I have an old MacBook Pro from 2012💻. How old is it? You might not believe it, but "it has a light". Yes, the Apple logo lights up! It has undergone regular maintenance (cleaning, thermal paste replacement, memory upgrade, battery replacement) and is still in service. It runs smoothly for writing code, watching videos, and browsing the web. I usually have multiple tabs open in my browser (don't follow this bad habit).
This computer officially supports the latest system, macOS Catalina, which was released in 2019. However, it is still running on version 10.15.7 as of yesterday.
Why upgrade the system? Because some software is not supported. The App Store defaults to downloading the latest version of software, which prompts that the system is not supported. However, the App Store does not provide historical versions for download. Additionally, some software uses APIs that are not available in older versions, so developers have abandoned support for older systems. For example, OrbStack requires system version 12.3 or later, and OpenCat Desktop version requires system version 13 or later. Even Twitter now requires macOS 11.0 or above. The old version of Twitter cannot be logged in after logging out.
I suddenly remembered OrbStack's reply on GitHub. I decided to try OpenCore Legacy Patcher and found two articles and related videos on Bilibili.
Installation process:
The process is not complicated. The steps to upgrade macOS with OpenCore Legacy Patcher are as follows:
- Install and open OpenCore Legacy Patcher.
- Download the macOS installation image file.
- Use the OpenCore Legacy Patcher tool to create a USB installation disk (I manually created the installation disk using the command line due to an error with the tool).
- Build and install OpenCore to the USB.
- Insert the USB installation disk into the computer to be upgraded.
- Press the option key to start the computer and enter the boot menu. Select the USB installation disk (with the OpenCore icon) to start.
- Select the disk and proceed with the installation in the installation interface.
- After the installation is complete, restart the computer and enter the macOS system. Open OpenCore and click on "Post Install Root Patch" to apply the patch.
- Disable "Show Boot Picker" and go back to the main menu. Build and install OpenCore to the system disk so that the USB is no longer needed for booting.
Wait for a few restarts, and it's done.
Using the USB installation method can retain the original system information, machine model, and system serial number (another method is to spoof the system information and change the machine to a compatible model. After restarting, OTA updates can be obtained, and you can directly upgrade).
In the morning, I received an update from Ventura in the system update, so I installed it. Now it is macOS 13.
The benefits it brings:
- I can use OpenCat Desktop version now. Previously, I used ChatHub and ChatBox.
- I can use OrbStack now, and I can say goodbye to Docker Desktop. The experience is just one word: fast! And it brings joy to my mind and body.
Currently, everything is working well.