To get the latest features and maintain the security, stability, compatibility, and performance of your Mac, it's important to keep your software up to date. Apple recommends that you always use the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.
How To Update Catalina On Unsupported Mac
Q: Is it worth upgrading a 2009 MacBook to MacOS Catalina via DosDude (program to install Catalina on unsupported Macs)? A: Yes, It definitely is worth it, it works well!
- To install on your machine, you can download and run @dosdude1's macOS Catalina Patcher application, which will let you download a copy of the latest installer app from Apple and create a bootable installer drive for use on unsupported Macs. It contains all the patches necessary to achieve the hardware support listed above.
- I successfully installed Catalina on my early-2011 macbook pro using the dosdude tool. However, I cannot seem to connect my airpods pro to the mbp, which was the entire point of the os update. Could it be that the bluetooth hardware is just not compatible?
- The download (from Catalina) will start – since it is almost 8 GB, it will probably take some time. Connect a flash drive. Choose “Create a bootable installer” from the options. Connect the bootable installer to the Mac that you need to update. Restart your Mac while holding down the Option / Alt key.
Learn how to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS.
Check compatibility
The version of macOS that came with your Mac is the earliest version it can use. For example, if your Mac came with macOS Big Sur, it will not accept installation of macOS Catalina or earlier.
If a macOS can't be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it's not compatible with this device or is too old to be opened on this version of macOS. To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum hardware requirements:
- macOS Catalina 10.15 hardware requirements
- macOS Mojave 10.14 hardware requirements
- macOS High Sierra 10.13 hardware requirements
- macOS Sierra 10.12 hardware requirements
- OS X El Capitan 10.11 hardware requirements
- OS X Yosemite 10.10 hardware requirements
How To Get Catalina On Unsupported Mac
Download macOS using Safari on your Mac
Safari uses these links to find the old installers in the App Store. After downloading from the App Store, the installer opens automatically.
Upgrade To Catalina On Unsupported Mac
- macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks
- macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
- macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
Safari downloads the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. Open the disk image, then open the .pkg installer inside the disk image. It installs an app named Install [Version Name]. Open that app from your Applications folder to begin installing the operating system.
Upgrade Unsupported Mac To Catalina Version
- macOS Sierra 10.12 can upgrade El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, or Lion
- OS X El Capitan 10.11 can upgrade Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard
- OS X Yosemite 10.10can upgrade Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard