macOS 15 Sequoia on Unsupported Macs Thread

[F1Mac]

Hey all, I've been playing around with different accessibility settings, and may have found a solution for the random red menu bar for, at least Sequoia. It seems like if you go into accessibility / Display, and toggle on reduce transparency, the issue seems to go away. I have a few things that can typically reproduce the issue consistently, and toggling this setting seems to have fixed it. Still testing to confirm.

Edit: For all intensive purposes, toggling on "Reduce Transparency" in Accessibility/Display seems to have stopped the random red menu bar on this iMac with Sequoia.

Edit #2: Also selecting a desktop picture with a light top, so the menu bar stays light also seems to resolve the issue (if you don't want to disable transparency completely.)

Seems like what triggers the glitch is when the menu bar goes dark. If it stays light, doesn't seem to happen. Just providing info, and feedback for those who still find this issue annoying, and here are a couple simple solutions that seem to stop it.

Indeed using a wallpaper with a light top solves the issue, I added a "light" menubar to my wallpaper and the issue disappeared completely when I had a 4K monitor (scaled at 2560x1440), which I don't have anymore at the moment. I am using an ultra wide monitor at its native resolution (so not scaled), and this red/purple glitch has indeed disappeared entirely, without the need to tweak the wallpaper or reduce transparency. It leads me to believe that it has certainly something to do with video memory load/window manager. It also appears to be very "system specific", so it's hard to determine the origin of this bug, which first appeared in Sonoma (both on supported models and unsupported ones)

It's still a bit strange that Apple hasn't officially acknowledged the bug and addressed it in a clear way after 2+ years, the UI being one major element of the macOS experience.

 

[MacinMan]

Indeed using a wallpaper with a light top solves the issue, I added a "light" menubar to my wallpaper and the issue disappeared completely when I had a 4K monitor (scaled at 2560x1440), which I don't have anymore at the moment. I am using an ultra wide monitor at its native resolution (so not scaled), and this red/purple glitch has indeed disappeared entirely, without the need to tweak the wallpaper or reduce transparency. It leads me to believe that it has certainly something to do with video memory load/window manager. It also appears to be very "system specific", so it's hard to determine the origin of this bug, which first appeared in Sonoma (both on supported models and unsupported ones)

It's still a bit strange that Apple hasn't officially acknowledged the bug and addressed it in a clear way after 2+ years, the UI being one major element of the macOS experience.

I'm still on the fence about which OS to stick with Monterey (supported) or Sequoia (Unsupported).
Both run well, on this late 2015 iMac, but on a day to day basis, nothing really seems that different other than being able to update apps further, but even that doesn't feel like anything major. I wish there was something I really needed in a newer version of macOS as it would persuade me to just buy a new Mac. As it is, Apple really hasn't done anything I specifically need. I am glad I can work around some of the OS specific bugs, but still older versions of macOS felt more polished. A majority of my daily tasks still work as far back as Mojave, and Firefox ESR is still supported on that, so I even have a supported browser, but. I think other than 32-bit support, Monterey is probably the sweet spot between older, and modern for me. Sequoia feels well too

Edit: How is Sonoma for the majority of current compatibility? I still have a copy of VMWare Fusion 13.5.2 that runs on Monterey, and Sonoma is supported as a guest, and once paravirtulization is enabled, it runs well, and anything I'd need a newer OS for at this point, isn't something that can't be done in a VM. At least it would eliminate the need for a dual boot. I tried Sequoia in a VM too, and icloud will no longer activate, but Sonoma works fine.

 

[F1Mac]

I'm still on the fence about which OS to stick with Monterey (supported) or Sequoia (Unsupported).
Both run well, on this late 2015 iMac, but on a day to day basis, nothing really seems that different other than being able to update apps further, but even that doesn't feel like anything major. I wish there was something I really needed in a newer version of macOS as it would persuade me to just buy a new Mac. As it is, Apple really hasn't done anything I specifically need. I am glad I can work around some of the OS specific bugs, but still older versions of macOS felt more polished. A majority of my daily tasks still work as far back as Mojave, and Firefox ESR is still supported on that, so I even have a supported browser, but. I think other than 32-bit support, Monterey is probably the sweet spot between older, and modern for me. Sequoia feels well too

Edit: How is Sonoma for the majority of current compatibility? I still have a copy of VMWare Fusion 13.5.2 that runs on Monterey, and Sonoma is supported as a guest, and once paravirtulization is enabled, it runs well, and anything I'd need a newer OS for at this point, isn't something that can't be done in a VM. At least it would eliminate the need for a dual boot. I tried Sequoia in a VM too, and icloud will no longer activate, but Sonoma works fine.

I can only speak from my experience but Sonoma ran flawlessly for me (that menubar thingy was the only bug I had), I'm keeping my apps up-to-date and there was no issue whatsoever with compatibility. I only have to stick with Photoshop 2024 but it's because of AVX2 introduced in the 2025 release.
And it's the same with Sequoia, at least on my Mac Pro. Flawless, even unsupported. No problem with iCloud at all either. Staying current with Logic Pro is one of the reasons I like to keep my OS current as well, requirements for Logic change every few months... While I don't really care for the AI stuff (which doesn't work anyway on Intel), I like being able to run the latest version of Logic on the most recent OS as well. And down the road I guess I'll get a more current Mac too

 

[MacinMan]

I can only speak from my experience but Sonoma ran flawlessly for me (that menubar thingy was the only bug I had), I'm keeping my apps up-to-date and there was no issue whatsoever with compatibility. I only have to stick with Photoshop 2024 but it's because of AVX2 introduced in the 2025 release.
And it's the same with Sequoia, at least on my Mac Pro. Flawless, even unsupported. No problem with iCloud at all either. Staying current with Logic Pro is one of the reasons I like to keep my OS current as well, requirements for Logic change every few months... While I don't really care for the AI stuff (which doesn't work anyway on Intel), I like being able to run the latest version of Logic on the most recent OS as well. And down the road I guess I'll get a more current Mac too

I think my biggest concern at this point is since this isn't supported by Apple, they could potentially stop things from working, and I'm not sure if they could do anything legally, or not. For example, I purchased a couple apps to try from the app store on my iMac using Sequoia, and that's not supported on a late 2015 iMac. Could Apple legally close my apple account for using an unsupported OS, even if it's on a genuine Mac? Also, when reading these threads people usually only talk about problems or successes they've had with updating. No one has really talked about using open core in a set it and forget it environment like you would a natively supported OS. That's what I'm looking for at this point, regardless if I'm on the latest, or not, I'm looking for a set it / forget it solution.

 

[Bigwaff]

I think my biggest concern at this point is since this isn't supported by Apple, they could potentially stop things from working, and I'm not sure if they could do anything legally, or not.

If you stay with version unsupported macOS (e.g. Sequoia 15.5) you already have installed, how Apple going to stop things from working without an update? Stop worrying and learn to love unsupported macOS.

 

[MacinMan]

If you stay with version unsupported macOS (e.g. Sequoia 15.5) you already have installed, how Apple going to stop things from working without an update? Stop worrying and learn to love unsupported macOS.

Actually I can do what I need without open core and violating Apple's end license agreement. Use Monterey as the Host OS, and install Sonoma in a VM. That's a supported configuration, and it will run the newer versions of the few newer apps I have. Plus I can keep a supported OS as main, and use the newer version also in a supported install.

There isn't really any purpose for me to use OpenCore anyway, because the features I'm curious about like phone mirroring won't work until I have a new mac anyway.

Anyway, what concerned me was the fact that I purchased an App through the App store on Sequoia, on an unsupported Mac, and realized Apple could probably track that. If they would do anything, who knows, but after reading posts on the Apple support communities regarding Open core patcher and the fact it does violate Apple's license by reverse engineering the OS to install on hardware Apple dropped, gives Apple a legal right to do something. So I decided not to do things to the OS Apple hasn't said is OK, to be safe than sorry. If I wasn't legally blind, and text message forwarding wasn't as big a help as it is, I'd call it a day and switch to Linux as I'm happy with everything about it, other than the lack of specific apple device integration. Also I'm tired of dual booting between a supported and unsupported copy and it messes with iCloud and other account related features. So, hopefully running Sonoma in a VM with Fusion 13.5.2 with paravirtulization enabled, will be enough for what little I need a newer version for until I get a new Mac. I just don't want to do anything dishonest to continue using Apple Products, and if I have to change to a different platform to completely avoid that, then that's what I'll do.

Even if Apple were to say something as simple as "You're free to modify the OS to run on older hardware, as long as it's a genuine Mac, but we won't provide support" I'd feel a lot better about projects like Open core not violating Apple's licensing.

By the way, I really don't do a lot with the iMac anymore like I did a few years ago before Monterey went out of support.

Now I mainly do the following:

1. Run Plex Media Server for local streaming
2. Online browsing, Firefox, or Chrome, Safari only to create accounts for random password generation mostly.
3. Occasional gaming. (DOS, and Windows titles with a few older Mac native). Linux is better foo cross-platform gaming.
4. Email

 

[rehkram]

Apparently a lot is going on:

 

[Macdctr]

I saw this video from Mr Macintosh regarding development of OCLP 3.3.0 beta. I am hopeful this update will allow users of 2014-2017 MacBook access to Tahoe. For the time being with both my i5 and i7 MacBooks, I am content in running the current Sequoia 15.6 Beta 3 MacOS (24G5065c) which has been running fairly well on these platforms.

EDIT: What I had posted above was indeed Beta 2 as corrected by K two below. I have since updated my MacBook (10,1) to Sequoia 15.6 Beta 3 (24G5074c).

So far since this update, I'm not seeing any issues running the updated OS on my MacBook.

 

[K two]

24G5065c = Beta 2 🧐

 

[TigerA]

just realised the default photo app edit function is not fully functioning for iMac with Kepler graphics cards. It always ended up with an error msg stating "Photos cannot load edits. Please try again later", if adjusting options starting from "Black & White". All the options above "Black & White" work just fine. I've tried on an iMac13,2 and an iMac12,2 with K3100 card. They failed exactly the same way.

 

[MacinMan]

I was wondering if they ever fixed the Safari bookmarks not syncing issue. I ask because when I using Sequoia 15.5 + OCLP 2.4.0 I had a bookmark that had gone bad, and i deleted it / re-created it, and it never synced across iCloud. When I went back to Monterey, I had to fix it again, and this time it synced as It was updated on the iPhone as well. I thought someone had mentioned it was fixed, and I haven't seen people reporting the issue, so thought I would mention it to see if it's still a known problem. All other iCloud functions were working correctly.

 

[rehkram]

I was wondering if they ever fixed the Safari bookmarks not syncing issue. I ask because when I using Sequoia 15.5 + OCLP 2.4.0 I had a bookmark that had gone bad, and i deleted it / re-created it, and it never synced across iCloud. When I went back to Monterey, I had to fix it again, and this time it synced as It was updated on the iPhone as well. I thought someone had mentioned it was fixed, and I haven't seen people reporting the issue, so thought I would mention it to see if it's still a known problem. All other iCloud functions were working correctly.

Fixed months ago, search the thread for details, posts by @houser

 

[houser]

I'm looking for a set it / forget it solution.

I'd say you're in the wrong place.

 

[MacinMan]

Fixed months ago, search the thread for details, posts by @houser

OK, since my bookmark changes didn't sync under a clean install of Sequoia, I wasn't sure. That's why I asked, because I thought I had read it was fixed, but then it didn't seem to work as expected for me until I went back to the supported OS.

 

[luckyduke23]

OK, since my bookmark changes didn't sync under a clean install of Sequoia, I wasn't sure. That's why I asked, because I thought I had read it was fixed, but then it didn't seem to work as expected for me until I went back to the supported OS.

I can confirm that bookmarks and favorites don't sync for me either...

 

[MacinMan]

I can confirm that bookmarks and favorites don't sync for me either...

Do you know if it's related to the patcher, or is it a bug in Sequoia? It wouldn't make sense that it's a patcher issue since all other iCloud functionality is there.

 

[peppolone]

Everything's fine with 15.6 b2 and OCLP 2.4.0 on my MBP11,3

 

[peppolone]

I can confirm that bookmarks and favorites don't sync for me either...

OK, since my bookmark changes didn't sync under a clean install of Sequoia, I wasn't sure. That's why I asked, because I thought I had read it was fixed, but then it didn't seem to work as expected for me until I went back to the supported OS.

Same here, a few months ago I thought it wasn’t working either and kept trying everything, but it turns out it had been fixed already. I don’t remember the exact steps, but I can give you a couple of tips:

• Go to iCloud settings > "Show All" and make sure Safari is enabled.
• In Safari, try opening a new tab with the Start Page — if you don’t usually use it, temporarily set it as the default for new tabs in Safari settings.
• On the Start Page, scroll down and make sure Bookmarks and iCloud Tabs are visible and enabled at the bottom right.

Also, no need to mess with plist files or anything like that.

Hope this helps.

 

[MacinMan]

Same here, a few months ago I thought it wasn’t working either and kept trying everything, but it turns out it had been fixed already. I don’t remember the exact steps, but I can give you a couple of tips:

• Go to iCloud settings > "Show All" and make sure Safari is enabled.
• In Safari, try opening a new tab with the Start Page — if you don’t usually use it, temporarily set it as the default for new tabs in Safari settings.
• On the Start Page, scroll down and make sure Bookmarks and iCloud Tabs are visible and enabled at the bottom right.

Also, no need to mess with plist files or anything like that.

Hope this helps.

Just for the heck of it, I tried a clean install of Sequoia today, and it's working. I added a bookmark and it showed up on the phone, removed it from the phone and it was gone on the Mac too. I think I'm just not going to dual boot anymore. I'll just pick the best os that meets the majority of my needs and stick with it. If I had the physical space, a second computer would be a better solution.

 

[Bmld]

Hello, Is it very important to use the post instal after a new clean install. On a Imac 16.2, after instal sequoia without post-instal, everything is correct, rapidity, bluetooth, wifi..... If I use post instal, I lost the wallpaper (become white or black), dock, color of the windows and after few boots the finder and the app are very slow. I will try a few days with out post install. Can you help me. Thank.


Continuing my tests : no problem, very stable and fast.

 

[nekton1]

Has anyone successfully used Migration Assistant to move only data and applications from like-to-like MacBook Airs (same model) both running OCLP.
I have a friend who's been trying unsuccessfully for several weeks!

 

[JedNZ]

Has anyone successfully used Migration Assistant to move only data and applications from like-to-like MacBook Airs (same model) both running OCLP.
I have a friend who's been trying unsuccessfully for several weeks!

I believe you have to uninstall root patches in order for Migration Assistant to work. I’ve read it elsewhere here and it worked for me the only time I tried.

 

[MacinMan]

I've noticed in Sequoia that I can no longer type in file selection boxes anymore to select files, apps, whatever I'm browsing.
Under Monterey, if I wanted to give an app full disk access for example, I could type the first letter, or 2 to select the app. Under Sequoia, this no longer works. Is there a way to fix this?

Wanted to mention I've tried a Google search as well, the exact issue doesn't seem to come back as results. Just open and save dialog file issues in general.

Edit: Updated type from can to can no longer to reflect the correct context of the question.

 

[olad]

Deleted

 

[houser]

I believe you have to uninstall root patches in order for Migration Assistant to work. I’ve read it elsewhere here and it worked for me the only time I tried.

Both with root patches and without has worked here, in my humble experience, as long as the source has the same status as the target in this regard. Migrating from an OCLP Mac to a supported Mac has also worked here without issues. From memory: de-selecting the restore of system files can be helpful on some systems.