macOS 15 Sequoia on Unsupported Macs Thread

[olad]

I've been complaining about this for a while and have already mentioned it here. Also, some apps crash or won't start at all. Touch ID doesn't work because something needs to be changed in the PatcherSupportpkg. But nobody here seems to care.

It may be that few have encountered the problems you described, hence no response. Perhaps you should try the Discord server https://discord.com/channels/, where you may encounter faster responses. You will need to register with your email though. However, they are a bit tetchy there - please don't post that nobody seems to care - everyone here volunteers the knowledge they have. So it is also in Discord. Also, in Discord, do not cross-post; post in one Channel only. Good luck.

 

[deeveedee]

@Ghosthengst77 If it's any consolation, TouchID issues are not unique to OCLP. See this.

 

[RogueB]

Hello to all,

During updates both computers accessed Internet via Ethernet connection.

iMac 13,2 Sequoia 15.4 RC

Updated OTA over 15.4 beta4 to 15.4 RC using OCLP 2.3n (currently using OCLP 2.3n from 3.24.25)

As noted previously, machine had to be unpatched to reliably “find” and initiate OTA update.
No issues encountered during OS update or patching process. Functionality is equivalent to 15.3.2, as is application compatibility.

MacBook Pro 5,2 Sequoia 15.4 RC . (NON-Metal reference machine)

OTA update from15.4 beta4 to 15.4 RC was successful, but machine will only boot to desktop without OCLP patches; PRAM or SMC resets have no effect.

If patches are applied MacBook Pro 5,2 loops ad infinitum from dark screen with cursor in the left upper corner, to a dark screen displaying message that “WindowServer died”. However, cursor can be moved with trackpad and keyboard backlight works. Machine will also go to sleep automatically and wake up with press of a key; keyboard backlight turns on, but screen remains dark.

Amazing work be developer teams.





MacBook Pro 5,2 unpatched

 

[Sven G]

Don’t install the OCLP 2.3.0n OpenCore to EFI on the MBP11,3 (and similar): it won’t boot (at least on my system: black screen at boot)…! I had to boot from the EFI on a USB Sequoia installer, with 2.2.0: then, I restored OCLP 2.2.0 to the main system, and now all is good, so far (with Sequoia 15.4 RC, which works with OCLP 2.2.0).

 

[Sven G]

… Only the EFI boot part didn’t work, with 2.3.0: root patching worked flawlessly; but I’ll stay on 2.2.0, until everything is fixed. YMMV, of course…

Edit: The only difference was that this time I forgot to update OpenCore on the EFI partition, so I was prompted by OCLP to do it after having done the 2.3.0n root patches and rebooted: but this (the order of doing these two things, i.e. updating OpenCore on the EFI and doing the root patches) shouldn’t really matter. Very strange…

 

[OllieW]

Don’t install the OCLP 2.3.0n OpenCore to EFI on the MBP11,3 (and similar): it won’t boot (at least on my system: black screen at boot)…!

No problem here on my MacBookPro11,3 with macOS 15.3.2 with the latest OCLP 2.3.0 nightly - everything as usual: EFI partition update on boot SSD and post-install root patches directly upgraded from previous OCLP 2.3.0 nightly. I guess your problems occur in combination with the macOS 15.4 RC... 🤔

 

[macpro_mid2014]

… Only the EFI boot part didn’t work, with 2.3.0: root patching worked flawlessly; but I’ll stay on 2.2.0, until everything is fixed. YMMV, of course…

I don't see any need to switch to OCLP 2.3.0 at the moment. At least for the Macs that I keep (sig. below).
OCLP 2.2.0 works flawlessly.

 

[houser]

Test-installed 15.4rc with OCLP 2.3.0n March 24 on a rMBP 10,1 2012. Install ran fast with no hiccups.
No obvious issues with mostly the standard apps. Mail categories (like in iOSmail) is nice.
Runs a little cooler, but that could have been an issue with the last but one install.

 

[TOM1211]

On the topic of macOS Sequoia and OCLP , I was using a couple of apps that are no “longer supported” on Big Sur and I used them yesterday without issue on macOS Sequoia thanks to OCLP . Amazing some devices that are older than Big Sur OS now need a new macOS Sequoia”to work “.

 

[Sven G]

Good news: the macOS 15.4 Software Update, which has an updated interface, now works again with Kepler! No more hangs or unreponsiveness when updating from RC to RC2, on MBP11,3, with OCLP 2.2.0 and MetallibSupportPkg 15.4-24E246.

 

[cybazaar]

Updated my MacbookPro11,2 (Late 2013 15" Retina MacBook Pro) from 15.2 to 15.3.2 with OCLP 2.2.0, full install. Had to boot in safe mode for the first boot (otherwise it seemed to be stuck), and then on a reboot it was fine without any further intervention or patching. Not seeing any significant changes so far.

Still unable to see raw images using Preview, which is why I tried this update.

 

[ronton3]

15.4(24E247)/2.3n was quick OTA and seems fine so far.

 

[olad]

...Times have been that when the RC was out, the version would follow, and there an end. But now they rise again... (apologies to Shakespeare)

 

[Ready-for-Apple]

At least for the Macs that I keep (sig. below).

Is there a way to display the signatures on the iPhone with Safari? 🤔 I always see them on the MacBook.

 

[Sven G]

Everything works well on the MBP11,3, with 15.4 RC2 (24E247) and the new MetallibSupportPkg 15.4-24E247, with the stable OCLP 2.2.0…

Edit: To @samiqa (see post below): Yes, the App Store works for me. Often downloads look stuck, but you can refresh their view by temporarily switching to another pane and then return to Updates, or by reloading (command-R) it. Sometimes it also helps to close and then reopen the app, which can indeed be rather sluggish.

 

[samiqa]

Good news: the macOS 15.4 Software Update, which has an updated interface, now works again with Kepler! No more hangs or unreponsiveness when updating from RC to RC2, on MBP11,3, with OCLP 2.2.0 and MetallibSupportPkg 15.4-24E246.

can you please test if you can install the available updates for your apps in the App Store or even installling new apps ? mine seems stuck and download is not started at all , I can't update my apps nor install new apps from the App Store.
11,3 also here.

 

[eVasilis]

Hi all

Could somebody please tell me how macos sequoia runs on a mac pro 5,1 via OCLP, particularly with a view to certain apps such as final cut pro, photoshop and premiere? Is it worth it?

Thanks in advance

 

[peppolone]

I'm running macOS Sequoia 15.3.2 installed using the latest OCLP 2.2.0 on my MacBookPro11,3 - Mid 2014.

I'm experiencing a persistent issue specifically with Safari (version 18.3.1) on websites protected by Cloudflare that require the "Additional Verification Required" step.

The Problem:
When I encounter these Cloudflare verification pages in Safari, checking the box results in an infinite loop. The page just reloads the verification prompt again and again. This only happens in Safari; other browsers like Chrome/Firefox work fine on the same websites.

Key Symptoms & Findings:

1. Incorrect User Agent: Safari is consistently sending a User Agent string indicating macOS Catalina 10.15.7, not Sequoia. (Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/18.3.1 Safari/605.1.15). Checked via Safari DevTools and sites like whatismybrowser.com.
2. Cloudflare PAT Failure (401 Error): Using Safari's Web Inspector, the console shows a 401 Unauthorizederror when trying to fetch the Private Access Token challenge (https://challenges.cloudflare.com/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/h/b/pat/...). This seems like the likely direct cause of the loop.
3. Other Console Errors:I also see related errors in Safari's console during the loop:
   • Content Security Policy (CSP) errors blocking scripts (blob:https://challenges.cloudflare.com/...).
   • WebGL: context lost errors.
   • Sandbox read errors for cfprefsd mentioning user-preference-read or file-read-data sandbox access needed by Safari components (com.apple.SafariServices.Extens, com.apple.Safari.History) trying to access .GlobalPreferencesor com.apple.CloudKit.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken (Problem Persists):

• Updated OCLP to 2.3.0 and re-applied Build and Install and Post-Install Root Patches.
• Performed NVRAM reset.
• Tested in macOS Safe Mode: The incorrect User Agent and Cloudflare loop still occur in Safe Mode.
• Disabled ALL Safari extensions.
• Cleared all Safari cache, history, and website data repeatedly.
• Verified Safari Privacy settings (Cross-site tracking OFF, Block all cookies OFF).
• Tried Safari Private Browsing.
• Tried to reset User Agent via Safari's Develop menu (set to Automatic/Default, but still sends the wrong 10.15.7 string).
• Attempted defaults delete com.apple.Safari CustomUserAgent via Terminal, but consistently get Domain (com.apple.Safari) not found. error.
• However, defaults write com.apple.Safari TestPref value and defaults read com.apple.Safari TestPref do work, indicating the domain is partially recognized by cfprefsd.
• Confirmed com.apple.Safari.plist is NOT present in ~/Library/Preferences, but IS present and updated inside Safari's container (~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/).
• No VPN or Proxy active.
• Disabled/Enabled iCloud Private Relay (no change).

Hypothesis & Question:

Given that this persists in Safe Mode and involves fundamental issues like User Agent spoofing, PAT failure, and Sandbox errors, I strongly suspect this is related to OCLP's patching/spoofing interacting incorrectly with Sequoia/Safari 18.

• Is this a known issue for OCLP 2.2.0 running Sequoia on similar hardware?
• Is it known that Safari on newer macOS versions might alter its User Agent when detecting older, unsupported Model Identifiers via OCLP (even if the OS itself reports the correct version)?
• If this is the case, would the recommended fix involve changing the SystemProductName (Model Identifier) in the OpenCore config.plist to spoof a model that is officially supported by Sequoia?
• Are there any specific OCLP / OpenCore config.plist settings (e.g., related to SMBIOS SystemProductName, boot-args like amfi flags, SecureBootModel, or specific Quirks/Kexts) that are known to cause incorrect User Agent reporting or interfere with Private Access Tokens / Sandboxing in Sequoia that I could try adjusting?

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[houser]

I'm experiencing a persistent issue specifically with Safari (version 18.3.1) on websites protected by Cloudflare that require the "Additional Verification Required" step.

Nice find and great research. Seeing the same FWIW..

 

[Neon Ball]

I'm running macOS Sequoia 15.3.2 installed using the latest OCLP 2.2.0 on my MacBookPro11,3 - Mid 2014.

I'm experiencing a persistent issue specifically with Safari (version 18.3.1) on websites protected by Cloudflare that require the "Additional Verification Required" step.

The Problem:
When I encounter these Cloudflare verification pages in Safari, checking the box results in an infinite loop. The page just reloads the verification prompt again and again. This only happens in Safari; other browsers like Chrome/Firefox work fine on the same websites.

Key Symptoms & Findings:

1. Incorrect User Agent: Safari is consistently sending a User Agent string indicating macOS Catalina 10.15.7, not Sequoia. (Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/18.3.1 Safari/605.1.15). Checked via Safari DevTools and sites like whatismybrowser.com.
2. Cloudflare PAT Failure (401 Error): Using Safari's Web Inspector, the console shows a 401 Unauthorizederror when trying to fetch the Private Access Token challenge (https://challenges.cloudflare.com/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/h/b/pat/...). This seems like the likely direct cause of the loop.
3. Other Console Errors:I also see related errors in Safari's console during the loop:
   • Content Security Policy (CSP) errors blocking scripts (blob:https://challenges.cloudflare.com/...).
   • WebGL: context lost errors.
   • Sandbox read errors for cfprefsd mentioning user-preference-read or file-read-data sandbox access needed by Safari components (com.apple.SafariServices.Extens, com.apple.Safari.History) trying to access .GlobalPreferencesor com.apple.CloudKit.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken (Problem Persists):

• Updated OCLP to 2.3.0 and re-applied Build and Install and Post-Install Root Patches.
• Performed NVRAM reset.
• Tested in macOS Safe Mode: The incorrect User Agent and Cloudflare loop still occur in Safe Mode.
• Disabled ALL Safari extensions.
• Cleared all Safari cache, history, and website data repeatedly.
• Verified Safari Privacy settings (Cross-site tracking OFF, Block all cookies OFF).
• Tried Safari Private Browsing.
• Tried to reset User Agent via Safari's Develop menu (set to Automatic/Default, but still sends the wrong 10.15.7 string).
• Attempted defaults delete com.apple.Safari CustomUserAgent via Terminal, but consistently get Domain (com.apple.Safari) not found. error.
• However, defaults write com.apple.Safari TestPref value and defaults read com.apple.Safari TestPref do work, indicating the domain is partially recognized by cfprefsd.
• Confirmed com.apple.Safari.plist is NOT present in ~/Library/Preferences, but IS present and updated inside Safari's container (~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/).
• No VPN or Proxy active.
• Disabled/Enabled iCloud Private Relay (no change).

Hypothesis & Question:

Given that this persists in Safe Mode and involves fundamental issues like User Agent spoofing, PAT failure, and Sandbox errors, I strongly suspect this is related to OCLP's patching/spoofing interacting incorrectly with Sequoia/Safari 18.

• Is this a known issue for OCLP 2.2.0 running Sequoia on similar hardware?
• Is it known that Safari on newer macOS versions might alter its User Agent when detecting older, unsupported Model Identifiers via OCLP (even if the OS itself reports the correct version)?
• If this is the case, would the recommended fix involve changing the SystemProductName (Model Identifier) in the OpenCore config.plist to spoof a model that is officially supported by Sequoia?
• Are there any specific OCLP / OpenCore config.plist settings (e.g., related to SMBIOS SystemProductName, boot-args like amfi flags, SecureBootModel, or specific Quirks/Kexts) that are known to cause incorrect User Agent reporting or interfere with Private Access Tokens / Sandboxing in Sequoia that I could try adjusting?

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Safari always sends 10.15 in user agent on Big Sur and newer for website compatibility reasons, since many websites expect 10.x for macOS. I've seen 10.16 also used sometimes on Big Sur+. The user agent isn't OCLP related at all.

 

[rletras]

Bought a MacBook Pro 2015 13' and still using Monterey. Until now, I could't find any app unsupported. Do you think it will be good anyway to update via OCLP to the latest OS ?

 

[K two]

I'm running macOS Sequoia 15.3.2 installed using the latest OCLP 2.2.0 on my MacBookPro11,3 - Mid 2014.

I'm experiencing a persistent issue specifically with Safari (version 18.3.1) on websites protected by Cloudflare that require the "Additional Verification Required" step.

The Problem:
When I encounter these Cloudflare verification pages in Safari, checking the box results in an infinite loop. The page just reloads the verification prompt again and again. This only happens in Safari; other browsers like Chrome/Firefox work fine on the same websites.

Key Symptoms & Findings:

1. Incorrect User Agent: Safari is consistently sending a User Agent string indicating macOS Catalina 10.15.7, not Sequoia. (Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/605.1.15 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/18.3.1 Safari/605.1.15). Checked via Safari DevTools and sites like whatismybrowser.com.
2. Cloudflare PAT Failure (401 Error): Using Safari's Web Inspector, the console shows a 401 Unauthorizederror when trying to fetch the Private Access Token challenge (https://challenges.cloudflare.com/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/h/b/pat/...). This seems like the likely direct cause of the loop.
3. Other Console Errors:I also see related errors in Safari's console during the loop:
   • Content Security Policy (CSP) errors blocking scripts (blob:https://challenges.cloudflare.com/...).
   • WebGL: context lost errors.
   • Sandbox read errors for cfprefsd mentioning user-preference-read or file-read-data sandbox access needed by Safari components (com.apple.SafariServices.Extens, com.apple.Safari.History) trying to access .GlobalPreferencesor com.apple.CloudKit.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken (Problem Persists):

• Updated OCLP to 2.3.0 and re-applied Build and Install and Post-Install Root Patches.
• Performed NVRAM reset.
• Tested in macOS Safe Mode: The incorrect User Agent and Cloudflare loop still occur in Safe Mode.
• Disabled ALL Safari extensions.
• Cleared all Safari cache, history, and website data repeatedly.
• Verified Safari Privacy settings (Cross-site tracking OFF, Block all cookies OFF).
• Tried Safari Private Browsing.
• Tried to reset User Agent via Safari's Develop menu (set to Automatic/Default, but still sends the wrong 10.15.7 string).
• Attempted defaults delete com.apple.Safari CustomUserAgent via Terminal, but consistently get Domain (com.apple.Safari) not found. error.
• However, defaults write com.apple.Safari TestPref value and defaults read com.apple.Safari TestPref do work, indicating the domain is partially recognized by cfprefsd.
• Confirmed com.apple.Safari.plist is NOT present in ~/Library/Preferences, but IS present and updated inside Safari's container (~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Safari/Data/Library/Preferences/).
• No VPN or Proxy active.
• Disabled/Enabled iCloud Private Relay (no change).

Hypothesis & Question:

Given that this persists in Safe Mode and involves fundamental issues like User Agent spoofing, PAT failure, and Sandbox errors, I strongly suspect this is related to OCLP's patching/spoofing interacting incorrectly with Sequoia/Safari 18.

• Is this a known issue for OCLP 2.2.0 running Sequoia on similar hardware?
• Is it known that Safari on newer macOS versions might alter its User Agent when detecting older, unsupported Model Identifiers via OCLP (even if the OS itself reports the correct version)?
• If this is the case, would the recommended fix involve changing the SystemProductName (Model Identifier) in the OpenCore config.plist to spoof a model that is officially supported by Sequoia?
• Are there any specific OCLP / OpenCore config.plist settings (e.g., related to SMBIOS SystemProductName, boot-args like amfi flags, SecureBootModel, or specific Quirks/Kexts) that are known to cause incorrect User Agent reporting or interfere with Private Access Tokens / Sandboxing in Sequoia that I could try adjusting?

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Switching to Firefox v.136.0.4 will solve that issue.

 

[peppolone]

Thanks for clarifying the User Agent behavior! I understand now that seeing '10.15.7' is expected Safari behavior on newer macOS versions for compatibility and not directly OCLP related.

However, the main problem persists: I still get the infinite Cloudflare loop, and the Safari DevTools consistently show a 401 Unauthorized error specifically on the Private Access Token (PAT) request (challenges.cloudflare.com/.../pat/...). I also still see the Sandbox read errors related to cfprefsd and Safari components, and WebGL context lost errors.

Given that the User Agent is normal, could the PAT failure (401 error) and potentially the Sandbox/WebGL issues be the real reason Cloudflare is looping? Are these specific errors (PAT 401, Sandbox violations related to Safari components on Sequoia) known issues when running OCLP 2.2.0 on unsupported hardware like my MacBookPro11,3? Are there any known workarounds or OCLP settings (related to security, kexts, or device emulation) that might help resolve the PAT attestation failure or the Sandbox conflicts?

 

[Kevo]

I'm experiencing a persistent issue specifically with Safari (version 18.3.1) on websites protected by Cloudflare that require the "Additional Verification Required" step.

Earlier in this very long thread I posted about getting the Safari Technology Preview version 201 and using that instead of the current Safari version. That's been working quite well for me.

 

[PeterHolbrook]

Hi all

Could somebody please tell me how macos sequoia runs on a mac pro 5,1 via OCLP, particularly with a view to certain apps such as final cut pro, photoshop and premiere? Is it worth it?

That would be precisely my case. In general, it works great, but there are some caveats. To begin with, your experience may vary depending on how advanced your GPU is. Mine is a humble AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB and it fully satisfies my needs. A better GPU might yield a better experience in YouTube if you want to use Vinegar. Then, there are some odd incompatibilities with certain apps. For instance, Sheepshaver (a Mac OS emulator, like in Mac OS 9.0.4) won't work with OCLP on anything later than Ventura. WinClone Pro crashes on launch, although the regular WinClone works fine. The worst problem is not related to OCLP as such, but to the 5,1 CPU lack of compliance with AVX/AVX2. This causes the most up-to-date versions of several major apps (like the latest Photoshop and other Adobe apps) to unceremoniously crash on launch.

There used to be a project by Syncretic to achieve AVX2 emulation on the 5,1, but the last I heard from him was February 2024 (or was it 2023?). I'm afraid the project has derailed.