Hackintosh.com links to everything you need to build a Hackintosh and get macOS Sonoma (macOS 14) as well as many earlier versions of Mac OS X running on an unsupported computer -- instructions, step-by-step "how to" guides, and tutorials -- in addition to installation videos, lists of compatible computers and parts, and communities for support.

 

For Mac specs, prices, answers, side-by-side Mac comparison, a tool to lookup Macs by serial number, and more, see EveryMac.com, too. For iPod, iPhone and iPad info, hit Everyi.com.


 

Hackintosh Instructions & Tutorials

 

Helpful individuals have provided step-by-step "how to" guides and tutorials as well as general advice on installing OS X on everything from self-built desktop systems and notebooks to netbooks, and more.

 

Installation guides for macOS Sonoma (macOS 14), macOS Ventura (macOS 13), macOS Monterey (macOS 12), macOS Big Sur (macOS 11), macOS Catalina (10.15), and older versions of Mac OS X, all the way back to Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) follow. Be sure to see the selected Hackintosh video tutorials, too.

 

 

  • macOS Sonoma (macOS 14)
  • macOS Ventura (macOS 13)
  • macOS Monterey (macOS 12)
  • macOS Big Sur (macOS 11)
  • macOS Catalina (10.15)
  • macOS Mojave (10.14)
  • macOS High Sierra (10.13)
  • macOS Sierra (10.12)
  • OS X El Capitan (10.11)
  • OS X Yosemite (10.10)
  • OS X Mavericks (10.9)
  • OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
  • OS X Lion (10.7)
  • Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6)
  • Mac OS X Leopard (10.5)

The current version of the Mac operating system is macOS 14 "Sonoma". Helpful tutorials to install or upgrade this version of the macOS on Intel and AMD PCs include:

 

macOS Sonoma USB Installation - Originally for the beta, and updated for the final release, this brief guide from tonymacx86 explains how to create a USB installer for macOS Sonoma via the Clover and OpenCore bootloaders.

 

macOS Sonoma Fresh Installation - A detailed, step-by-step guide from EliteMacx86 that covers a new installation of macOS Sonoma on a PC using OpenCore.

 

Upgrade Directly to macOS Sonoma - Also from EliteMacx86, how to upgrade an Intel or AMD PC running macOS Ventura (macOS 13) to macOS Sonoma.

 

macOS Sonoma Installation (VMWare) - A quick explanation how to install macOS Sonoma including Virtual Machine options from TechsViewer.

 

macOS Sonoma Broadcom Wi-Fi Fix - How to instructions and kexts to get Broadcom Wi-Fi working with macOS Sonoma. Other posts to enable Wi-Fi (Fenvi T919) on macOS Sonoma and USB Wireless adapters for macOS Sonoma (as well as macOS Big Sur, Monterey, and Ventura) also may be helpful.

 

macOS Sonoma on Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Elite - Specific instructions to get macOS Sonoma working on this motherboard along with related components.

 

macOS Sonoma on Gigabyte A520i AC - Detailed component info and software configuration for macOS Sonoma on this motherboard. A companion piece on AMD Radeon Graphics also could be useful.

 

Note that official hardware support for macOS Sonoma (macOS 14) is notably more limited than its predecessor, macOS Ventura (macOS 13), and some features only work on proper Macs with recent Apple Silicon processors. There also are many reported issues with third-party Wi-Fi hardware in particular; be sure to verify specific hardware compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the macOS or buying components for a new one.

The previous version of the Mac operating system is macOS 13 "Ventura". Guides to install this version of the macOS on PCs include:

 

macOS Ventura USB Installation - A quick guide to create a USB installer for macOS Ventura alongside the OpenCore and Clover bootloaders from tonymacx86. The site covers the macOS 13.0.1, 13.1, 13.2, 13.2.1, 13.3, 13.3.1, 13.3.1 (a), 13.4, 13.4.1, 13.5, 13.5.1, 13.5.2, and 13.6 updates, too.

 

Upgrade Directly to macOS Ventura - Also from tonymacx86, a short tutorial to upgrade a Hackintosh running macOS Monterey directly to macOS Ventura.

 

macOS Ventura on PC - A basic guide to install macOS Ventura on an Intel or AMD PC using OpenCore from newcomer EliteMacx86.

 

macOS Ventura on Unsupported Mac - A guide to install macOS Ventura on an older Mac using Hackintosh methods from TechsViewer.

 

macOS Ventura Upgrade from Monterey - A Reddit reader report documenting the successful upgrade of a PC previously running macOS Monterey to macOS Ventura.

 

macOS Ventura mini-ITX Hackintosh - A well-organized hardware guide to creating a largely silent "cube" mini-ITX Hackintosh that is highly compatible with macOS Ventura.

 

macOS Ventura Gigabyte Z490 Hackintosh - A guide to create an Intel Comet Lake-powered Hackintosh including detailed software updates.

 

macOS Ventura Alder Lake Hackintosh - A hardware and software guide to building an Intel Alder Lake-powered tower with AMD RX 580 graphics.

 

Note that formal hardware support for macOS Ventura (macOS 13) is more limited than its predecessor, macOS Monterey (macOS 12), and some features are restricted to official Macs with recent Apple Silicon processors. Verify hardware compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the macOS or buying hardware for a new one.

Because hardware support for macOS Ventura (macOS 13) is significantly more limited than macOS 12 "Monterey", you may have a PC or components that are not compatible with later versions of the macOS, but that are compatible with this version. Guides to install macOS Monterey (macOS 12) on PCs include:

 

Update Directly to macOS Monterey - A quick guide to update directly from macOS Big Sur to macOS Monterey using a "fully native method" and OpenCore or Clover from tonymacx86. The site covers the macOS 12.1, 12.2, 12.2.1, 12.3, 12.3.1, 12.4, 12.5, 12.5.1, 12.6, 12.6.1, 12.6.2, 12.6.3, 12.6.4, 12.6.5, 12.6.6, 12.6.7, 12.6.8, 12.6.9, and 12.7 updates, too.

 

Install macOS Monterey on Supported PCs - A guide to preparing a USB installer for macOS Monterey using the OpenCore or Clover Bootloaders courtesy of tonymacx86.

 

Install macOS Monterey (Dortania) - The detailed, semi-official guide to compatible hardware as well as installing macOS Monterey using OpenCore.

 

Install macOS Monterey on PCs Guide - This quick tutorial from the long term Microsoft-focused site Redmond Pie covers how to install macOS Monterey on a PC using BalenaEtcher and other tools.

 

Install macOS Monterey with OpenCore - A straightforward guide with many screenshots to install macOS Monterey on a PC using OpenCore.

 

macOS Monterey Reader Reports - macOS Monterey installation experiences on a variety of Hackintosh systems from Reddit users.

 

Gigabyte Z590I Vision D Mini ITX Hackintosh - A straightforward guide to build a Monterey Hackintosh centered around a Gigabyte Z590I Vision D Mini ITX motherboard.

 

Note that official hardware support for macOS Monterey (macOS 12) is more limited than its predecessor, macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) and many of the major features do not work on systems with Intel processors, but only on proper Macs with Apple Silicon processors. Be sure to confirm hardware compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the macOS or buying hardware for a new one.

Because hardware support for macOS Monterey (macOS 12) is more limited than macOS 11 "Big Sur", you may have hardware that is not compatible with later versions of the macOS but that is compatible with this version. Good Hackintosh tutorials for Big Sur include:

 

Install macOS Big Sur on Supported PCs with Clover - A guide to install macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) on compatible PCs using tonymacx86's well regarded Clover bootloader as well as an alternate option using OpenCore. The site covers the macOS 11.1, 11.2, 11.2.1, 11.2.2, 11.2.3, 11.3, 11.3.1, 11.4, 11.5, 11.5.1, 11.5.2, 11.6, 11.6.1, 11.6.2, 11.6.3, 11.6.4, 11.6.5, 11.6.6, 11.6.7, 11.6.8, 11.7, 11.7.1, 11.7.2, 11.7.3, 11.7.4, 11.7.5, 11.7.6, 11.7.7, 11.7.8, 11.7.9, and 11.7.10 updates, too.

 

Install macOS Big Sur on Supported PCs with OpenCore - A guide to install macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) on compatible hardware from Clover and Chameleon rival OpenCore (Dortania). If you have not used this installation method before, you also may find this general Getting Started with OpenCore guide helpful.

 

Install macOS Big Sur on AMD Ryzen - A real-world installation guide and troubleshooting help to install macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) on an AMD Ryzen-based Hackintosh using Open Core.

 

Install macOS Big Sur on VMWare - A rough guide to install macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) on a Mac running VMWare virtualization software.

 

Install macOS Big Sur on ASUS ProArt Z490 Creator - A detailed installation guide for this motherboard along with compatible components.

 

Install macOS Big Sur on Gigabyte Gaming X Z390 - A thorough installation guide for this motherboard and compatible parts that may be of particular interest to gamers and those who do media editing.

 

Note that official hardware support for macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) is more limited than it is for macOS 10.15 "Catalina" that came before it. Be sure to verify hardware compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the macOS or buying parts for a new computer.

Note that macOS 10.15 "Catalina" is the first version of the macOS to no longer support 32-bit apps. Useful guides to install this version of macOS on a PC include:

 

Install macOS Catalina on Supported PCs - A detailed guide to install macOS Catalina on some PCs from the well regarded tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast and MultiBeast software. The site also has instructions to cleanup kexts after installation, how to upgrade directly to macOS Catalina from macOS Mojave on an older Hackintosh, and covers the macOS 10.15.0 (Supplemental), 10.15.1, 10.15.2, 10.15.3, 10.15.4, 10.15.4 (Supplemental), 10.15.5, 10.15.5 (Supplemental), 10.15.6, and 10.15.6 (Supplemental) updates, too.

 

Install macOS Catalina on Supported PCs (Clover) - A quick guide to install macOS Catalina on some PCs using Clover.

 

Hardware Selection & macOS Catalina Installation - A helpful guide to hardware selection as well as the macOS Catalina installation process using Clover.

 

Install macOS Catalina on Dell Optiplex 7010/9019 - A detailed guide to install macOS Catalina on these tower boxen using UniBeast.

 

Install macOS Catalina on Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro - A detailed installation guide for this motherboard, complete with many helpful screenshots.

 

Install macOS Catalina on Gigabyte Z390 M Gaming Boards - Focused on gaming, how to install macOS Catalina with Clover, and have it run reliably, on this motherboard type.

 

Create macOS Catalina USB Install Drive - A helpful post from 9to5Mac, complete with screenshots, to create a USB installer for macOS Catalina.

 

Update PC from macOS Mojave to Catalina - An archive from Floppyblog (no longer online), this post covers the upgrade procedure as well as troubleshooting for common problems.

 

Install macOS Catalina on VMware - How to install macOS Catalina using VMware on a Windows PC from newcomer TechsViewer. The same site has a guide to install macOS Catalina on VirtualBox on a Windows PC, as well.

 

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.15 "Catalina" is modestly more limited than it is for macOS 10.14 "Mojave" that came before it. It also drops support for 32-bit apps entirely. Be certain to verify hardware and app compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the operating system or buying parts for a new system.

In addition to more limited hardware support, later versions of the macOS do not run 32-bit apps at all, so macOS 10.14 "Mojave" could be preferable if you have older software. A number of useful tutorials for Mojave include:

 

Install macOS Mojave on Supported PCs with Clover - How to create a macOS Mojave installation USB from the famous tonymacx86 using the site's own Clover application. The site also has troubleshooting help, how to install third-party kexts, and covers the macOS 10.14.1, 10.14.2, 10.14.3, 10.14.3 (Supplemental), 10.14.4, 10.14.5, 10.14.6, 10.14.6 (Supplemental), and 10.14.6 (Supplemental 2) updates, too.

 

Install macOS Mojave on Supported PCs with UniBeast - How to install and configure macOS Mojave with UniBeast and MultiBeast, also from tonymacx86.

 

Create a macOS Mojave 10.14 USB Installer - How to create an install drive from the macOS Mojave 10.14 application from iDownloadBlog.

 

Format a Drive with GUID for Mojave Installation - How to format a drive to install macOS 10.14 Mojave from the well-respected Mac Observer.

 

Install macOS Mojave Step-by-Step - If the "official" guide wasn't sufficient, this step-by-step guide to install macOS 10.14 Mojave from newcomer TechHowdy may help.

 

Install macOS Mojave on VirtualBox in Windows - How to install macOS 10.14 Mojave in the VirtualBox virtualization environment for testing on a Windows PC.

 

Touchscreen Hackintosh Laptop Install - How to make an HP laptop into a Hackintosh with Clover and a variety of other tools.

 

Asus Gaming Hackintosh - An "everything works" guide for an Asus Z390-I-based Hackintosh geared toward gaming.

 

Update Directly to macOS Mojave - Covers how to upgrade directly from macOS High Sierra to macOS Mojave.

 

Keep Mojave Hackintosh Up-to-Date - A straightforward method to update from version to version of Mojave courtesy of Dave Jansen.

 

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.14 "Mojave" is more limited than it is for macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" that preceded it. Be particularly certain to verify hardware and app compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the operating system or buying parts for a new one.

In addition to potential hardware compatibility issues, you also might have 32-bit apps that do not run, or do not run well under newer versions of the macOS and macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" might be preferable. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for High Sierra include:

 

Install macOS High Sierra on Supported PCs - How to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on a supported computer from the well-known tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast application. The site has troubleshooting help and hardware recommendations for building your own system, as well. It covers the macOS 10.13.1, 10.13.2, 10.13.3, 10.13.4, 10.13.5, and 10.13.6 updates, too.

 

Update macOS High Sierra Directly on Supported PCs - How to update to macOS 10.13 High Sierra on any compatible PC using the Clover application, also from tonymacx86.

 

Install macOS High Sierra on a Coffee Lake Motherboard - How to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on a Gigabyte Z370-HD3P with Multibeast.

 

Install macOS High Sierra on a Skylake-X/X299 Motherboard - How to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on these high performance motherboards. Includes hardware recommendations, also.

 

Install macOS High Sierra on an HP 6300 Pro/HP 8300 Elite - A detailed guide on how to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on these affordable, highly compatible tower PCs using the Unibeast app.

 

Install macOS High Sierra on a Lenovo Y50 - An updated guide to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on this Lenovo notebook using the Clover application.

 

Install macOS High Sierra on an Intel NUC6 mini Computer - A guide to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra (or Sierra or El Capitan) on these computers using a collection of automated scripts.

 

Install macOS High Sierra with Clover - If the "official" tutorial isn't enough, this quality tutorial from well-established Mac site Mac Observer may be exactly what you need. The same author also covers the hardware components that he selected for his Hackintosh, which he has named "Valtur."

 

Update Hackintosh High Sierra, the Painless Way - How to update from one version of macOS High Sierra to another with troubleshooting suggestions if it doesn't go smoothly, also from Mac Observer.

 

macOS High Sierra USB Installer - An easy-to-follow tutorial to create a bootable USB installer for macOS High Sierra using the (subsequently discontinued) DiskMaker X app courtesy of Other World Computing.

 

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" is the same as macOS 10.12 "Sierra" that came before it, although not all Macs support hardware accelerated HVEC. For maximum performance, be sure to confirm hardware compatibility with HVEC before buying parts.

Although official macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" hardware compatibility is the same, you may want to have your Hackintosh run macOS 10.12 "Sierra" for compatibility with specific third-party software like Office for Mac 2011. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for Sierra include:

 

Install macOS Sierra on Supported PCs - How to install macOS 10.12 Sierra on any supported PC from the legendary tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast application. The site has troubleshooting guidelines if the installation does not work properly, as well. It covers the macOS 10.12.1, 10.12.2, 10.12.3, 10.12.4, 10.12.5 and 10.12.6 and updates, too.

 

Upgrade from OS X El Capitan to macOS Sierra - A short tutorial to upgrade a Hackintosh running OS X El Capitan (10.11) to macOS Sierra (10.12) using the Clover application.

 

Install macOS Sierra on PCs Guide - If the "official" tutorial isn't sufficient, this quality tutorial from the long term Microsoft-focused site Redmond Pie also covers how to install macOS Sierra on a PC using Unibeast.

 

Install macOS Sierra on Hackintosh - A short tutorial from newcomer Fitzweekly that explains how to use the Clover tool to install macOS Sierra.

 

Building a GTX 1080 Ti-Powered Hackintosh - A in-depth two-part tutorial that covers hardware selection with a focus on video editing as well as macOS Sierra installation. See the corresponding video below, also.

 

[Not] Always Up-to-Date Hackintosh Guide - A noble effort to write an "always up-to-date" guide to building a Hackintosh from Lifehacker. Ironically, it is not up-to-date, but it covers hardware selection and construction as well as installing macOS Sierra.

 

Build a DIY Mac mini - From Macworld, the author's personal experience of building a small PC and installing macOS Sierra using other tutorials.

 

macOS Sierra USB Installer - A straightforward tutorial to create a bootable USB installer for macOS Sierra using the (subsequently discontinued) DiskMaker X app courtesy of Other World Computing.

 

Two Ways to Create a macOS Sierra Thumb Drive - An archived tutorial from The Verdict (no longer online) that explains how to create a bootable macOS Sierra USB flash drive for a Hackintosh with Terminal and Clover.

 

Building a Hackintosh Pro - An archive of a helpful tutorial to build a powerful tower desktop Hackintosh from Dan Counsell. It includes hardware selection and basic software installation alike.

 

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.12 "Sierra" is more limited than OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" that came before it. Be particularly certain to verify compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the operating system, too.

Because hardware support for macOS Sierra (10.12) is more limited than OS X 10.11 "El Capitan," you may have hardware that is not compatible with later versions of the macOS but that is compatible with this version. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for El Capitan include:

 

Install OS X El Capitan on Supported PCs - How to install OS X 10.11 El Capitan on any supported PC from the legendary tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast 6 software tool. The site has troubleshooting guidelines if the installation does not go smoothly, also. It covers the OS X 10.11.1, 10.11.2, 10.11.3, 10.11.4, 10.11.5, and 10.11.6 updates, as well.

 

Update from OS X Yosemite to El Capitan - A simple tutorial to upgrade directly from OS X Yosemite (10.10) to OS X El Capitan (10.11) using the Clover software tool.

 

Install OS X El Capitan with Chameleon - A basic tutorial to install OS X El Capitan (10.11) using the Enoch version of the older Chameleon bootloader.

 

Install OS X El Capitan on PCs with Unibeast - If the "official" tutorial from tonymacx86 isn't as easy to follow as you would like, you might prefer this installation guide from MacBreaker, which includes step-by-step screenshots of the process.

 

Install OS X El Capitan on PCs with Multibeast 8 - A step-by-step installation guide with easy-to-follow screenshots also from MacBreaker.

 

Install OS X El Capitan on PCs Tutorial - Another quality tutorial to install OS X El Capitan on a compatible PC from the long term Microsoft-focused site Redmond Pie.

 

Building My US$1200 Hackintosh - A long tutorial to select hardware and install OS X El Capitan as well as a performance evaluation written from the perspective of a designer.

 

Dual Boot OS X El Capitan & Windows on PCs - How to install OS X El Capitan and Windows on separate hard drives on your Hackintosh for trouble-free operation.

 

Create a Bootable OS X El Capitan Thumb Drive - A detailed tutorial from ArsTechnica that covers how to create a bootable OS X El Capitan USB flash drive for a Hackintosh (or a Mac) using the (subsequently discontinued) DiskMaker X app.

 

Note that although official hardware support for OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" is extensive, support for specific features, such as support for the advanced "Metal" graphics technology is more limited. If Metal capability (or another particular feature) is of critical interest to you, make sure that it is likely to work with your desired Hackintosh configuration prior to making hardware purchases.

Although official OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" hardware compatibility is the same, you may want to have your Hackintosh run OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" for compatibility with specific third-party hardware or software. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for Yosemite include:

 

Install OS X Yosemite on Supported PCs - How to install OS X 10.10 Yosemite on any supported PC from tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast and Multibeast software tools. For those interested in more detailed understanding of the process, the same site also provides an installation tutorial using Clover. It covers the OS X 10.10.1, 10.10.2, 10.10.3, 10.10.4, and 10.10.5 updates, too.

 

Update OS X Mavericks to Yosemite - A how to guide to update a Hackintosh running OS X Mavericks to OS X Yosemite from tonymacx86 using Unibeast and Multibeast.

 

Install OS X Yosemite on PCs with Unibeast and Multibeast 7 - If the "official" guide above to installing OS X Yosemite on your PC with tonymacx86's Unibeast and Multibeast isn't quite what you would like, try these tutorials from MacBreaker complete with extensive screenshots of the entire installation process.

 

Install OS X 10.10 Yosemite - An OS X 10.10 Yosemite Hackintosh installation guide for beginners from a helpful InsanelyMac forum member. Also see the "All-in-One Guide" from another helpful forum user. Forum postings from "ikingblack" and "snatch" may be useful, as well. These tutorials use the Chameleon bootloader.

 

Install OS X Yosemite with Yosemite Zone - This tutorial from MacBreaker provides detailed screenshots to install the Niresh distro with MacPwn as well as a helpful comparison to other OS X Yosemite installation methods. The same site covers installing the Yosemite Zone distro within the Virtualbox virtualization suite, as well.

 

Yosemite Budget Hackintosh - This archived blog post originally from Geek Dime (now offline) covers inexpensive compatible hardware as well as OS X Yosemite installation with the Clover EFI bootloader.

 

Install Yosemite on an HP Laptop - How to install Yosemite on a number of different HP laptops using the Clover UEFI.

 

Dual Boot Mavericks & Yosemite - An archive of an in-depth guide, complete with screen shots, that covers installing both OS X Yosemite and OS X Mavericks on separate drive partitions.

 

Note that although official hardware support for OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" is quite broad, specific feature support can vary widely.

Although official OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" and even OS X 10.11 "El Capitan" hardware compatibility essentially is the same, you still may prefer to have your vintage Hackintosh run OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" whether for software compatibility or simply because you do not like the "flat" interface design that OS X "Yosemite" introduced to the platform. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for Mavericks include:

 

Install OS X 10.9 Mavericks - An OS X 10.9 Mavericks Hackintosh installation guide from tonymacx86 using the site's UniBeast app. The site also covers the OS X 10.9.1, 10.9.2, 10.9.3, 10.9.4, and 10.9.5 updates.

 

Installing OS X 10.9 Mavericks with myHack - From MacBreaker, a how to installation guide for OS X Mavericks using the sophisticated myHack app. If the "official" guide (above) isn't sufficient, you also may find this site's OS X Mavericks Unibeast tutorial and its tutorial for the sketchy Niresh distro helpful, too.

 

OS X 10.9 Mavericks Installation on Gigabyte Motherboards - Explains how to install OS X Mavericks, as well as Lion and Mountain Lion, on Gigabyte motherboards using the Hackinstaller script. This tutorial also includes a list of FAQs that can be quite helpful for troubleshooting.

 

Install OS X Mavericks in Virtualbox - From MacBreaker, explains how to install OS X Mavericks in Virtualbox using the dodgy Niresh distro.

 

Dual Boot OS X Mavericks & Windows 8/8.1 - A brief guide to dual boot both OS X Mavericks and Windows 8/8.1 on UEFI-based Hackintosh systems using the Clover bootloader program.

 

Upgrading Mountain Lion to Mavericks - Explains how to upgrade a Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3-based Hackintosh from OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion to OS X 10.9 Mavericks using MultiBeast, Chimera, and other apps.

 

Building a Hackintosh with Quo's Any OS Motherboard - An interesting piece from TechSpot that covers both the Quo "Any OS" (AOS) motherboard -- quietly designed to be as compatible as possible with OS X -- and OS X Mavericks installation and configuration.

 

Install OS X Mavericks on Your Hackintosh - An archived guide to building a Hackintosh from Lifehacker. Covers hardware selection and construction as well as installing OS X Mavericks.

 

Create a Bootable OS X 10.9 Mavericks Thumb Drive - An ArsTechnica tutorial that explains how to create a bootable OS X Mavericks USB flash drive for a Hackintosh (or a Mac) with the (subsequently discontinued) DiskMaker X.

Although hardware compatibility is essentially identical to OS X 10.11 "El Capitan," OS X 10.10 "Yosemite," and OS X 10.9 "Mavericks," Hackintosh installation procedures and tools can be different for OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion":

 

Install OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion - A complete OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" Hackintosh installation guide from the legendary tonymacx86 using the site's UniBeast installation tool. The site covers the OS X 10.8.1, 10.8.2, 10.8.3, 10.8.4, and 10.8.5 updates, too.

 

Install OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion with myHack - An installation guide for OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" using the sophisticated myHack app (no longer online), which has more features than UniBeast and may be of interest accordingly.

 

Install OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion with UniBeast - If the "official" tutorial from tonymacx86 wasn't enough, this one from MacBreaker may help. The same site also covers how to install both of the dodgy iATKOS and Niresh distros of "Mountain Lion" as well as how to install "Mountain Lion" in Virtualbox with Hackboot.

 

Budget Hackintosh Project - An archive of a ten page tutorial covering hardware selection and construction for an inexpensive "Ivy Bridge" OS X "Mountain Lion" Hackintosh from BenchmarkReviews (no longer online). The author also provides shorter tutorials about OS X Mountain Lion software installation and Hackintosh performance hardware options.

 

Build an OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Hackintosh - Originally written for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and subsequently updated to cover OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and "Ivy Bridge" motherboards, this archive of a twelve page Hackintosh tutorial from NoFilmSchool (no longer online) is geared toward amateur filmmakers. It covers hardware selection and assembly in addition to OS X installation.

 

Install OS X 10.8.5 on a Hackintosh - How to install OS X 10.8.5 on a Hackintosh from Lifehacker. Covers hardware selection and construction as well as installing the OS X "Mountain Lion" software.

 

Upgrade to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion from OS X 10.7 Lion - A well-written tutorial to upgrade a Hackintosh running OS X 10.7 "Lion" to OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" from the excellent Bassheadtech. The same blogger also covers how to switch from BIOS to UEFI on a compatible Gigabyte board.

 

HP ProBook 4530 Hackintosh - An interesting article from Sonic State (no longer online) about OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" installation on an HP ProBook 4530 from the perspective of a professional musician -- and "old school" Mac and Amiga user -- interested in backwards compatibility. Significant coverage of emulation environments, too.

 

Create a Bootable OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion USB Drive - A detailed ArsTechnica piece to create a bootable OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" USB flash drive for a Hackintosh (or a Mac) using the (subsequently discontinued) DiskMaker X app.

 

Fusion Drive Setup for a Hackintosh - A tutorial from MacBreaker that covers the process of configuring a Fusion Drive on a "Mountain Lion" Hackintosh system.

 

Adding an SSD to a Hackintosh with a Hard Drive - A useful walkthrough from Bassheadtech that explains how to install an SSD in an OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" Hackintosh that already has a hard drive to significantly enhance performance.

 

Note that just like its predecessor, OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" does not support "Rosetta" and cannot run older Mac OS X software written for the PowerPC processor. Those who need older software should instead consider Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard."

Hackintosh tutorials for OS X 10.7 "Lion" still may be of interest for compatibility with additional hardware, whether system components themselves or third-party peripherals:

 

Install OS X 10.7 Lion via Download - The quintessential tutorial to install the download version of OS X 10.7 "Lion" on a PC with compatible hardware using xMove and Multibeast from tonymacx86. The same site also covers upgrading a Hackintosh to OS X Lion 10.7.1, 10.7.2, 10.7.3, 10.7.4, and 10.7.5.

 

Install OS X 10.7 Lion via Apple Thumb Drive - A simple tutorial to install OS X "Lion" from the retail Apple USB thumb drive on a Hackintosh using the xMove software tool, also from tonymacx86.

 

Install OS X 10.7 Lion via All-In-One Bootable USB Drive - A detailed tutorial to install OS X "Lion" from a bootable USB drive using the UniBeast tool, yet again from tonymacx86.

 

Installing Lion with Kakewalk - A walkthrough from MacBreaker that covers OS X "Lion" installation using Kakewalk on a supported Gigabyte-based Hackintosh. The site offers a "Lion" walkthrough for UniBeast, too.

 

Lion on the Hackintosh - An insightful and detailed post from photographer Thomas Pindelski. Covers OS X 10.7 "Lion" installation, workarounds, limitations, benchmarks and more.

 

Lion on an AMD Hackintosh - A step-by-step post to install OS X Lion on an AMD-based Hackintosh from MacBreaker using the myHack software tool (no longer online) and selected kexts.

 

Buying Lion on a Hackintosh - A short, but vital, post on upgrading a Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" via the App Store from the always excellent Bassheadtech.

 

Building a Hackintosh Mini ITX Server - A helpful post on building a "Hackintosh" Mac mini running Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" Server. Also from Bassheadtech.

 

OS X Lion on Acer 523h & D257 Netbooks - An archived post that explains how to install OS X 10.7 "Lion" on these vintage netbooks from my Mac Netbook (no longer online).

 

Note that Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" does not support "Rosetta" and cannot run older Mac OS X software for the PowerPC processor. Those who need older software should instead consider Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard."

Hackintosh tutorials for Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" can be particularly useful for those who need their Hackintosh to be compatible with software written for the PowerPC processor or for those who simply do not like the "iOS-ification" that OS X Lion brought to the platform:

 

The Snow Leopard Hackintosh - Written in late 2013, an easy-to-follow guide covering hardware configuration and Mac OS X installation for a Snow Leopard Hackintosh from FreeHand Forum (no longer online).

 

Snow Leopard on Hackintosh (Second Method) - An excellent guide to installing Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" from Bassheadtech. The same blogger also offers an older step-by-step guide to upgrading a Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" from Mac OS X 10.5.8 "Leopard". Bassheadtech likewise covers upgrading a Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.6.3, 10.6.4, 10.6.5, 10.6.6, 10.6.7 and 10.6.8.

 

Install Mac OS X Snow Leopard on an Intel PC - Straightforward instructions using the iBoot and MultiBeast tools from tonymacx86. The same site also helps one upgrade a Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.6.3, 10.6.4, 10.6.5, 10.6.6, 10.6.7 and finally 10.6.8 with useful blog posts.

 

Ivy Bridge Snow Leopard Hackintosh - From MacBreaker, an "experimental" guide to installing Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" on an "Ivy Bridge" Hackintosh with the iBoot Ivy Bridge software tool. The same site also provides a guide to install the operating system on an older "Sandy Bridge" system.

 

Sandy Bridge Snow Leopard Hackintosh - A six page guide to installing Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" on a custom-built "Sandy Bridge" Hackintosh from RegHardware. Uses the iBoot Legacy and Multibeast applications.

 

Turning PC into Apple Macintosh - An archive of an insightful evaluation of a personal experience building a Hackintosh and a comparison of the resulting Hackintosh to a Mac Pro from BenchmarkReviews (no longer online).

 

Snow Leopard on an AMD PC - An archive of an older Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" installation process on a Hackintosh as well as custom details related to using an AMD-based system from iHackintosh (no longer online). The same site also offers a list of kexts that may be helpful.

 

Install Snow Leopard in VMWare - An archived guide to install Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" in VMWARE for Windows 7.

 

Snow Leopard on a Dell Mini 9, Dell Mini v10, HP Mini 1000 and HP Mini 110-3710 - Archives of detailed and easy-to-follow guides from my Mac netbook (no longer online).

 

Snow Leopard on an Acer Aspire One ZG5 - Another great walkthrough for Snow Leopard on this largely compatible netbook courtesy of Bassheadtech.

 

Snow Leopard on a Dell Mini 10v - An older walkthrough from the Gizmodo blog for the "ultimate Snow Leopard netbook".

There are a variety of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" Hackintosh tutorials that still can be useful for those creating a Hackintosh with more vintage hardware, or just for "historical" interest, too:

 

Hackintosh In-Depth - a fantastically comprehensive nine part guide covering Hackintosh building, Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" installation, and more from Bassheadtech.

 

Dell Vostro A90 Netbook - A brief blog post from Hack a Day covering the Hackintosh process on this essentially rebadged Dell Mini 9. See the below videos too.

 

MSI Wind Netbook - A step-by-step Hackintosh installation guide for the MSI Wind from the Gear Diary blog.

 

Acer Aspire One (A150X) - A helpful posting from Fernando Colaço's "general purpose useless blog" (no longer online) with installation directions and limitations of the Acer netbook.

 

Sony Vaio P Netbook - An archived collection of long gone forum posts documenting the struggle of getting Mac OS X to run on the ultraslim Sony netbook.

 

Guide to Creating a Hackintosh - Hardware selection and Mac OS X installation info from Techware Labs.

 

Install a Retail Mac OS X Leopard DVD on a PC - An archived step-by-step installation guide from the MeNoob blog (no longer online).

 

Building a Hackintosh Apple Can't Sue You For - Choosing hardware and how to install Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" courtesy of the well-respected OSNews website.




 

Hackintosh Compatible Computers, Parts & Drivers

 

You can't just install macOS on any old PC and expect it to work like it does on a Mac. Let's face it, given the vast assortment of configurations, you can't install Windows on any old PC and expect it to work like OS X does on a Mac. Fortunately, many have experimented with Mac OS X on a wide variety of PC hardware and have shared their findings with the world.

 

The following listings of Hackintosh compatible computers, parts, motherboards and drivers (kexts) should be helpful:

 

DSDT Database - A database of "Differentiated System Description Tables" to make many motherboards from Asrock, ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte, Intel and MSI "aware" of Mac OS X. In turn, this is promised to make it possible for the operating system to "utilize more of your hardware" -- from tonymacx86 (registration required).

 

Kext.me - An organized list of kexts, bootloaders, and plugins to make it easier to set up a Hackintosh.

 

OS X Compatible Notebooks - Recent discussion regarding notebooks from Acer, Alienware, HP, Dell, and others that largely are compatible with recent versions of macOS.

 

OSx86 Project - An archived copy of the original wiki [no longer online] that once listed desktop and notebook computers, as well as parts, that were compatible with some older versions of Mac OS X.

 

OS X Mavericks Compatible Notebooks - A listing of select notebooks from Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo that are mostly compatible with OS X Mavericks (10.9) courtesy of MacBreaker.

 

Mac OS X Netbook Compatibility Chart - This archived copy of a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard compatibility chart of dozens of netbooks from my Mac Netbook (no longer online) can be particularly useful for those interested in "legacy" Mac OS X use.


 

Hackintosh Support Communities

 

There are a number of vibrant and active communities that focus on helping one another to configure, build, and troubleshoot Hackintosh systems. Notable Hackintosh communities such as the following may be useful to you:

 

InsanelyMac Tonymacx86 HACKintosh
AMD OSX Hackintosh DE MacBidouille
haMac.pl OSx86 ES Olarila BR

 

Before posting a message in any of these forums, it always is good form to first search and see whether or not your question has been addressed previously. Those who do not do so can expect to be dismissed as "noobs" or ignored.


 

Hackintosh Installation & Usability Videos

 

The following videos demonstrate the installation process for macoS Sonoma (macOS 14), macOS Ventura (macOS 13), macOS Monterey (macOS 12), macOS Big Sur (macOS 11), and macOS Catalina (10.15) -- as well as earlier versions of Mac OS X all the way back to Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) -- on PC hardware. Be sure to also see the written Hackintosh tutorials, above.

 

This video from BarTech TV enumerates specifc recommended parts for a very inexpensive DIY PC in addition to a quick overview of installing macOS Sonoma (macOS 14) with OpenCore:

 

This video from BarTech TV provides details about recommended parts for a compatible, self-built PC as well as the installation process for macOS Ventura (macOS 13) using OpenCore:

 

This video from YouTuber Brandon Yen provides step-by-step instructions to install macOS Monterey (macOS 12) on a compatible PC with OpenCore (Dortania):

 

This detailed video from TECHNolli covers step-by-step guidelines to install macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) on a compatible PC with OpenCore (Dortania):

 

This helpful video from Mark with Tech (no longer online) offers easy-to-follow instructions to install macOS Catalina (10.15) on a compatible PC with Clover:

 

This quick video from Mark with Tech (no longer online) provides step-by-step instructions to install macOS Mojave (10.14) on a compatible PC using Clover and other tools:

 

This video from Martin Guder provides step-by-step instructions to install macOS High Sierra (10.13) on a compatible PC using Clover:

 

This video -- created by 9to5Mac -- provides a detailed guide for how to install macOS Sierra (10.12) on a compatible PC using the Clover bootloader and other software:

 

This video from MW Technology provides a detailed walkthrough of how to install OS X El Capitan (10.11) on a compatible PC using Unibeast 6:

 

This video -- courtesy of Roche Technology -- diligently explains how to install OS X Yosemite (10.10) on an X99-based PC motherboard using Unibeast with the Chimera bootloader app. He discusses other motherboards and other installation methods, as well.

 

This video -- from Roche Technology -- demonstrates how to install OS X Mavericks (10.9) using Chimera, MultiBeast, and the "ShowHiddenFiles" app. This instructional video is particularly useful for anyone who wants to install a "plain vanilla" version of Mavericks and have a solid understanding of the underlying process.

 

This video -- from YouTube's Duncan33303 -- covers needed hardware as well as how to install OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" using commonly available software tools.

 

This video -- from Aibal Tech Report -- provides hardware recommendations, how to install OS X 10.7 "Lion" with third-party software hacks, and tips to manage a Hackintosh for improved reliability and performance.

 

This video -- from videographer Matthew Mintun -- recommends hardware for those interested in a high-performance Hackintosh tower and covers the Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" installation process with the iBoot and MultiBeast applications.

 

The Dell Mini 9 was regarded widely as one of the first netbooks that was ideal for a Hackintosh as it was both easy to perform the transformation and the hardware was highly compatible as well.

 

Although this model has long since been discontinued, these videos -- from Michael Smith and Andy Ihnatko, respectively -- provide the general installation procedure of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" on a netbook and an in-depth look at the compatibility and usability of the operating system on the same 'book.

 


 

 


Please note that Apple does not support Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware and installing Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware may be illegal in your country. Hackintosh.com, and the author thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the linked information. Hackintosh.com is not approved by or affiliated with Apple, Inc.