Apple’s new macOS Mojave doesn’t support the old Macs prior to 2012. It was a shocking news for me too.
- Mojave Macbook Pro 2011
- Macbook Pro 13 Early 2011 Mojave Trail
- Macbook Air Mojave
- Macbook Pro 13 Early 2011 Mojave Drive
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I have an old, not for me actually, MacBook Pro which I purchased at the end of 2010. I was expecting Apple won’t drop the support of Mojave for MacBook Pro 2010 model, at least not for this time. But I was wrong. The latest Majove doesn’t support it too.
There is no need to worry. Even the oldest Windows 95 can be installed on Mac computer. There is a solution to every problem.
![2011 2011](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ZbwAAOSwE19drEzB/s-l300.jpg)
- Replace the battery in your Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13' Unibody.
- While searching for a compatible graphics card, I found that I could install Mojave on my MacBook Pro Mid 2010 model by using a software known as macOS Mojave Patcher Tool. Kudos to DosDude1 who developed tested, and released it as a free app. By using this software, we could install the latest macOS version on early 2008 Macs.
It is not possible to update the MacBook Pro 17' Early 2011 hardware for supported use with macOS Mojave. It is simply not supported. It is not possible (in any practical sense of the word) to replace the GPU with a newer model, nor do any third party company produce alternative logic boards with newer GPUs that run macOS Mojave.
I don’t want to upgrade my MacBook Pro right now, especially when a new model is rumored to be released in next month.
Another choice for me was to buy a graphics card which supports Metal. In fact, it was the most feasible solution for to get installed Majove on my unsupported Mac right now.
Metal is natively supported by all Macs introduced since 2012. It means the following Nvidia, AMD and Intel family cards are compatible.
-Intel HD Graphics 400, Iris 5000 & 6000 family
-Nvidia GT 600M, 700M family
-AMD R9 M family
To check which GPU (graphics processing unit) is installed on your Mac computer, click on the Apple icon in the top left corner and then click on “About This Mac”.
There are a number of third-party vendors which sell graphics cards with integrated Metal support specifically designed for Mac computers. While searching for a compatible graphics card, I found that I could install Mojave on my MacBook Pro Mid 2010 model by using a software known as macOS Mojave Patcher Tool. Kudos to DosDude1 who developed tested, and released it as a free app.
By using this software, we could install the latest macOS version on early 2008 Macs.
Here is the step by step method to run Mojave on unsupported Macs.
The whole process can be divided into four parts.
- Part 1. Getting all the required things
- Part 2. Downloading the macOS Mojave Installer App
- Part 3. Making a bootable Mojave USB drive
- Part 4. Installing and Patching Mojave OS on the unsupported computer
We will discuss each part in details in the following paragraphs.
Part 1: Requirements to Run Mojave on Old Macs
Four things are required to get macOS Mojave installed on your forgotten-by-Apple Mac.
- Your Mac computer
It could be an early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro. The following models include under this category.
– MacPro3,1
– MacPro4,1
– iMac8,1
– iMac9,1
– iMac10,x
– iMac11,x
– iMac12,x
– MacBookPro4,1
– MacBookPro5,x
– MacBookPro6,x
– MacBookPro7,1
– MacBookPro8,x
– MacPro4,1
– iMac8,1
– iMac9,1
– iMac10,x
– iMac11,x
– iMac12,x
– MacBookPro4,1
– MacBookPro5,x
– MacBookPro6,x
– MacBookPro7,1
– MacBookPro8,x
It could be late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook. The following models include under this category:
– MacBookAir2,1
– MacBookAir3,x
– MacBookAir4,x
– MacBook5,1
– MacBookAir3,x
– MacBookAir4,x
– MacBook5,1
It could be early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook including the following models:
– Macmini3,1
– Macmini4,1
– Macmini5,x
– MacBook5,2
– MacBook6,1
– MacBook7,1
– Macmini4,1
– Macmini5,x
– MacBook5,2
– MacBook6,1
– MacBook7,1
And it could be Xserve2, 1 and Xserver3, 1.
- A USB drive in 16GB size or above
- macOS Mojave patcher tool. Download it here.
- A copy of the Mojave software.
Part 2: Download macOS Mojave Installer Software
MacOS Mojave software can be downloaded as an Installer App from Mac App Store using the computer which supports Mojave.
If you don’t have Mojave supported Mac, you can download the Mojave Installer App using patcher tool. Open the macOS Mojave patcher tool. If it doesn’t open and says it is from an unidentified developer, right click on the tool’s icon and click on “Open” from sub-menu and then enter your Mac’s Admin name and password. After the verification, you can open it with the left double-click.
If you don’t remember your macOS password, here are the solutions to reset it.
Go to Tools in the Menu bar and then hit “Download macOS Mojave”.
I recommend using the built-in downloader tool because it will download the latest and the compatible Installer app.
Mojave Installer app is about 5-6GB in size and it may take some time depending on the speed of your internet.
If the internet connection interrupts while downloading the file, don’t worry. The downloading process will resume where it left. Simply download the Mojave software again but point it to the same location where you were already downloading and saving the installer app.
Part 3: Create a Bootable Mojave USB Drive
In order to create a bootable Mojave USB Installer drive, follow these steps.
Step 1: Insert 16GB or above USB drive into your USB port of your Mac.
Step 2: Open Disk Utility and erase the USB drive in OS X Extended (Journaled) format. Give a proper name before erasing. I gave the name “macOS Mojave” to my USB drive.
If you are new to Mac, get the basic information about how to make a Partition, erase the current partition and how to make a bootable USB drive.
Step 3: After the drive is erased, open “macOS Mojave Patcher” tool.
Step 4: Point the Patcher tool to the downloaded Mojave Installer app which is downloaded in Part 2.
Step 5: Now select the target USB drive you just formatted.
Step 6: Hit the “Start Operation” button on the patcher tool and let it make the USB bootable with Mojave.
Step 7: It will show “Complete” when the process is done.
Part 4: Installing and Patching macOS Mojave
In this fourth and final part, we will install and patch the macOS Mojave on our old Mac computer. Follow the steps below to complete the remaining procedure.
Step 1. Restart your computer and hold down the “Option” key as soon as the Mac starts up.
Step 2: Select the USB drive, which was named as “macOS Mojave” as the startup disk.
Step 3: If you want to upgrade your current macOS to macOS Mojave, simply use the continue button to proceed and follow step 5. But if you want to install it on another partition or want to erase the current partition first, then follow the Step 4.
Step 4: Open Disk Utility from the bottom left panel.
Select the volume you want to erase. Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. Or if you have got late-2009 and later machines with SSD drives, you can also use APFS format.
If you don’t want to install Mojave on current volume, you can also create a new partition and install it there. Mojave takes approximately 18GB space on hard drive. So at least make a 25GB partition to test the new macOS.
If you want to use it for all routine work, set the partition size according to your needs.
Step 5: Select the volume and press “Continue” to begin the installation process.
Step 6: The installation process takes about 20 minutes to complete. When it is done, reboot your Mac back into installer drive while holding down the “Option” key again.
Video rendering software mac. Step 7: This time select “macOS Post Install” app from the bottom left panel.
Step 8: Select the model of your computer and the volume on which you installed Mojave and then click the “Patch” button. The tool will automatically select the required patches according to the model of your computer.
Step 9: Press the “Reboot” button when the patch is complete.
Step 10: The computer will reboot with macOS Mojave installed on it.
Step 11. If it doesn’t work properly on the restart, boot your Mac back into the installer USB drive, select macOS Post Install again, and this time also select “Force Cache Rebuild” option. Once the patch is complete and the cache is rebuilt, reboot.
Step 12: Upon restart, complete the setup process and start using your Mac with a Mojave operating system.
Happy Mojaving!!
For additional information and to know more about the known issues, please visit DosDune1’s website. He is an awesome guy.
Note: You will see a new “Patch Updater” app in the Applications under “Other” folder. It will alert you when new patches are available for your computer.
Your Mac will get the future Mojave updates as other supported computer do. If you don’t see the updates, or your computer doesn’t work properly after applying the update, use the step 11 of Part 4 to enable all patches.
Power adapters for Mac notebooks are available in 29W, 30W, 45W, 60W, 61W, 85W, 87W, and 96W varieties. You should use the appropriate wattage power adapter for your Mac notebook. You can use a compatible higher wattage power adapter without issue, but it won't make your computer charge faster or operate differently. If you use a power adapter that is lower in wattage than the adapter that came with your Mac, it won't provide enough power to your computer.
Mac notebooks that charge via USB-C come with an Apple USB-C Power Adapter with detachable AC plug (or 'duckhead'), and a USB-C Charge Cable.
Mac notebooks that charge via MagSafe come with an AC adapter with MagSafe connector and detachable AC plug, and an AC cable.
The images below show the style of adapter that comes with each MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. If you're not sure which model Mac you have, use these articles:
USB-C
Apple 29W or 30W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable
- MacBook models introduced in 2015 or later
Apple 30W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable
- MacBook Air models introduced in 2018 or later
Apple 61W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable
- 13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2016 or later
Apple 87W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable
- 15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2016 or later
Apple 96W USB-C Power Adapter and USB-C Charge Cable
- 16-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2019
Make sure you're using the correct USB-C charge cable
For the best charging experience, you should use the USB-C charge cable that comes with your Mac notebook. If you use a higher wattage USB-C cable, your Mac will still charge normally. USB-C cables rated for 29W or 30W will work with any USB-C power adapter, but won't provide enough power when connected to a power adapter that is more than 61W, such as the 96W USB-C Power Adapter.
You can verify that you're using the correct version of the Apple USB-C Charge Cable with your Mac notebook and its USB-C AC Adapter. The cable's serial number is printed on its external housing, next to the words 'Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.'
- If the first three characters of the serial number are C4M or FL4, the cable is for use with an Apple USB-C Power Adapter up to 61W.
- If the first three characters of the serial number are DLC, CTC, FTL, or G0J, the cable is for use with an Apple USB-C Power Adapter up to 100W.
- If the cable says 'Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China' but has no serial number, you might be eligible for a replacement USB-C charge cable.
MagSafe 2
85W MagSafe power adapter with MagSafe 2 style connector
- 15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2012 through 2015
60W MagSafe power adapter with MagSafe 2 style connector
Mojave Macbook Pro 2011
- 13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2012 through 2015
45W MagSafe power adapter with MagSafe 2 style connector
- MacBook Air models introduced in 2012 through 2017
About the MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter
If you have an older MagSafe adapter, you can use it with newer Mac computers that have MagSafe 2 ports using a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter (shown).
MagSafe 'L' and 'T' shaped adapters
60W MagSafe power adapter with 'T' style connector
- 13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2009
- MacBook models introduced in 2006 through mid 2009
Macbook Pro 13 Early 2011 Mojave Trail
60W MagSafe power adapter with 'L' style connector
- 13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2010 through 2012
- MacBook models introduced in late 2009 through 2010
85W MagSafe power adapter with 'T' style connector
![Macbook Pro 13 Early 2011 Mojave Macbook Pro 13 Early 2011 Mojave](https://www.letemsvetemapplem.eu/bazar/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IMG_0528.jpg)
- 15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2006 through 2009
- 17-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2006 through 2009
85W MagSafe power adapter with 'L' style connector
- 15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2010 through 2012
- 17-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2010 through 2011
Macbook Air Mojave
45W MagSafe power adapter with 'L' style connector
- 13-inch MacBook Air models introduced in 2008 through 2011*
- 11-inch MacBook Air models introduced in 2010 through 2011
* Adapters that shipped with the MacBook Air (Original), MacBook Air (Late 2008), and MacBook Air (Mid 2009) are not recommended for use with MacBook Air (Late 2010) models. When possible, use your computer's original adapter or a newer adapter.
Learn more
Macbook Pro 13 Early 2011 Mojave Drive
You can get extra or replacement adapters with AC cord and plug at the Apple Online Store, an Apple Reseller, or an Apple Store.
A replacement adapter might not be the same size, color, shape, or wattage as the original adapter that came with your computer. But it should power and charge your Mac like the adapter that originally came with your computer.
If you need help using your MagSafe adapter, see Apple Portables: Troubleshooting power adapters.
If you're looking for a PowerPC-based power adapter, see PowerPC-based Apple Portables: Identifying the right power adapter and power cord.