan. With OCLP: macOS Tahoe 26.7.2. macOS 27 does not support any Intel Mac.

Why do some apps not work on a patched MacBook Pro 2009?

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 2009

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).