macOS 11 Big Sur is an advanced Macintosh operating system that you can install on your Mac. It has got tons of new features to enhance the user experience, like making safari browser 50% faster, new features of messages, Air Pods improvements, new-design sidebar in mail and photos, widgets in the notification bar, and many more.

Apple announced this new software on 22 June at WWDC. And this time, Apple did a big challenge and released the macOS 11 Big Sur along with iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7. Meanwhile, Apple highlighted all the new features, changes, and improvements to the current software. You can download this new operating system from various sources now. Unfortunately, some Macs can't receive macOS 11 Big Sur update and they can't install the new operating system. In this article, we will discuss how to install macOS 11 Big Sur on an Unsupported Mac with easy steps.

Part 1: Official List of Big Sur Supported Mac Models

The easy way to run macOS Catalina on your Unsupported Mac. Download Latest Version View Changelog. Current Version Info. Current Version: 1.4.4. If you have NOT previously installed High Sierra, you can download and install this package (if running OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later) to install the latest BootROM version (you MUST reboot after. How To Get Catalina On Unsupported Mac; Osx Catalina On Unsupported Macs; MacOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.15 (Catalina), macOS 11 (Big Sur). Unsupported Operating System(s) BETA and newly released versions of any Operating System(s) cannot be guaranteed to work with the Business School resources, including the wired and wireless networks.

macOS 11 Big Sur Developer Beta is available to download. But you have to check your Mac compatibility first. If you have the below-listed Macs then you don't have to install macOS 11 Big Sur as these models will receive an update for macOS Big Sur automatically.

• MacBook 2015 and later
• MacBook Air and Pro Late 2013 and later
• Mac mini 2014 and later
• iMac 2014 and later
• iMac Pro 2017 and later (all models)
• Mac Pro 2013 and later

Part 2: Unsupported Mac Models of Big Sur (Not Eligible for Direct Upgrade)

On the other hand, if you have the below-listed Mac computers then you can install macOS Big Sur on those models as they are unsupported officially. You have to do some hacks to let Big Sur running on unsupported Macs.

• MacBook Air 2012
• MacBook Pro 2012 and Early 2013 MacBook Pro
• 2012 Mac Mini
• 2012 and 2013 iMac

Part 3: How to Install macOS Big Sur on an Unsupported Mac

Before the installation, make sure that you take a backup of your Mac on an external hard disk as you will lose all your data when you install the new operating system. There are several backup software like Time Machine, iCloud, Dropbox, and many more. Once you have taken a backup follow the instructions below to install macOS Big Sur on your unsupported Mac.

Step 1: First you need to download two files from the links below to complete the macOS 11 Big Sur installation on your unsupported Mac.

• macOS Big Sur PKG installer: https://developer.apple.com/macos/
• macOS Big Sur PKG install hack: https://forums.macrumors.com/simple-installer-hack-zip.926156/

Step 2: After you have downloaded these two files, unzip the hack and copy the hax.dylib file and then paste it to home folder.

Step 3: Click on Install Assistant.pkg to install required contents to your Mac. Make sure that you have enough space on your hard disk as the file will take 20.1 MB size on your computer.

Step 4: Now go ahead and tap on the Install button to install the software on the disk 'Macintosh SSD'. Once you click the 'Install' button then it will ask you to enter your password. Next, click the 'Install Software' button.

Step 5: Next, you have to boot your computer into Recovery mode. You can do that by pressing Command + R immediately on startup until Recovery option appears. In case if you have no recovery partition, you can press down Command + Option +R to get into Internet Recovery. After that, go to Utilities -> Terminal and type 'csrutil disable', followed by pressing the Enter button on your keyboard.

Step 6: Type the following two commands in the terminal. Once you apply the first command, type your login password, and then input the second command.

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.security.libraryvalidation.plist DisableLibraryValidation -bool true

launchctl setenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES $PWD/Hax.dylib

Step 7: Next, run the macOS 11 Big Sur installer app that you installed from InstallAssistant.pkg a while ago. Now click on the 'Continue' button and follow the instructions to complete the installation process.

Step 8: The installation will take about 30 minutes approximately. Once the installation is successful you will see the macOS 11 Big Sur wallpaper on your Mac screen. That's it, you have installed macOS Big Sur on your unsupported Mac successfully.

Install Osx On Unsupported Mac

Follow the above-mentioned method to install macOS 11 Big Sur on unsupported Mac devices. The method is quite easy; you just have to focus on the command line and other installation procedures.

Part 4: Alternative Method to Install Big Sur on an Unsupported Mac

The above tutorial is for users who still have access to their device. However, if your Mac is unable to boot into Desktop or you are using a Hackintosh, then you should follow the alternative method instead. In this part, we will show you how to create a macOS Big Sugr bootable USB on a Windows PC and install macOS Big Sur on unsupported Mac by using that bootable media.

Step 1: Make a full backup of important files on your Mac.

Step 2: Download a copy of UUByte DMG Editor and follow the instructions to install it on your Windows PC.

Step 3: Insert a USB flash drive into PC and open UUByte DMG Editor. Now, click the Burn tab to get into the new window.

Step 4: You will see three options on Burn windows. Please import macOS Big Sur DMG file into the program and choose the USB drive name. You can also set a new name for that USB drive. And this is optional.

Step 5: Once the setting process is completed, just click 'Burn' button located at the bottom to start burning dmg file to USB on your PC. You should wait about 10 minutes for this task.

Step 6: Plug Big Sur bootable USB on your Mac and press Power + Option combine keys to open Startup Manager. At this stage, you are able to select a booting device. Click on the USB drive and start Big Sur installation process.

This part is mainly for Windows users who want to install Big Sur on an unsupported Mac. The most important step is to create a bootable USB drive.

Troubleshooting:

If your system is showing any error message while installing the macOS Big Sur you can try these methods to fix it.

• Restart your Computer and continue with the installation.
• Make sure that your Mac’s date and time is correct.
• Check your Hard Drive to see that you have enough free space to carry out the installation.
• Make sure that the version of macOS Big Sur is up to date including the macOs installer
• Run first aid on your startup disk before installing macOS Big Sur to check any system files are damaged or not.

Summary

Install Macos 11 Big Sur On Unsupported Macs

You can see that it is not hard to install macOS Big Sur on an Supported Mac. Make sure that you key in the right command lines which are mentioned above, as typing a wrong command can harm your system. Enjoy the great features that come with the macOS Big Sur on your unsupported device!

This advisory describes the changes and steps administrators can take to deploy Mac Connector 1.14.

The Mojave 10.14.1 update does NOT install properly on unsupported machines, and could result in an unbootable OS. If you want to install the 10.14.1 update (and are not currently running 10.14.1), perform the following steps. Jun 22, 2020 A: If your Mac had official support in macOS Catalina, they will likely be able to be patched to run Big Sur with minimal issues. As of writing, only WiFi appears to be unstable, and even then, not for all users. If your Mac was unsupported before the release of macOS Catalina, support remains to be seen as graphics acceleration may not be.

Mac Connector version 1.14 introduces a number of changes that require user attention. Most notably, this Connector release includes changes to full disk access approvals and adds support for macOS 11 (Big Sur) System Extensions.
Since the inital 1.14 launch, compatibility issues have been discovered with 3rd party applications on macOS 10.15 Catalina when system extensions are in use. Apple will be addressing these issues in future releases of macOS 11 but will not be fixing these issues in macOS 10.15. Consequently, starting with version 1.14.1, the Mac Connector will use legacy kernel extensions instead of system extensions on all versions of macOS 10.15.
Mac Connector 1.14 is required to ensure endpoint protection on macOS 11. Older Mac Connectors will not work on this version of macOS.
It is highly recommended to deploy the Mac Connector with an MDM profile that grants the required approvals. MDM profiles must be installed before installing or upgrading the Mac Connector to ensure the needed permissions are recognized. Refer to the Known Issues section later in this document if MDM cannot be used.

Minimum OS Requirements

AMP for Endpoints Mac Connector 1.14.0 supports the following macOS versions:

• macOS 11, using macOS system extensions.
• macOS 10.15.5 and later, using macOS system extensions.
• macOS 10.15.0 through macOS 10.15.4, using macOS kernel extensions
• macOS 10.14, using macOS kernel extensions.

AMP for Endpoints Mac Connector 1.14.1 supports the following macOS versions:

• macOS 11, using macOS system extensions.
• macOS 10.15 using macOS kernel extensions.
• macOS 10.14, using macOS kernel extensions.

For deployments that include endpoints running older macOS versions, consult the OS Compatibility Table for compatible Mac Connector versions.

Important Changes

Mac Connector 1.14 introduces important changes in three areas:

1. Approving AMP macOS Extensions to load
2. Full Disk Access
3. New Directory Structure

Approving Mac Connector macOS Extensions

The Mac Connector uses either System Extensions or legacy Kernel Extensions to monitor system activities, depending on the macOS version. On macOS 11, System Extensions replace the legacy Kernel Extensions that are unsupported in macOS 11. User approval is required on all versions of macOS before either type of extension is allowed to run. Without approval, certain Connector functions such as on-access file scan and network access monitoring will be unavailable.

Macos catalina for macbook pro 2015. Mac Connector 1.14 introduces two new macOS system extensions:

1. An Endpoint Security extension, named AMP Security Extension, to monitor system events
2. A Network Content Filter extension, named AMP Network Extension, to monitor network access

The two legacy Kernel Extensions, ampfileop.kext and ampnetworkflow.kext, are included for backwards compatibility on older macOS versions that don't support the new macOS System Extensions.

The following approvals are required for macOS 11** and later:

• Approve AMP Security Extension to load
• Approve AMP Network Extension to load
• Allow AMP Network Extension to filter network content

** Mac Connector version 1.14.0 also required these approvals on macOS 10.15. These approvals are no longer required on macOS 10.15 when running Mac Connector 1.14.1 or later.

The following approvals are required for macOS 10.14 and macOS 10.15:

• Approve AMP Kernel Extensions to load

These approvals can be granted using the macOS Security & Privacy Preferences on the endpoint, or by using Mobile Device Management (MDM) profiles.

Approving Mac Connector macOS Extensions at the Endpoint

System and Kernel extensions can be approved manually from the macOS Security & Privacy Preferences pane.

Approving Mac Connector macOS Extensions using MDM

NOTE: macOS Extensions cannot be retroactively approved via MDM. If the MDM profile is not deployed prior to installing the Connector then the approvals will not be granted and additional intervention will be required in one of the following forms:

1. Manual approval of the macOS Extensions on endpoints that had the management profile deployed retroactively.
2. Upgrading the Mac Connector to a newer version than the one currently deployed. Endpoints that had themanagement profile deployed retroactively will recognize the management profile after upgrade and gain approval once the upgrade completes.

AMP extensions can be approved using a management profile with the following payloads and properties:

How To Install Macos On Unsupported Mac

Payload	Property	Value
SystemExtensions	AllowedSystemExtensions	com.cisco.endpoint.svc.securityextension, com.cisco.endpoint.svc.networkextension
	AllowedSystemExtensionTypes	EndpointSecurityExtension, NetworkExtension
	AllowedTeamIdentifiers	DE8Y96K9QP
SystemPolicyKernelExtensions	AllowedKernelExtensions	com.cisco.amp.fileop, com.cisco.amp.nke
	AllowedTeamIdentifiers	TDNYQP7VRK
WebContentFilter	AutoFilterEnabled	false
	FilterDataProviderBundleIdentifier	com.cisco.endpoint.svc.networkextension
	FilterDataProviderDesignatedRequirement	anchor apple generic and identifier 'com.cisco.endpoint.svc.networkextension' and (certificate leaf[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.9] /* exists */ or certificate 1[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.2.6] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.13] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[subject.OU] = DE8Y96K9QP)
	FilterGrade	firewall
	FilterBrowsers	false
	FilterPackets	false
	FilterSockets	true
	PluginBundleID	com.cisco.endpoint.svc
	UserDefinedName	AMP Network Extension

Full Disk Access

MacOS 10.14 and later require approval before an application can access parts of the filesystem that contain personal user data (e.g. Contacts, Photos, Calendar, and other applications). Certain Connector functions such as on-access file scan will be unable to scan these files for threats without approval.

Previous Mac Connector versions required the user to grant Full Disk Access to the ampdaemon program. Mac Connector 1.14 requires Full Disk Access for:

• 'AMP for Endpoints Service' and
• 'AMP Security Extension'

The ampdaemon program no longer requires Full Disk Access starting with this new Mac Connector version.

Full Disk Access approvals can be granted using the macOS Security & Privacy Preferences on the endpoint, or by using Mobile Device Management (MDM) profiles.

Approving Full Disk Access at the Endpoint

Full Disk Access can be approved manually from the macOS Security & Privacy Preferences pane.

Approving Full Disk Access Using MDM

NOTE: macOS Extensions cannot be retroactively approved via MDM. If the MDM profile is not deployed prior to installing the Connector then the approvals will not be granted and additional intervention will be required in one of the following forms:

1. Manual approval of the macOS Extensions on endpoints that had the management profile deployed retroactively.
2. Upgrading the Mac Connector to a newer version than the one currently deployed. Endpoints that had the management profile deployed retroactively will recognize the management profile after upgrade and gain approval once the upgrade completes.

Full Disk Access can be approved using a management profile's Privacy Preferences Policy Control payload with a SystemPolicyAllFiles property with the following two entries, one for the AMP for Endpoints Service and one for the AMP Security Extension:

Description	Property	Value
AMP for Endpoints Service	Allowed	true
	CodeRequirement	anchor apple generic and identifier 'com.cisco.endpoint.svc' and (certificate leaf[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.9] /* exists */ or certificate 1[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.2.6] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.13] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[subject.OU] = DE8Y96K9QP)
	Identifier	com.cisco.endpoint.svc
	IdentifierType	bundleID
AMP Security Extension	Allowed	true
	CodeRequirement	anchor apple generic and identifier 'com.cisco.endpoint.svc.securityextension' and (certificate leaf[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.9] /* exists */ or certificate 1[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.2.6] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.13] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[subject.OU] = DE8Y96K9QP)
	Identifier	com.cisco.endpoint.svc.securityextension
	IdentifierType	bundleID

If your deployment includes computers running AMP Connector version 1.12.7 or older, the following additional entry is still required to grant full disk access to ampdaemon for those computers:

Description	Property	Value
ampdaemon	Allowed	true
	CodeRequirement	identifier ampdaemon and anchor apple generic and certificate 1[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.2.6] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[field.1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.13] /* exists */ and certificate leaf[subject.OU] = TDNYQP7VRK
	Identifier	/opt/cisco/amp/ampdaemon
	IdentifierType	path

New Directory Structure

Install Macos Mojave On Unsupported Mac

Mac Connector 1.14 introduces two changes to the directory structure:

1. The Applications directory has been renamed from Cisco AMP to Cisco AMP for Endpoints.
2. The command-line utility ampcli has been moved from /opt/cisco/amp to /Applications/Cisco AMP for Endpoints/AMP for Endpoints Connector.app/Contents/MacOS. The directory /opt/cisco/amp contains a symlink to the ampcli program at its new location.

The complete directory structure for the new AMP Connector is as follows:

Known Issues with macOS 11.0 and Mac Connector 1.14.1.

• Guidance for fault 10, 'Reboot required to load kernel module or system extension,' may be incorrect if four or more Network Content Filters are installed on the computer. Refer to the AMP For Endpoints Mac Connector Faults article for more details.

Known Issues with macOS 10.15/11.0 and Mac Connector 1.14.0.

• Some faults raised by the Mac Connector may be raised unexpectedly. Refer to the AMP For Endpoints Mac Connector Faults article for more details.
  • Fault 13, Too many Network Content Filter system extensions, may be raised after upgrading. Rebooting the computer will resolve the fault in this situation.
  • Fault 15, System Extension requires Full Disk Access, may be raised after reboot due to a bug in macOS 11.0.0. This issue is fixed in macOS 11.0.1. The fault can be resolved by re-granting full disk access in the Security & Privacy pane in macOS System Preferences.
    
• During installation, the Security & Privacy pane may display 'Placeholder Developer' as the application name when granting permission for the Mac Connector system extensions to run. This is due to a bug in macOS 10.15. Check the boxes beside 'Placeholder Developer' to allow the Mac Connector to protect the computer.
  
  • The systemextensionsctl listcommand can be used to determine which system extensions are awaiting approval. System extensions with the state [activated waiting for user]in this output are displayed as 'Placeholder Developer' in the macOS preferences page shown above. If more than two 'Placeholder Developer' entries are showin in the above preferences page, uninstall all software that uses system extensions (including the Mac Connector) so that no system extensions are awaiting approval, and then reinstall the Mac Connector.
    The Mac Connector sysem extensions are identified as follows:
    
    • The Network Extension is shown as com.cisco.endpoint.svc.networkextension.
    • The Endpoint Security extension is shown has com.cisco.endpoint.svc.securityextension.
      
• During install, the prompt to allow the Mac Connector's Content Filter to monitor network traffic may display '(null)' as the application name. This is caused by a bug in macOS 10.15. The user needs to select 'Allow' to to ensure protection of the computer.
  If the prompt was dismissed by clicking 'Don't Allow' it can be displayed again by clicking the AMP Agent menulet icon in the menu bar and selecting 'Allow Network Filter.'
  Once enabled, the AMP Network Extension filter will be listed in the Network Preferences page.
  
• On macOS 11, when upgrading from Mac Connector 1.12 to Mac Connector 1.14, Fault 4, System Extension Failed to Load, may be raised temporarily while the Connector is transitioning from the kernel extensions to the new system extensions.

Revision History

Dec 1, 2020

• Mac Connector 1.14.1 no longer uses system extensions on macOS 10.15.
• Additional guidance on using terminal check which 'Placeholder Developer' System Extensions are awaiting approval when using Mac Connector 1.14.0.

Nov 9, 2020

• Corrected bundle ID in full disk access CodeRequirement MDM payload.

Nov 3, 2020

Macos 10.14 Mojave On Unsupported Macs

• Release date for 1.14.0 Mac Connector is November 2020.
• The 1.14.0 Mac Connector will use System Extensions starting with macOS 10.15.5. Previously this was 10.15.6.
• Added Known Issues section.
• Updated directory structure outline.

Welcome to Mr. Macintosh.com. If you are part of one of the following groups, Mac Admins, Mac Support, Mac Developer, Mac in Education or Mac User, then this is the site for you. Each group is important, yet has different needs.

• Mac Admin = This tag is for anyone in who is in Macintosh Architecture, Engineering, System Administration, or MDM Administrators.
• Mac Support = Someone who supports or fixes Macintosh issues. This group includes anyone who works in a Macintosh Helpdesk role. You could be level 1-3 or even a Subject Matter Expert (SME) or Team Lead or Management.
• Mac in Education = This group is for anyone working in K-12 or Higher Education. You could be a teacher, Helpdesk Analyst, or Administrator.
• Mac Developer = A Mac Developer, covers anyone who develops software on the Mac, including macOS iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
• Mac User = This could be anyone who uses a Mac. You want to learn more about how the Mac works. You could be an everyday user, enterprise user, student, collector, or even an enthusiast.

I have at one time or another been a part of 4 of 5 groups. I started as a Mac User when I got my first Mac (Blue and White PowerMac G3). Then I got my first job in Mac EDU (Mac Higher Education). After that, I moved on to Mac Support (Mac Enterprise IT Support). Today I am a member of Mac Admins (Macintosh Architecture & Engineering).

If you are just getting started and are thinking of getting into a career supporting Apple devices, knowledge and learning is critical. Read and learn as much as you can along the way.

Macos Mojave On Unsupported Macs

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