How to Install macOS Big Sur & Monterey on Hackintosh PC with Opencore – Easy Way!

Have succeeded in installing macOS Big Sur & Monterey on my Hackintosh PC using Opencore. Since the OS could not be installed on my old low-budget motherboard which is MSi LGA 775 with core 2 duo CPU. So, yeah I do upgrade my mobo to Gigabyte LGA 1155 H61M DDR 3 along with a Core i3 3220 CPU still low-budget anyway 🙂

In this post, I will share how I do it in alternative ways. This is my first time using Opencore as the boot loader. I am a Clover guy you know, and my approach here is maybe slightly different. But it works anyway … Oh ya, this post is meant to work with an already running macOS on a Hackintosh PC.

I do use the references from the official Dortania site (and you should too). Of course, also from any source that I can find on the internet.

If you are still learning how to use Opencore either, you are not alone. So let’s wrap it up, I’ll try my best here to share what I’ve learned. So you can get a reference for your Hackintosh project.

Making the USB Installer

To make macOS Big Sur USB Installer make sure you have at least 16 GB in size of the USB drive. Since the installer of macOS Big Sur is pretty big in size eg 11 – 12 GB. And make sure there is no important data in your USB drive. When it’s ready, plug it into your PC.

First thing first, you will need to change the partition of your USB flash drive as GUID Partition Map (GPT) and format as macOS Extended (Journaled). By formatting the drive to GPT, it will automatically make the drive has the EFI partition on it. The EFI partition is hidden by default. Use Disk Utility to format the drive, to mount the EFI partition you can use OC Configurator, it works the same as Clover Configurator. OC Configurator is also useful to edit the config.plist later.

To get the macOS installer app, there are two methods you can use here, first is “the traditional method” by downloading the macOS installer directly from the App Store and then creating the USB installer using Terminal.

The second method is by using the Opencore Legacy Patcher. With OC Legacy Patcher, you can choose to create the install media by downloading the macOS installer app right away from the tool. Or choose the existing one. And let the OC Legacy patcher get the job done for ya to create macOS Installer.

After OC Legacy Patcher is done downloading the macOS installer. Now you can start to create the install media using OC LP. The downloaded macOS INstaller App file will be placed in the Application folder.

After creating the installer process is done, the OC LP app will notify you. Now you need to install OpenCore to the EFI Partition of the USB drive.

Installing the Opencore to EFI partition

Once you’ve done creating the macOS Big Sur USB installer, now you need to install Opencore to the EFI partition. The EFI Partition is hidden by default, so you need to mount it. Open the OpenCore Configurator and click the app icon on the menu bar and choose to mount Your USB flash drive EFI Partition (See screenshot below).

You will find the EFI Partition on your USB drive is empty unless it has been used before as an install media and formatted as GPT you may find the “old boot loader” still stored there.

Installing OpenCore in the EFI partition

By the way, to install Opencore, you can do it manually by following the guide and downloading the Opencore EFI on the Dortania official website. Or, … create your Opencore EFI instantly by using the OC Configurator/ EFI Maker.

EFI Maker will download the essential Kext, driver, etc along within the OC EFI. Below is the screenshot on how to work with the EFI Maker using OpenCore Configurator.

Select your CPU Family according to your machine, mine is Ivy Bride. Google it if you are unsure of your processor family type.

Important! don’t forget to check ‘Download related files, if needed(SSDT, kext, Driver)‘

Choose the SMBIOS that is known to work on your machine to install macOS Big Sur/Monterey.

Please visit the Dortania website for the complete list of SMBIOS that works. Hers’s the example page: https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Install-Guide/config.plist/ivy-bridge.html#platforminfo

Now you have OpenCore EFI, the default output for the EFI created by OC Configurator/ EFI Maker is in your Documents folder. The folder should be named “OCC”. Copy and paste the EFI folder you’ve created and put it to your USB drive EFI Partition root.

But, in order to make it really work, you may also need to add more Kext and driver to your EFI > OC Folder. As I mentioned before, make sure you read the guide on the Dortania site as well so you set it up properly according to your machine specs. Since different Mobo, with different CPU or GPU will need different settings.

You also can use the EFI that I use as references to edit the config.plist and add the needed kext and driver for your setup. I will give the link at the end of this post. Now let’s learn how to add more kext etc to your EFI using Opencore Configurator.

Let’s continue on how to edit the OC EFI …

Properly edit the config.plist, adding aml, kext, tool and driver to Opencore EFI

Go to your USB Installer EFI Partition > EFI > OC > config.plist right-click and select to open with OC Configurator to edit it.

ACPI

Start with ACPI, if you need to add custom SSDT, here you should put them. Go to EFI Partition > EFI > OC > ACPI copy and paste your custom SSDT.aml file here. Then back to OC configurator again click on Scan/Browse button on the bottom-left and then navigate to the ACPI folder where you place the SSDT.aml file earlier, select all then click Open. Please see the screenshot below.

Click save when you are done. Note: If not sure, that’s okay just let it the way it is. The SSDT.aml generated by EFI Maker should work anyway.

Booter

In the Booter section check this entry:

• SetupVirtualMap
• AvoidRuntimeDefrag
• EnableSafeModeSlide
• EnableWriteUnprotector
• ProvideCustomSlide

For other options, just let it the way it is.

DeviceProperties

In the DeviceProperties settings, it should work by its default settings generated by OC EFIMaker. If your graphics acceleration or Audio, etc doesn’t work, you can edit it by following the guide on the Dortania website according to your PC specs. Here is the example for the Ivy Bridge guide by Dortania https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Install-Guide/config.plist/ivy-bridge.html#deviceproperties.

On the Dortania website page make sure in the left panel you change the CPU type that you use in the Configs option.

By the way, you can edit it later after successfully installing the macOS. To add new Device Properties setting click the + button on the OC Configurator Devices settings.

Kernel

Here in the kernel settings section, you can add more kext that’s necessary for your Hackintosh to boot macOS properly.

For my desktop PC I just add these eight Kext into my EFI > OC > Kexts Folder:

• Apple ALC
• Lilu
• Virtual MSC
• SMCProcessor
• SMCSuperIO
• USBInjectAll
• RealtekRTL811
• WhateverGreen

After you copy/paste the kexts, on the OC Configurator > config.plist in the Kernel section you also need to Scan/Browse the kext that you’ve put on the EFI folder. Exactly the same as in the ACPI section when you Scan/Browse the SSDT. But for kext, you should navigate the Finder to EFI > OC > Kexts select em all then click Open.

Misc

Again! in the Misc section if you need to use the OC Tool, you have to Scan/Browse the Tool that you want to use in EFI > OC > Tool. It’s better to delete unnecessary tools the less the better. Make sure what is checked in the config.plist is the same as what’s on the EFI folder to make it clean and avoid any boot error message.

Still in the Misc section, in the Security tab make sure the SecureBootModel is Disabled. And this option should be checked:

• AllowNvramReset
• AllowSetDefault
• BlacklistAppleUpdate

Other settings let the way it is.

NVRAM

In my OC EFI in the NVRAM section of 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82, I already set Apple SIP to disable and Language to US English. Disable Apple SIP is very useful for booting/installing macOS Monterey. If you want to boot in Verbose mode add -v value to the boot-args key so you’ll know what really happens in the process.

PlatformInfo

In my EFI reference I use MacPro6.1 for the SMBIOS this is works for most Desktop PC. What you need to do is generate the new serial (Important). Or you can just change the SMBIOS that works for your computer spec. Please also check the Dortania website to look up what SMBios that’s work with your PC.

UEFI

In the UEFI setting go to Drivers Tab select the drivers that you want to use and remove unnecessary ones. Below are the drivers that I use:

• udioDxe.efi (useful if you want to enable audio in OS boot)
• HFSPlus.efi (a must)
• OpenCanopy.efi (If you want to enable OC boot GUI)
• OpenHfsPlus.efi
• OpenRuntime.efi (a must)

For the Quirks check this: IgnoreInvalidFlexRatio and RequestBootVarRouting.

Checking your plist

In order for OpenCore could boot properly your config.plist should be clean, so you need to check it. You can use OpenCore Configurator.

In OC Configurator go to Tool > Config Checker. Change the CPU Family option to ‘your CPU’. Let it update the resource, and when it says Ready hit the Check button. If there’s no red/yellow and all checked green then it is ready to use.

Download my EFI for your reference

Okay, so below is my OC EFI that you can use as a reference, or use straight away if your PC spec is 90% like mine (The Mobo + CPU & External GPU).

Download my OC EFI here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a1kDROcd5Guey4vie8EMCbH9bhTgmfng?usp=sharing

As I mentioned before, please also visit the Dortania website for references especially if your PC spec is different from mine. Or if you want to apply it to Laptop PC, there will need another kext or driver, need to edit the quirks, etc. If you just blindly use it by copy/paste to your EFI Partition it may boot but still, you’ll need to edit the config.plist

Other

Note: Before you ask anything that has already been explained, please read the article carefully.

And please watch the video of the process below for more reference: