Install Mojave On Big Sur

Install Mojave On Big Sur
Install Mojave On Big Sur Windows

Big Sur is a major upgrade to macOS, and some people are ready for it. However, if you’ve been running Mojave or an earlier version of macOS to keep 32-bit applications running, you may still have held back.

If you’re otherwise ready for moving forward, you have a few options to keep a Mojave installation active.

In each case, I’d recommend starting by making a full disk image backup of your current macOS setup with Disk Utility, SuperDuper!, or Carbon Copy Cloner. In case something goes wrong, you can revert to it or restore from it.

How to install a new copy of macOS Big Sur in Recovery Mode Recovery Mode is the special salvation of the Mac that first launched with OS X 10.7 Lion. It creates a temporary boot partition that allows you to access certain things on your computer that you might not be able to if your system froze or crashed. In another thread I was struggling with getting the EFI correctly setup and a boot file in root preventing parts of the installation process. Now having all that in place I started upgrading my Mojave installation to Big Sur. I have made several attempts with reformatting of destination disks.

Your easiest path is to buy or use a sufficiently large external drive and clone to it directly from your current Mac. This lets you even boot from it in a pinch, so you don’t have a lengthy restore process to get back to work or figure out what went wrong.

Here are your best options.

Put Mojave on an external drive

Hi, I built my hackintosh a while back and installed mojave on it with Clover. Now I want to install a clean install of big sur. I dont need any files moved over. I followed countless tutorials but still cant get my bios to recognize the usb stick to boot from. Perhaps Im going about this wrong a.
Your method will depend on which version of macOS you are already running. If you are running High Sierra on an SSD, or have Big Sur, Mojave or Catalina installed, this process is much easier.

If you don’t think you’ll need Mojave that often, and will then use it for a period of time whenever you need it, install a fresh version of Mojave onto an external drive and copy applications and files you need. (Download the Mojave installer from the Mac App Store if you haven’t kept it on hand.)

Alternatively, you can upgrade your Mac to Catalina or Big Sur, then boot into the external drive I suggested making a copy onto above by selecting it from the Startup Disk preference pane. Remove any duplicated files, so you don’t wind up editing material on the old drive for which your master copy is on your upgraded internal drive.

When you want to switch between Mojave and a later macOS, use the Startup Disk preference pane again. You can also hold down Option after restarting to select a startup volume.

Put Mojave on a partition

The modern APFS filesystem that Apple moved Macs to in High Sierra (non-Fusion drives) and Mojave (all drives) makes it easy to create multiple installations of macOS on a single SSD or hard disk drive, as long as you have the space required.

In fact, it’s such a great idea that Apple offers official support for it and a detailed guide for the process that I won’t recapitulate. Read Apple’s instructions here.

As with an external volume, you use the Startup Disk preference pane to switch startup volumes.

Go virtual

If you either need Mojave all the time alongside Catalina or Big Sur, or you need it occasionally and don’t want the fuss of rebooting your system twice to move into it and back out, you can run Mojave (and other versions of macOS) in emulation through Parallels or VMware Fusion.

With either Parallels or VMware Fusion, you can start with a clone of your Mojave installation or install one from scratch, and then keep Mojave running in a bottle forever. Launch the app when you need Mojave; otherwise, it can stay on standby and no reboot is required.

Cost is the only thing that might hold you back. Parallels costs $79.99 for the home edition; VMware Fusion is $149 for its basic version. VMware also makes a more limited, personal-use-only version of Fusion available at no cost for home users. These are one-time prices, not yearly licensing fees, but the changes made in each version of macOS related to virtualization software is significant enough that you will need to purchase an upgrade each time you want to move to a later version of macOS. Parallels right now charges $49.99 for a version upgrade, while VMware has as $79 price tag on it.

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader John.

Ask Mac 911

We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.comincluding screen captures as appropriate, and whether you want your full name used. Not every question will be answered, we don’t reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.

macOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. And get even more transparency around your privacy.

Check compatibility

macOS Big Sur is compatible with the following computers. If your Mac isn't compatible, you might be able to install an old version of macOS instead.

MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
MacBook Air introduced in 2013 or later
MacBook Pro introduced in late 2013 or later
Mac mini introduced in 2014 or later
iMac introduced in 2014 or later
iMac Pro
Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later
View the complete list of compatible computers.

If upgrading from macOS Sierra or later, your Mac needs 35.5GB of available storage to upgrade. If upgrading from an earlier release, your Mac needs up to 44.5GB of available storage. To upgrade from OS X Mountain Lion, first upgrade to OS X El Capitan, then upgrade to macOS Big Sur.

Download macOS Big Sur

If you're using macOS Mojave or later, get macOS Big Sur via Software Update: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update.

Or use this link to open the macOS Big Sur page on the App Store: Get macOS Big Sur. Then click the Get button or iCloud download icon.

Install macOS Big Sur

After downloading, the installer opens automatically. Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.

Please allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. During installation, it might restart and show a progress bar or blank screen several times. You might find it easiest to begin installation in the evening so that it can complete overnight, if needed.