Any way I can run MacOS 10.8 on M1?

[MrMac104]

Hello everyone! I have some older 2011 macOS applications that I really need to get up and running. I have UTM for a virtual machine....but I'm a noob and I have no idea how to set it up.

Could somebody send me a pre-configured UTM configuration with OS X 10.8 on it?

I'd appreciate the help

 

[MarkC426]

I don't think you can

Post in thread 'Upgrade my Mac Pro 2010, or get a newer mac mini'
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...or-get-a-newer-mac-mini.2334644/post-30865331

 

[MrMac104]

I've read that in some cases you can run it through UTM, it's just pretty darn slow.

 

[rm5]

I've read that in some cases you can run it through UTM, it's just pretty darn slow.

Hmmm, I think you can only run old versions (<10.5 Leopard) in UTM, because you've gotta emulate a PPC processor.

Just tried it myself, and it just booted to a UEFI thing, so no, it doesn't work.

 

[ADGrant]

You would be better off buying (or keeping) an older Intel Mac. You can run older versions of MacOS in something like VMWare Fusion which is free and works quite well on Intel Macs.

 

[theorist9]

If you have a newer Intel machine, ADGrant's suggestion is a good one (though personally I'd pay the extra money for Parallels; I find it's more user-friendly than VMWare).

But if you don't, I think the cleanest and simplest thing would be to buy the latest and most powerful Mac that can run 10.8 natively, so that you don't need to mess with a VM. The nice thing is they're available on Ebay for $100–$200. [Though you might want to buy in-person, e.g. with Ebay local pickup or Craig's List, so you can run some hardware tests before you buy it.]

Here are your options. These should also all be upgradeable with SATA SSD's (makes a big difference if they're running HDD's) and, if needed, more RAM. If you don't mind a desktop, I'd recommend the Mac Pro as the most robust choice:

Laptop:
Mid 2012–Early 2013 Retina MacBook Pro (13" = MacBookPro10,2; 15" = MacBookPro10,1) (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacBook_Pro_(Intel-based)

Desktops:
Mid 2010–Mid 2012 Mac Pro (MacPro5,1)
Mid 2011 Unibody (7th generation) iMac

You'll just want to practice good hygiene if you're running 10.8, since its last security update was many years ago.

 

[MarkC426]

Or maybe cheaper/easier to upgrade the old software....

 

[theorist9]

Or maybe cheaper/easier to upgrade the old software....

I was assuming these were legacy applications that don't have updated versions that can run on the M1, and for which good substitutes aren't available. But, yeah, if the OP can just upgrade or substitute the software, that would be the best solution.

 

[Boyd01]

If you have newer Intel machine, ADGrant's suggestion is a good one (though personally I'd pay the extra money for Parallels; I find it's more user-friendly than VMWare).

I run 10.8 in a Parallels virtual machine on my 2018 Mini and it works really well. I also have a 2012 Mini and 2013 MacBook Air than can run it natively but I really prefer the VM. For one thing, the old apps run faster in the VM than they ever did on those old Macs. But the integration with newer versions of MacOS in Parallels is a big plus, no need to mess with multiple Macs, transfer files back and forth, etc.

In my case, I have three very expensive old apps that would cost over $3000 to update. I only use two of them rarely but the other is needed everyday. Was going to update it, but it runs so well in the VM I decided not to. Anyway, this doesn't really answer the OP's question, but AFAIK there is no way to do what he wants on the M1.

 

[jdb8167]

Hmmm, I think you can only run old versions (<10.5 Leopard) in UTM, because you've gotta emulate a PPC processor.

Just tried it myself, and it just booted to a UEFI thing, so no, it doesn't work.

You should be able to emulate a x86 or x86-64 CPU with UTM or QEMU. I know you can in QEMU since I’ve done it. Running old macOS isn’t something I’ve done though. You would need to run the emulator as a generic PC and then hackintosh it just like real PC hardware.