Hi. I've seen there's a thread for High Sierra on unsupported macs, but I have some specific questions. So as I understand, Apple will stop releasing updates for macOS High Sierra in September this year, is this correct? I have a Macbook Pro 13" mid 2010 and High Sierra is the newest macOS version I can install on it. What will happen after Apple stops releasing updates, will it really be unsafe to keep using my MacBook? What would be the risks? Also, I've seen I could use the patcher to install MacOS Catalina on my MacBook, but how would that affect performance? Other than for everyday tasks like Internet browsing, etc, I plan on using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop on my MacBook, would I be able to do that if I upgrade to macOS Catalina with the patcher? Thank you.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Risks of having macOS High Sierra after support ends
- Thread starter bandini87
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It is true that support will end in Sept 2020. But that doesn't really mean it will suddenly be open to exploits. A knowledgeable user who knows to avoid the dark corners on the internet will always be the best security.
You will still have modern browser support for the foreseeable future, since Firefox and Chrome support Mac OS 10.9+. But Safari will be outdated soon after support ends. About 99% of exploits out there will be browser exploits, so just use the current Firefox or Chrome and you'll be quite safe.
And yes, you can easily put Catalina on it with the patcher.
You will still have modern browser support for the foreseeable future, since Firefox and Chrome support Mac OS 10.9+. But Safari will be outdated soon after support ends. About 99% of exploits out there will be browser exploits, so just use the current Firefox or Chrome and you'll be quite safe.
And yes, you can easily put Catalina on it with the patcher.
Thank you
Thank you! That was clarifying. Do you know if using Catalina on an unsupported Mac can be risky? Could I still use software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop?
Thank you! That was clarifying. Do you know if using Catalina on an unsupported Mac can be risky? Could I still use software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop?
If I may give my input, I use El Cap (a five year old OS that hasn't been supported for quite a while according to Apple's support schedule) on a 2009 MacBook as my daily. I can tell you with certainty that I haven't ever been in a situation where a vulnerability has surfaced and caused me issues. As @timidpimpin said, you can still use Chrome and Firefox for up-to-date browsing (I'm a Chrome user myself) and that as well as practicing smart browsing will keep you safest. I also have Avast! Free Antivirus on my system as an added protective measure (I primarily use it for file scanning, but I also have real-time protection enabled). As a side note, I use Tiger and Leopard on PPC G4 machines and browse the web freely on those and I'm perfectly fine there too.
I think the process is pretty safe. I haven't personally done it as any more than a test, but I know of many people who have done it and use unsupported Mac OS versions on their computers regularly. It would probably depend on the versions of the software you have. Lightroom 2 and Photoshop Elements 8 work fine for the most part on El Cap (although Lightroom might be more or less broken in some aspects, I forget), but they are certainly happier running on older Mac OS releases.
Another important point... if you install Catalina, then make sure you use the APFS format on your hard drive or SSD. The only issue I have ever had with an unsupported OS was OS updates from Apple breaking the install. But once I started using APFS over HFS+ I never saw those issues again. And actually, I think Catalina only supports APFS for the boot drive.
I have a 2009 Mac mini, which support for ended at El Capitan, and I used the High Sierra patcher to install that. Once I started using APFS all my Apple software updates work flawlessly.
I have a 2009 Mac mini, which support for ended at El Capitan, and I used the High Sierra patcher to install that. Once I started using APFS all my Apple software updates work flawlessly.
Thank you @timidpimpin and @RogerWilco6502! Your inputs have been very useful.
No problem! From one low end user to another, I wish you the very best!
High Sierra will still work even after security support have stopped. We’ll just have to be vigilant and perform security measures, install an anti-malware, anti-virus software. Though even with the newest OS receiving security updates, we would still need to be vigilant and implement security measures. And to watch out for email phishing, website phishing. Some good practices are regularly changing the passwords, 2-Step verification when logging in or installing a web browser anti-phishing. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop runs well under High Sierra.
This is a ridiculous argument. Online banking is via the browser, and Mac OS 10.9+ is supported by the newest and most secure Firefox and Chrome. And as a retired police officer I can assure you that having an outdated OS does not limit your rights and protections.
There was no need to ridicule my comment. Some people (obviously me) are not as intelligent as you obviously are. It was a comment that may have helped myself and perhaps some others. Being an ex police officer doesn’t mean you are an expert in on-line security.
You’re welcome.
Sometimes we need to continue using our existing Mac out of necessity. For browser security, I currently use Norton Safe Web to safeguard against Phishing sites. There’s another browser security I plan to try out, WOT ( Web of Trust ). Links below. 
Norton Safe Web - Chrome Web Store
Norton Safe Web provides protection from online threats while you browse the web.
chrome.google.com
WOT: Website Security & Safety Checker - Chrome Web Store
Stay safe online with WOT, the ultimate website security and safety check extension
chrome.google.com
Website Safety Check & Phishing Protection | WOT
WOT Free Browser Security for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Android & iOS. Stay protected from all online threats. Check website safety to avoid Phishing, Scams & Malware.
Also, I really recommend you add these extensions to your browser.
uBlock Origin - An amazingly capable element and ad blocker. As well as blocking sites from tracking your activity.
github.com
HTTP Everywhere - It encrypts all of the communication between your browser and the webpage. Even on sites without HTTPS support.
www.eff.org
uBlock Origin - An amazingly capable element and ad blocker. As well as blocking sites from tracking your activity.
GitHub - gorhill/uBlock: uBlock Origin - An efficient blocker for Chromium and Firefox. Fast and lean.
uBlock Origin - An efficient blocker for Chromium and Firefox. Fast and lean. - gorhill/uBlock
github.com
HTTP Everywhere - It encrypts all of the communication between your browser and the webpage. Even on sites without HTTPS support.
HTTPS Everywhere
You no longer need HTTPS Everywhere to set HTTPS by default! Major browsers now offer native support for an HTTPS only mode. Learn how to turn it on.Read more about the sunset of HTTPS Everywhere.Since we started offering HTTPS Everywhere, the battle to encrypt the web has made leaps and bounds....
Last edited:
It's probably way late to chime in on this subject, but just in case you have not gone to the unsupported MacOS, here are some hard learned lessons.
The patcher is a great tool, and provides fairly easy access to the later MacOS versions. The things I think casual users need to know are the following:
When Apple releases new OS versions, they also might include upgrades to some applications and their data that many users take for granted. Examples are iTunes and Photos.
Going to Catalina, the Photos app "upgraded" the entire Photos library. The problem is, if you ever have to go back to High Sierra, that new library is not accessible. You cannot "downgrade" it.
iTunes basically went away, being split up into several different apps. Trying to piece the new files back into the old iTunes on High Sierra was a real treat. So, my solution each time I have tried using the unsupported MacOS tools is to save a bootable version of the old system, using a tool like SuperDuper.
The other problem I came across is that the built in MacOS update now in the App Store app no longer works on an unsupported version of the OS. To keep your OS up to date, you have to wait for the source of the patcher to issue a new version of the patcher, and install it again. Now, maybe smarter users than me know how to do this without having to backup all data and applications, and then recover them after the new installation. If so, please share. If you are really concerned about privacy and security, you want to keep your OS up to date, and it is the update feature that does that for you.
I really enjoyed testing out Mohave and Catalina using the patcher, but finally decided to return to High Sierra until ready to purchase an up to date Mac. Waiting on the release to the much talked about Macs based on the Apple silicon.
The patcher is a great tool, and provides fairly easy access to the later MacOS versions. The things I think casual users need to know are the following:
When Apple releases new OS versions, they also might include upgrades to some applications and their data that many users take for granted. Examples are iTunes and Photos.
Going to Catalina, the Photos app "upgraded" the entire Photos library. The problem is, if you ever have to go back to High Sierra, that new library is not accessible. You cannot "downgrade" it.
iTunes basically went away, being split up into several different apps. Trying to piece the new files back into the old iTunes on High Sierra was a real treat. So, my solution each time I have tried using the unsupported MacOS tools is to save a bootable version of the old system, using a tool like SuperDuper.
The other problem I came across is that the built in MacOS update now in the App Store app no longer works on an unsupported version of the OS. To keep your OS up to date, you have to wait for the source of the patcher to issue a new version of the patcher, and install it again. Now, maybe smarter users than me know how to do this without having to backup all data and applications, and then recover them after the new installation. If so, please share. If you are really concerned about privacy and security, you want to keep your OS up to date, and it is the update feature that does that for you.
I really enjoyed testing out Mohave and Catalina using the patcher, but finally decided to return to High Sierra until ready to purchase an up to date Mac. Waiting on the release to the much talked about Macs based on the Apple silicon.
I have an iMac 27 2011 that is stuck on High Sierra. Unofficial patches are not really usable since graphics acceleration is not working beyond HS. I mitigated as follows:
1) kept the original High Sierra setup on the internal HDD
2) installed the latest and greatest supported Windows 10 on an external SSD via thunderbolt (some tricky tweaking, but works great).
3) arranged so that I can connect my still supported and on latest MacOS i7 Macbook Air via Target Display Mode and installed the open source Virtual KVM app which toggle mouse and keyboard from iMac to MBA when I connect and back when I disconnect. In practice the MBA moves into the iMac and it feels like I work on a more modern iMac.
This setup is good enough for now and the hardware is not really obsolete. A little sad though that Microsoft is able to keep this iMac mid 2011 perfectly supported and updated, but not Apple...
1) kept the original High Sierra setup on the internal HDD
2) installed the latest and greatest supported Windows 10 on an external SSD via thunderbolt (some tricky tweaking, but works great).
3) arranged so that I can connect my still supported and on latest MacOS i7 Macbook Air via Target Display Mode and installed the open source Virtual KVM app which toggle mouse and keyboard from iMac to MBA when I connect and back when I disconnect. In practice the MBA moves into the iMac and it feels like I work on a more modern iMac.
This setup is good enough for now and the hardware is not really obsolete. A little sad though that Microsoft is able to keep this iMac mid 2011 perfectly supported and updated, but not Apple...
Risk factor is almost zero if you are instituting safe web practices and using your head. Security vulnerabilities in Macs are mostly overblown. Viruses don't really exist. I am usually 2-3 versions behind and have never had a malware problem. It all comes down to the user.
Yes, i my country The Netherlands internet banking is blocked by an OS which is not security supported anymore.
When you access your bank account, your OS version and browser version are checked, so it doenst matter if you are very careful or not.
This is strange and a bit 3rd world. The only problem that I had using internet banking with the older OS(Leopard) and older browsers (Safari and Firefox ESR), is that the website was not displayed properly but transactions were still going through.
High Sierra will continue to receive XProtect and MRT updates, as earlier versions still receive them. Supplemental and Security Updates will cease. The unwritten "only 3 supported macOS" rule. Third-party OS-snooping will be a problem in some future operations? Which can be spoofed, btw. High Sierra should be good for another decade. Some are still using Snow Leopard without issues.
Personally, I would avoid the "patcher" options of upgrading. I tried it on my 2012 MBP Core duo (with the DVD Drive) and it became unusable, it was so slow when trying to do anything in Catalina after the DosDude update. I went back to High Sierra which works great and upgraded from an HDD to an SSD. It became more like a new machine. Yes, the laptop is old and heavy, but with internet savvy browsing, it works fine.