Tahoe Installer Won't Start: Getting Error "macOS is not compatible"

September 10, 2026 · General · by @dietzjj5316

After I format my drive for macOS Tahoe, I'm getting this error message, "macOS is not compatible"

Comments

@dietzjj5316 · September 10, 2026

I am using a MacMini 2018 T2.

@albert-mueller · September 10, 2026

i released a new update, can you try it?

@dietzjj5316 · September 10, 2026

Thank you Albert! You’re doing an AWESOME job! I can wait for macOS 27 Golden Gate on X86! I’ll have to test it on Sunday. I’m on vacation.

@albert-mueller · September 13, 2026 · edited

Thank you Albert! You’re doing an AWESOME job! I can wait for macOS 27 Golden Gate on X86! I’ll have to test it on Sunday. I’m on vacation.

Golden Gate runs only on arm64e architecture, as such only on Apple Silicon. Running Golden Gate on x64 based CPU requires emulation. And as such, there are no plans for this project to support Golden Gate+. However, a heavily modified fork is trying to achieve low level QEMU emulation of arm64e to run Golden Gate, but I myself would not recommend doing something like this, nor using forks unrelated to this project.
Warning: that project is completely unrelated to this one. https://github.com/26x86/26x86
Personally, I don't know much about the developer behind 26x86, which the main developer is @NiSeullent, which has nothing to do with this project at all. I highly recommend to verify the developer yourself as well before running anything. I have verified multiple times this project and is malware-free, but still recommend to verify on your own as well.

@dietzjj5316 · September 13, 2026

Hi Albert,

I just got in from vacation and I tried the latest Opencore Legacy Patcher Tahoe T2 and I'm getting a kernel panic. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Jeff

@dietzjj5316 · September 15, 2026

Hi Albert,

The kernel panic is gone with the .10 version. Now, I'm just getting a white screen. I did do a pram reset.

Thank you,
Jeff

@albert-mueller · September 15, 2026 · edited

@dietzjj5316 Over USB-C it should work just fine, are you using HDMI? Because I haven't tested over hdmi, only over USB-C.

@dietzjj5316 · September 20, 2026

Hi Albert,

On both your version and the experimental version, USB-C is finally working!

Now, the installer is stuck again. It won't go past the language selection.

I'm using the latest version.

Thank you,
Jeff

@albert-mueller · September 20, 2026

Me having the same issue.

@Medelcartelinc · September 20, 2026

Hi @dietzjj5316 and @albert-mueller,

Since USB-C is working now (meaning the amfi=0x80 injection successfully restored USB/SPI input during the installer), we need to isolate why the -> button is failing on the Language Selection screen.

Can you confirm exactly what happens when you press ->?

Does the mouse cursor completely freeze and the Mac locks up?
Does the screen turn grey/black?
Or does the button click, but nothing happens (the mouse still moves, but it won't proceed)?

If the mouse still moves but it won't proceed, this usually means SetupAssistant is failing to initialize the T2 connection or the spoofed SMBIOS (MacBookPro16,1) is missing a required property for Macmini8,1.

If the Mac completely freezes, we might still be dealing with an Intel UHD 630 graphics stall when the UI tries to transition.

@dietzjj5316 · September 20, 2026

Hi Albert,

On the language screen, when I click-on the arrow nothing happens. The screen doesn’t lock or change colors.

Thank you,
Jeff

@Medelcartelinc · September 20, 2026

@dietzjj5316 @albert-mueller I found the culprit!

The reason the -> button clicks on the Language Selection screen were being ignored is because AMFIPass.kext was temporarily disabled/commented out in misc.py for T2 Macs, while amfi=0x80 was still active.

Running macOS Sonoma/Tahoe with amfi=0x80 but without AMFIPass.kext causes Apple's AMFI-dependent background processes (like the ones SetupAssistant relies on for UI transitions) to hang.

Since the original boot stall was actually caused by the missing USB kexts (which we fixed in Alpha 19.3 by restoring amfi=0x80), I've simply re-enabled AMFIPass.kext for T2 Macs. This resolves the userland/UI freezes while keeping USB/SPI functional!

I just pushed the fix and compiled a new experimental release (4.0.0 alpha 19.4). Please grab it from the repository and let me know if it gets you past the Language Selection screen!

@dietzjj5316 · September 20, 2026

Hi Albert,

I'm not seeing the 4.0.0 alpha 19.4 version yet.

Does it take 24 hours before it's on the site?

Thank you,
Jeff

@dietzjj5316 · September 22, 2026

Hi Albert,

I tried the new version and still after selecting my language, the screen doesn’t advance.

Thank you,
Jeff

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