Building a hackintosh—that is, installing macOS on non-Apple hardware—used to require extremely restricted hardware choices and quite a bit of know-how. Now your options are vast and the installation process is fairly simple. With that in mind, here is our always up-to-date guide to building a hackintosh that will walk you through purchasing compatible parts, building your machine, and installing macOS all on your own.




Currently Up-to-Date Version: macOS 10.12 (UniBeast Method)

This guide is all about installing macOS Sierra on your hackintosh. If you’re looking to install an older version, check out our archived OS X 10.7 Lion, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, OS X 10.9 Mavericks, and OS X 10.10 Yosemite guides instead.


First Things First: What Is a Hackintosh, Exactly?

A hackintosh is simply any non-Apple hardware that has been made—or “hacked”—to run macOS. This could apply to any hardware, whether it’s a manufacturer-made or personally-built computer. For the purposes of this guide, we’re only discussing a tried-and-true method for building a hackintosh that you build.

That means you’ll need to be comfortable with the idea of building your own machine and providing your own technical support when you run into problems. While this can be a little bit of a scary prospect if you’re new to building a hackintosh, it’ll also save you a lot of money while still providing you with an incredibly powerful, fully customizable machine. We’ll also point you to several resources we’ve put together to help you learn everything you need to know about building a computer so you can feel confident on your first time through the entire computer building process. This is not a project for beginners, but it is something that anyone can learn to do.


How Does This Guide Work?

It may seem strange to have an always up-to-date guide to building a hackintosh, because the process changes based on the hardware choices you make. Although this is true, it doesn’t change that much. We’ll be discussing the process of building a hackintosh on a broad level, as it applies to most hardware. As a result, this guide will not always be able to tell you the exact boxes to tick and choices to make, but it will teach you how to figure that out for yourself. We’ll hold your hand as tightly as possible through as much of the process as we can, but there will be some decisions you’ll have to make on your own. It can be a little scary sometimes, but that’s part of the fun.


In summary, this always up-to-date guide will explain how to pick the right hardware for a great hackintosh and walk you through the standard installation process, but it will also require you to be diligent and informed in regards to the variables in your specific build.

How to Choose the Best Hardware for Your Needs


Picking out hardware and building a computer is often the most daunting part of this process. Thankfully, we’re here to do a lot of the work for you! While you can certainly do your own research and pick out compatible parts, we’ve created a large selection of pre-configured systems along with a list of compatible parts for you to build your own.


Our list of builds includes the following types of machines:

CustoMac Mini : a barebones Mac Mini clone in a shoebox-sized case.

: a barebones Mac Mini clone in a shoebox-sized case. CustoMac Mini Deluxe : A larger, but still below-average sized computer with some significant power behind it.

: A larger, but still below-average sized computer with some significant power behind it. CustoMac mATX : A mid-sized build with a quad-core CPU, maxed out RAM, and lots of expandability.

: A mid-sized build with a quad-core CPU, maxed out RAM, and lots of expandability. CustoMac Budget ATX : A powerful desktop build with budget-minded parts and no graphics card.

: A powerful desktop build with budget-minded parts and no graphics card. CustoMac Pro: A full-sized build with a quad-core CPU, maxed out RAM, and lots of expandability.


Alternatively, you can check out our list of individual components and build your own custom system. The components listed in our database aren’t the only ones that work, but based on our research they’re the easiest and best supported options. Use our Buyer’s Guide as a shopping list or as a jumping off point for further customization.

Once you have your hardware you’re going to need to assemble it into a working computer. We have an entire night school course on computer building, but this specific lesson will walk you through how to build your first computer. Follow it diligently, read your motherboard and case manuals closely, and you should have a functional machine in no time.


How to Install macOS on Your Hackintosh

Installing macOS on hackintosh hardware involves a bit more than just popping in a DVD, choosing a boot volume, and clicking a button. You’ll have to take those steps, too, but after quite a bit of prep work. Let’s get started.


The full operating system is a free download for most Mac users, so you’ll need a real Mac to get it (if you don’t have one, just borrow a friend’s). Download the Application from the Mac App Store using your Apple ID on any Mac or functional computer running macOS 10.6.8 or later.

Step One: Configure the BIOS


Before you start, you’ll need to adjust a few settings in your computer’s BIOS. You can read a bit more about the BIOS in our computer building guide, but here are the basic steps.

If you’re installing on a recommended CustoMac desktop with AMI UEFI BIOS, the options are simple. For other systems, make sure to set your BIOS to Optimized Defaults, and your hard drive to AHCI mode. Here are standard AMI UEFI BIOS settings for Gigabyte AMI UEFI BIOS, Gigabyte AWARD BIOS, ASUS AMI UEFI BIOS, and MSI AMI UEFI BIOS.


To access BIOS/UEFI Setup, press and hold Delete on a USB Keyboard while the system is booting up

Load Optimized Defaults

If your CPU supports VT-d, disable it

If your system has CFG-Lock, disable it

If your system has Secure Boot Mode, disable it

Set OS Type to Other OS

If your system has IO SerialPort, disable it

Set XHCI Handoff to Enabled

If you have a 6 series or x58 system with AWARD BIOS, disable USB 3.0

Save and exit.



Step 2: Install macOS Sierra


Now it’s time to actually install macOS. We’re going to use UniBeast, a tool that creates a bootable installer out of your downloaded version of macOS for your hackintosh.

Our recommended bootloader is called Clover. Clover is a new and exciting open source EFI bootloader. Developed over the past 2 years by a group of developers at Project OS X led by Slice, Clover aims to solve problems inherent in existing macOS installation methods and legacy bootloaders.


Remember, you’ll need an actual Mac for the first part of this process—so borrow one from a friend if you don’t have your own. If you have absolutely no way of borrowing a working Mac, you can install Snow Leopard from scratch with the actual DVD.

For this, you’ll also need:

A copy of macOS Sierra

An 16GB thumb drive (or larger).

(or larger). UniBeast

MultiBeast

Once you have everything, you’ll need to create your installation flash drive. To do so, follow these steps:

Open the Mac App Store on your borrowed Mac and download macOS Sierra. Make sure it appears in /Applications. Insert your 8GB+ USB drive and open /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility. Highlight the USB drive in the left column and click on the Partition tab. Click Current and choose “1 partition”. At the Clover boot screen, choose USB and press Enter. If you have trouble reaching the installer, check out step 4 on this page Under Format choose “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)“. When it’s finished, close Disk Utility and run UniBeast. Follow the wizard on screen, choosing your USB drive when prompted, and selecting Sierra when asked what version of macOS/OS X you are installing. Finish clicking through the wizard to create your USB drive. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Drag MultiBeast to your new flash drive so you have it for later. Insert your new installer flash drive into your soon-to-be hackintosh. Boot up the system and press the hotkey to choose a boot device (usually F12 or F8). Choose your flash drive when prompted. At the Clover boot screen, choose USB and press Enter. If you have trouble reaching the installer, check out step 4 on this page Choose your language on the welcome screen, then head to Utilities > Disk Utility. Highlight the hard drive you want to use for macOS in the left column, click the Partition tab, then choose “1 partition” in the dropdown menu. Click the Options button and select “GUID Partition Method”. Give your drive a name, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the Format dropdown, then click Apply and Partition. Close Disk Utility when the process is finished. Go through the rest of the installation wizard to complete the process.

This is a somewhat condensed version of the installation process, which should get you through everything you need. For a complete walkthrough with step-by-step screenshots and additional troubleshooting information (in case you run into problems), see my full guide at tonymacx86.com.


Step Three: Install Your Drivers


Now that you’ve got Sierra installed, it’s time to make all your hardware work properly. MultiBeast is an all-in-one post-installation tool designed to enable boot from hard drive, and installs support for Audio, Network, and Graphics. It also includes System Utilities to repair permissions and a collection of drivers and config files.

Start up MultiBeast from your USB drive and follow these steps:

If this is a fresh installation, click Quick Start. If you have a newer UEFI based system, choose UEFI Boot Mode. Legacy Boot Mode is recommended for older desktops with BIOS based systems. Next, choose drivers from the Drivers tab. This will depend on your build but you’ll likely need drivers for audio. Find out the chipset on your motherboard and choose the relevant driver for it. You may also need Ethernet drivers. Most everything else will be determined by whether or not you chose other natively compatible hardware like your GPU. Some GPUs require special drivers, and others work by default. If you have Intel integrated HD 3000 graphics or an older AMD or NVIDIA video card, click Customize and choose the relevant Graphics option. Click Print or Save to back up your configuration. Click Build, then click Install. Let MultiBeast do its thing. Restart your computer to complete the installation.

MultiBeast is meant to be used as a post-installation method for UniBeast, and is therefore an easy way to get up and running.


Alternate NVIDIA Graphics Drivers

NVIDIA releases alternate graphics drivers separately on the web for each macOS build. These are different from the drivers Apple ships as standard, and should be considered experimental. In the past, the drivers have been known to solve OpenCL issues with certain applications, as well as providing better native GPU power management for certain devices. They also will enable the latest “Maxwell” cards to work with full acceleration, including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750, 750 Ti, 950, 960, 970, 980, 980 Ti, and TITAN X. You can read more about these drivers and download them here.


Step Four: Updating Your Hackintosh

In past versions, updating usually requires you to reinstall any graphics, network, and audio drivers with MultiBeast that you installed in step three. Stay tuned to the tonymacx86.com front page for Update posts, where we outline what workarounds, if any, are necessary for each Software Update Apple throws at us. (For example, here’s what you had to do for OS X 10.11.6).


How to Troubleshoot Your Hackintosh


Hackintoshes aren’t perfect—things can go wrong for any number of reasons. It’s unlikely you’ll create one without running into, at least, a minor dilemma. A lot of troubleshooting involves trial and error, unfortunately, and you’ll just have to tinker around until you get the problem fixed. If you run into some problems, you will likely be able to find support on tonymacx86.com.

Finally, once you do get things working you should clone your hard drive so you have a bootable copy available should things go awry. This way you can restore back to that copy or at least compare the things that changed since it was all working nicely. No matter what you think, you’re going to screw something up at some point. Keep a backup. You won’t regret it.


For more troubleshooting tips, check out Lifehacker’s hackintosh troubleshooting guide and the troubleshooting links at the bottom of the MultiBeast guide at tonymacx86.com.

How to Troubleshoot a Hackintosh We love building hackintoshes, but seeing as Mac OS X wasn't exactly made to run on third-party… Read more


tonymacx86 is the founder of tonymacx86.com , home of the CustoMac Buyer’s Guide , iBoot, MultiBeast, UniBeast, and the world’s most helpful hackintosh support community.