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

Installing without a USB drive

“Without USB” is one of the most common OCLP searches. It is possible in some situations and a bad idea in others. Here is when, and how.

Checked against OCLP 2.5.1 and 3.0.0Updated 2 min read
On this page 3 sections
  1. The in-place method
  2. External SSD instead of a USB stick
  3. Common questions

Short answer

If your Mac already runs macOS Big Sur or newer (natively or with OCLP), you can install OpenCore to the internal disk, restart through it, and upgrade with Apple's installer app or Software Update, with no USB drive. If your Mac runs Catalina or older, there is no reliable way: the first OCLP install needs a USB drive (or an external disk). Dortania recommends a USB installer for major upgrades in every case.

The in-place method

  1. Back up

    An in-place upgrade without a recovery stick has no easy way back if it fails.

  2. Install OCLP and build OpenCore for this Mac

    Build and Install OpenCore, then install to the internal disk.

  3. Restart through OpenCore

    Restart holding Option, choose EFI Boot, then your macOS disk. With OpenCore reporting a supported model, the new macOS can install.

  4. Run the installer

    Download the installer with OCLP (Create macOS Installer > Download macOS Installer, then close the app when it offers to write to a USB drive: the “Install macOS …” app is already in Applications) or use Software Update, and run “Install macOS …” from Applications.

  5. Root patch

    After the upgrade, run Post-Install Root Patch.

Know the risks

If the install fails half-way, you need some way to boot an installer to recover. Have a second Mac or a friend with a USB drive in mind. Dortania: “It is extremely recommended to use USB drive for major OS upgrades.”

External SSD instead of a USB stick

Any external drive works as the installer, and you can also install macOS on an external SSD and boot it through OpenCore. Build OpenCore onto the external drive's EFI partition. This is a good way to try a new macOS without touching the internal disk.

Common questions

Can I use an SD card?

Many Macs can boot from the built-in SD card reader, so an SD card of 32 GB can work as the installer drive; it is slower than USB.

Can I install from Internet Recovery?

Internet Recovery only offers macOS versions Apple supports on your Mac, so it cannot install a patched version.

Keep going

How to installThe complete step-by-step guide for OCLP 3.0USB installerCreate the macOS installer USB with OCLPUpdatingUpdating macOS, OpenCore and the app safely

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