Updating the firmware on a Mac Pro isn't difficult, but it is possible to 'miss' firmware upgrades. This guide is for anyone looking to get to the latest (and most likely last) firmware released for the Mac Pro 5,1s, without having to install Mojave 10.14.x, or if you already have installed Mojave, or are looking to install Mojave. My first try, my firmware was stuck at 138.0.0.0.0.x even when running Mojave 10.14.6. Updating the firmware adds key funcitonality to the Mac Pro 5,1s, most notably native NVMe m.2 boot support. To learn more about Firmware and the Mac Pro 5,1s, see the Firmware Upgrades section of my Mac Pro Upgrade Guide.
Step 0: Remove unsupported GPUs
The biggest change for macOS Mojave is the deprecation of OpenGL and OpenCL. OpenGL has been a thorn in Apple's side for quite some time, as it's been nearly dead for years. Vulkan, the OpenGL successor, wasn't quite ready for primetime when Apple originally created Metal for iOS and thus decided to port it macOS. Despite the annoyingness of having to meet the requirements, it was a necessary evil. Mojave will not install if you have a non-metal supported GPU.
- MacOS Mojave Patcher is an application that allows to easily create a modified copy of macOS Mojave for use on unsupported Macs. Therefore, with this tool, you can make a modified install drive to use for installing macOS Mojave on computers that don't support this operating system.
- Launch the “macOS Mojave Patcher” app. By default, macOS preventing apps from unidentified developers or sources from being launched. So you most likely will get an alert message that says: “macOS Mojave Patcher.app can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer”.
Note: some users are reporting they had to remove all PCIe cards sans their storage controller (SATA card) and GPU to install the firmware update. I did not. If you encounter issues, try removing additional PCIe cards.
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 1: Have a 10.13 drive
Unfortunately, this is the biggest pain if you've already updated. You'll need a separate volume to boot into 10.13. Amazon and Newegg each have 120 GB SSDs for under $20 USD if you need a temporary drive to install macOS 10.13 on. (upside is you can buy a USB case and turn into a very fast USB 3.0 drive afterward or return it). You can get old versions of macOS via the Mac using DosDude1's installer if you can't access it. If you have no intention to upgrade to Mojave or already have it installed., don't worry. We won't be installing Mojave.
Step 2: Boot 10.13
The next step is pretty straight forward, boot into your install of macOS 10.13 if you haven't already.
Step 3: Download 10.14.6 Combined installer
Fortunately, firmware flashing does not require updating in a particular order. I went from 138.0.0.0.0 to 144.0.0.0.0 without any problems. There's several avenues for this, including the Mac App store, but when I used the Mac App Store route, I didn't get the combined OS installer (The Mojave installer + all the updates to Mojave). The easiest way to obtain the final combined update for Mojave is to use Dosdude1's installer. Much like before, download the OS DosDude1's installer, even though we have supported hardware but with the patcher for 10.13.
Note: You do not need to use the DosDude1 installer, as you can grab the update via the App store or other sources but I found this easy. Apparently this link was posted this on MacRumors and a few posters didn't read the full instructions and suggested that I was advocating using DOSdude1 on the OS. I am not. The Mac Pro 4,1/5.1 does not need DOSDude1, so do not run the patcher on Mojave.
- Go to DOSdude1 Mojave patcher and download it
Launch the patcher.
Depending on your security settings, your mac may suggest it's from an unverified developer. Go to the system prefs, Security and Privacy (general), and allow the app to open.
You'll be bugged one last time.
The patcher should warn you that you are on supported hardware.
This is fine, ignore the message. Within the patcher, select the download Mojave from the Tools menu.
Step 4: Launch the installer and click shut down
The installer should bring up a message about firmware and a shutdown message. This will not start the Mojave installer, only the firmware.
Step 5: Boot the Mac
Using the instructions in the previous image, press and hold the button until it blinks. If you do not have an EFI enabled GPU (see more about EFI in my Mac Pro Upgrade guide), you will not see any video output.
I trimmed down the video, as it took about 15 seconds of holding before the button flashed. After the button flashed, the internal speaker emmitted a long lowfi 'boop' sound.
Step 5: Verify
Go to About this Mac, and click system report. Under the first screen, look for the 'Boot Rom' text. This should list your firmware version. From here, you can continue using 10.13.6, upgrade, or boot to your 10.14 volume.
The 144.0.0.0.0 firmware works with any version of macOS your Mac Pro supports.
Updated: November 13th, 2019 MacRumors feedback
Updated: November 4th, 2019 based on Feedback from Mac Pro Users user group on Facebook.
Helps you create a bootable USB drive for macOS Catalina which will work with older Macs, not officially supported by the operating system
What's new in macOS Catalina Patcher 1.4.4:
- Fixed compatibility with Catalina version 10.15.5
macOS Catalina Patcher (formerly macOS Mojave Patcher, macOS High Sierra Patcher and macOS Sierra Patcher) is a small yet powerful tool that can help you create a bootable USB drive that can be used to install macOS Catalina on Mac computers older than mid 2012, basically acting as a macOS Mojave patch for unsupported Macs.
The tool extends the list of compatible hardware to the Mac Pro, iMac and MacBook Pro computers released in early 2008, Aluminum Unibody MacBooks or MacBooks Air manufactured in late 2008, or white MacBooks and Mac Minis produced in early 2009.
Get the macOS Catalina Installer app and make sure you have access to a compatible USB drive
To be able to use the app you must make sure that you have a USB drive that has at least 8 GB available, and that you have the macOS 10.15 Catalina installer app on your Mac.
Note that you can download the macOS image from the Mac App Store application only on a machine that supports Catalina: otherwise, you must find an alternative solution.
For your convenience, macOS Catalina Patcher offers you the possibility to download the image through its interface: just navigate to the Tools menu.
At the same time, you must prepare the USB drive with the help of the built-in Disk Utility application: just format the disk using the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) standard.
Easy to configure patcher tool that can create bootable macOS Catalina USBs
Within the main window, you must simply load the macOS 10.15 image you want to use and select the target USB drive. The app will verify the image to make sure everything is OK, and all you have to do is press the Start Operation button.
You have the option to monitor the process in the macOS Catalina Patcher main window, and the utility lets you know when the task is complete.
Worth mentioning is that after you install the OS by using the macOS Catalina Patcher bootable drive, you must launch the macOS Post Install utility to get access to patches specifically designed for your Mac’s model.
Make a bootable drive that allows you to install Catalina on unsupported Macs
Bottom line, if your Mac has been manufactured before early 2008, chances are that you will not be able to install macOS Catalina on your computer.
All things considered, macOS Catalina Patcher is a small and user-friendly utility designed to help you bypass this limitation if your Mac is not in macOS Catalina's compatibility list, created to be used as an unsupported Mac Mojave patch.
Filed under
macOS Catalina Patcher was reviewed by Sergiu Gatlan- 64-bit processor
- 16 GB USB drive
- macOS Mojave Installer App
- Early-2008 or newer Mac Pro, iMac, or MacBook Pro
- Late-2008 or newer MacBook Air or Aluminum Unibody MacBook
- Early-2009 or newer Mac Mini or white MacBook
- Early-2008 or newer Xserve
macOS Catalina Patcher 1.4.4
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send us an updateMojave Patcher Tool
- runs on:
- Mac OS X 10.6 or later (Intel only)
- file size:
- 223.4 MB
- filename:
- macOS Catalina Patcher.dmg
- main category:
- System Utilities
- developer:
- visit homepage
top alternatives FREE
Dosdude1 Catalina
top alternatives PAID