- Apple has instructions on installing a terminal release of Mac OS X or macOS for its old computers. Once upgraded to El Capitan or later, you can then run Migration Assistant to transfer data to.
- macOS Catalina is a major update that introduces a range of new features and changes including cross-platform app support for third-party apps, no more iTunes, iPad as a second screen.
Sep 11, 2019 The upgrade install merges the new macOS Catalina with your existing Mac OS. This is the upgrade method we will cover in this Rocket Yard guide. Before we begin the upgrade process, a few tips and notes about macOS Catalina and what you need to do to be ready for the install on your Mac.
Here’s a quick list of reasons you may want to stick with macOS Mojave.
I know I’m a bit late to the game; I started writing this four months ago 😅.
Why you may not want to install Catalina
- It deletes local copies of shared iCloud photo albums and doesn’t download them anymore, so you can’t back them up.
- It’s rather buggy and there are app permission popups that weren’t so prevalent in Mojave.
- 32-bit apps (and games) won’t run at all, and the use of 32-bit frameworks can also break parts of a program, so make sure to check for 32-bit software.
- You use software that isn’t ready for the death of iTunes. Here’s a thread keeping track of issues with the Music app.
So if you have processes that rely on shared photos, access to the iTunes library, or 32-bit programs, make sure to get those sorted out before upgrading.
Why you may want to upgrade
Still holding out like me? We may not be able to for much longer, especially if one of the following statements ring true.
- You need access to the new SDKs in Xcode 11.4 or want that sweet, sweet SwiftUI preview canvas.
- You want to take advantage of all the new Reminders features and continue syncing with your Mac.
- You have a usecase for viewing Mac windows on your iPad with Sidecar.
- You’re spooked by the idea of apps having the ability to access files in your documents folders and volumes without your knowledge or permission.
- You want to play Apple Arcade games with a keyboard and mouse.
- You want a first-party option to automatically switch to dark mode in the evening.
- You want time-synced lyrics in Music, which recently arrived in 10.15.4 Beta 2.
To update an existing hackintosh to macOS Catalina 10.15 here is what you should know before you proceed.
macOS Catalina 10.15 changes that can affect hackintoshing:
- Removal of 32bit App support in macOS Catalina
- All system files were moved to a read-only partition
- NVIDIA Alternate Graphic Drivers NOT available in macOS Catalina/Mojave. While older natively supported cards like work NVIDIA 6xx and 7xx ‘Kepler’ still work newer Maxwell or Pascal cards cannot get full acceleration.
- Catalina Graphics Support:
- Intel HD 4000 and higher
- AMD Vega, AMD RX 5xx, AMD Radeon HD 7xxx and higher
- AMD Navi Vega 20 Support in 10.15.1
- Non-Metal supported GPUs can no longer render using OpenGL as a fallback so its recommended that those who rely on their GPU for certain macOS apps update their graphics card to a Metal supported card if they want to use Catalina.
- Changes to AirPortBrcm4360.kext may require it to be forceloaded to get certain non-apple WiFi cards to work.
- Changes to EC can cause issues booting and running Catalina requires either disabling AppleACPIEC, using a fake EC, or renaming EC under DSDT -> Patches in config.plist.
Catalina 10.15 Update Steps
How To Update To Catalina
Download macOS Catalina 10.15
- If you’re using macOS Mojave, get macOS Catalina via Software Update: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Software Update.
- Or use this link to open the macOS Catalina page on the App Store: Get macOS Catalina. Then click the Get button or iCloud download icon.
Backup before Updating
Its always recommended to do a fresh install of macOS on a hackintosh when a new version comes out, but you can also upgrade directly. While downloading Catalina its a good idea to back up your Mac. Time Machine makes it simple, and other backup methods are also available. Learn how to back up your Mac.
Update Clover EFI folder for Catalina Compatability
- May need to update Clover EFI folder to a newer version for Catalina compatibility:
- Be aware that any Clover r5000+ version has a revised file hierarchy of its drivers folder. To update:
- Download latest version of Clover EFI Bootloader or use mine Hackintosher-Catalina-10.15-EFI.zip
- Mount your EFI partition and backup and or rename your existing EFI folder to something else or it will be overwritten. You will need to copy and transfer the config.plist and update all kexts especially these three to avoid issues with booting, audio and black screens:
- Be aware that any Clover r5000+ version has a revised file hierarchy of its drivers folder. To update:
- There is now an alternative to Clover called OpenCore that can be used as a bootloader and install Catalina with.
Catalina 10.15 USB Port Limit Patch
By default macOS limits the number of allowed USB ports which can cause certain USB2/USB3 ports to not function as the motherboard being hackintoshed likely contains many more than the limit. To enable all available ports something called a USB port-limit patch must be added.
To increase the USB limit see the list of available port-limit patches for macOS 10.15
Make sure to disable or delete any previous port limit patches.
Update From Mojave To Catalina
Graphics in macOS Catalina:
- Intel (U)HD 630 graphics users may need the -disablegfxfirmware bootflag to be added at the Clover boot screen or permanently in config.plist under Boot -> Arguments
- AMD Vega, AMD RX 5xx, AMD Radeon HD 7xxx and higher – Will need Lilu.kext + WhateverGreen.kext updated and may require a special boot flag to avoid receiving a black screen on boot in 10.15.1. https://hackintosher.com/guides/hackintosh-catalina-10-15-1-update-guide
- Nvidia Pascal and Maxwell graphic cards cannot get full acceleration without Nvidia Alternative Drivers which have not been released for Catalina or even Mojave, but the older cards that use to come in Mac’s are still compatible NVIDIA 6xx and 7xx ‘Kepler’ series.
Should I Upgrade To Catalina Os
Hackintosh Catalina EC Patching
AppleACPIEC changes macOS Catalina require it to be either disabled, renamed or spoofed to boot macOS Catalina on hackintosh. If you don’t add a fix you may not be able to boot and get various verbose outputs such as Waiting on root device… and AE_NOT_FOUND. Fix this by patching your EFI device
Make Extensions Library writable again
- All system files were moved to a read-only partition meaning /L/E or /S/L/E can’t be edited by you when adding or removing kexts.
- To get around this after Catalina is installed these folders need to be mounted with write privileges through the Terminal app with
sudo mount -uw /
- To get around this after Catalina is installed these folders need to be mounted with write privileges through the Terminal app with