How to install macOS 10.14 Mojave on unsupported Mac and MacBook
Apple has excluded some Macs from the update to macOS Mojave 10.14. These Macs will then be stuck at 10.11. So they are no longer suitable for daily internet surfing, because there are no more security updates. However, these Macs are technically able to use Mojave anyway, if you install macOS with a little trick. Macs that are suitable for this are:
- MacBook Pro 4,1, 5,1 5,2, 5,3, 5,4, and 5,5 from early 2008 or newer
- Unibody MacBook 5,1 of late 2008 or newer
- MacBook Air 2,1, 3,1, 4,1 from end of 2008 or later
White MacBook 5,2, 6,1, 7,1 from early 2009 or later
Mac mini 3,1 from early 2009 or newer
- iMac 8,1, 9,1, 10,x from early 2008 or later (except iMac 11,x and 12,x with AMD Radeon)
- Mac Pro 3,1 and 4,1 from early 2008 or newer
- Xserve 2,1, 3,1 from beginning of 2008 or newer
Please note that some wifi cards will not not work. So check in the System Profiler which card type you have. Here you will also find the original manual](http://dosdude1.com/mojave/ "Here you will also find the original manual.") The following ID do not work:
- (0x14E4, 0x8C)
- (0x14E4, 0x9D)
- (0x14E4, 0x87)
- (0x14E4, 0x88)
- (0x14E4, 0x8B)
- (0x14E4, 0x89)
- (0x14E4, 0x90)
What we need is the patch tool from dosdude1. For Mojave download it here](http://dosdude1.com/mojave/ "For Mojave download it here") For Sierra download it here, for High Sierra go here.
The trick is to patch the installer and make operating system think it is installed on a newer Mac. Once you have downloaded the patcher, you need a USB stick and the macOS Mojave (or Sierra or High Sierra) Installer. You can download them from the App Store if you have already installed them once. They will then appear under purchases. With these ingredients you can now create a bootable stick from which you can install the system.
You can be quite relaxed: the installation is not more difficult than the normal installation of a supported version of macOS. The installation differs only one point: After the first reboot you have to go back to the installer and install the patch over it with just one mouse click. Between you and the future there is only one restart. 
First of all it is important that the USB stick is correctly formatted. This is done using the Disk Utility, located at Programs > Utilities > Disk Utility. Selects OS X Extended Journaled as the file system and GUID as the partition table. Then open the downloaded patcher. Select the macOS Mojave (Sierra or macOS High Sierra) installer on the left and the USB stick on the right. Then give the process a while and when the stick has been created, insert it into the Mac and hold the "alt" key down during boot. Then the USB stick should be selectable.
Now there are two possibilities: You want to keep your data and just install the new version over it. In this case just choose the installation and install. Just as it would have been with a supported system.
Or you want to delete all the old data, then you have to delete the disk first (all data will be gone!). Then select the Disk Utility and format the internal disk or SSD like the stick before.
If you use macOS 10.14, you have the possibility to use APFS as file system. This works fine and only looks a bit strange when booting because the firmware of the old machines needs some support. However, we would stay with HFS+ for now. This doesn't bring in any uncertainty and works just as well. Keep it simple.
Another thing: if you update a computer on which you have activated the hard disk encryption File Vault, you have to unlock the encryption manually beforehand, otherwise you won't be able to continue. So if you have an encrypted disk, first open the terminal. Enter the following command:
diskutil list
Now you see a list of all contained partitions. The list should end with a long combination of numbers. You can mark it and copy it. Now enter the following command:
diskutil coreStorage unlockVolume <the long number you just copy>
At the end of the command enter the long number and after pressing Enter enter the password for the disk. The disk is now unlocked and you can perform the steps mentioned above.
After the installation is complete, the Mac reboots. If it does, you will need to hold down the "old" key again, as we still need to patch the system. If you miss this moment, the Mac will show a crossed out circle indicating that the operating system is not for him. Then just turn the Mac off and on again and press the alt key a little faster.
You'll end up back where you started. Important: if you have encrypted disks, you have to unlock them again manually.
To complete the process, select macOS Post Install. This makes the adjustments so that macOS runs on old Macs as well. The program recognizes the MacBook and suggests the right options. Some options are also available, such as supporting the old Ethernet adapter or creating a recovery partition. The Software Update Patcher and the Patch Updater should always be selected: The former allows you to easily install upcoming macOS updates and the latter allows you to update the patch program.
Press "Patch" and it may take a short while. Normally the Mac should restart itself. If it doesn't, you can at least see that the process is complete. But don't get impatient, give it a few minutes. After a restart the Mac boots into the new macOS. Done!
We have found in some tested versions that it is better to install upcoming updates as well: With the (then adapted for the version) Installer Tool and the downloaded current macOS version to create a USB stick and then simply install it over it. The system-internal update may work, but does not have to. If a firmware update is included, it goes wrong because the corresponding chip cannot be found on the older computers or the update necessarily expects an APFS partition, but still hangs. Our practical tip, therefore, if you use the latest macOS on an old computer: simply create an updated USB stick every few months and install the updates over it, this is the least annoyance.