How To Install The Latest macOS On An Unsupported Mac
Are you frustrated with not being able to install Apple’s latest macOS because you now have an unsupported Mac? Don’t be — there is a solution and while the process isn’t exactly difficult, you’ll need to be comfortable stepping outside a single click and install process.
Before we jump into the nitty-gritty, let’s take a look at the macOS lifecycle.
Apple’s current trend is to launch a new macOS annually, but support for any macOS ends roughly 3.5 years after its launch date. That means the Support and Maintenance team only maintains a pipeline of three macOS releases at a time.
For instance, support for Big Sur (macOS 11, launched in 2020) was officially discontinued when Sonoma (macOS 14) was launched in 2023. Following this pattern, Monterey (macOS 12) will be next in line when Apple launches macOS 15 in 2024.
As Big Sur slips from Apple’s active support, it’ll miss out on bug fixes and importance security updates as it joins the ranks of Apple’s obsolete products. Apple fails to appreciate is that these discarded OSs have kept an army of older Macs usefully ticking along.
In a further demonstration of Apple’s disregard, they’ve imposed a hardware cutoff that excludes computers older than 8 years from accessing the latest macOS. A planned…