OpenCore Installation Guide

This guide walks you through setting up OpenCore for your Hackintosh build.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

A USB flash drive (16GB+)
Access to a working computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux)
Knowledge of your hardware components

Step 1: Gather Your Hardware Info

Before configuring OpenCore, you need to know exactly what hardware you have:

CPU - Intel or AMD, specific model
GPU - Integrated and/or discrete graphics
Audio Codec - Usually Realtek ALC series
Ethernet - Network card model
WiFi/Bluetooth - If applicable

Step 2: Download Required Tools

Download these tools to get started:

OpenCore - The bootloader itself — Download from GitHub
GenSMBIOS - For generating SMBIOS data — Download from GitHub
ProperTree - Plist editor — Download from GitHub
SSDTTime - For generating ACPI tables — Download from GitHub

For a graphical config editor, you can also use OCAT (OpenCore Auxiliary Tools).

Step 3: Create the EFI Structure

Create the following folder structure on your USB’s EFI partition:

EFI/
├── BOOT/
│   └── BOOTx64.efi
└── OC/
    ├── ACPI/
    ├── Drivers/
    ├── Kexts/
    ├── Tools/
    ├── Resources/
    ├── OpenCore.efi
    └── config.plist

Step 4: Configure config.plist

This is the most critical step. You’ll need to configure:

Kernel > Add - Your kexts in order
DeviceProperties - Audio, GPU settings
NVRAM - Boot arguments and variables
PlatformInfo - SMBIOS data
UEFI - Drivers and quirks

Step 5: Install macOS

After configuring your config.plist and adding your kexts:

Boot from the USB drive
Select the macOS installer from the OpenCore boot picker
Format your target drive using Disk Utility (APFS format)
Install macOS to the newly formatted drive
After the first reboot, select the macOS installation on your hard drive from the boot picker (not the USB installer)
The installation may reboot several times — this is normal

Step 6: Post-Install

Once macOS is installed and booting:

Install OpenCore to your hard drive’s EFI partition (not just the USB)
Generate a proper SMBIOS using GenSMBIOS
Enable FileVault if desired (requires specific OpenCore settings)
Set up iServices (iMessage, iCloud, etc.) — requires valid SMBIOS and ROM values
Fine-tune your config.plist for your specific hardware

Compatibility Notes

macOS Sonoma (14.x): Requires OpenCore 0.8.8+ and compatible kexts
macOS Sequoia (15.x): Requires OpenCore 1.0.0+ and updated kexts; some older WiFi cards may not be supported
Always use the latest stable OpenCore release for best compatibility

Next Steps

Once configured, test boot from the USB before installing to your main drive.