Hackintosh Checklist

Copy this into a Markdown editor and verify each point.

What's working?

Working: check-mark. Not Working: bold.

Not Tested: leave as-is. Not applicable: strike-through or delete.

Useful tools and utilities

Checklist Tools

Desktop and General

OpenCore Booting

• Correct OS choices shown in OpenCore Menu/GUI

• Keyboard shortcuts working (see details below in OpenCore Boot Key Combinations)

  • CMD+V — verbose mode (check KeySwap)

• NVRAM working: Verifying if you have working NVRAM

  • Apple -> System Preferences -> Startup Disk (uses NVRAM).

• Security (especially SIP) use Menu Bar SIP Detector

• FileVault (if used)

• Windows and/or Linux Multi-Boot

• Recovery (macOS) Boot

• Serial Number: ensure that it does not exist elsewhere, Check Apple Coverage (and not uploaded to Github)

Display

• Display via HDMI

• Display via DisplayPort

• Display via DVI

• Native Resolution

• Refresh rates

• Multimonitor displays

Graphics Acceleration

• dGPU dedicated GPU

  • In Terminal: gfxutil -f GFX0 or check in IORegistryExplorer

• iGPU internal GPU

  • In Terminal: gfxutil -f IGPU or check in IORegistryExplorer

• QE/CI (full acceleration requires both Quartz Extreme and Core Image)

  • Check for transparent menu bar and fast smooth UI

  • Hackintool -> System -> System -> Quartz Extreme (QE/CI)

• VDA (Video Decode Acceleration framework)

  • Hackintool -> System -> System -> VDA Decoder (should show 'fully supported')

  • Or use VDADecoderChecker

• Metal

  • System Information -> Graphics/Displays -> Metal: Supported

  • GLView

  • Geekbench -> Compute -> Metal

• Intel Quick Sync, H.264 & HEVC (H.265) hardware decoding/encoding

  • Intel Power Gadget > GFX (green line) check while exporting H.264 from FCP-X

• dGPU hardware acceleration

Audio

• Audio out (see in Audio MIDI Setup)

• Audio in

• Frontpanel audio connectors

• Audio over HDMI

• Audio quality

Sleep & Power

Use Energy Saver > Restore Defaults

• Check Hibernate Mode (desktop 0, laptop 3). In Terminal: pmset -g | grep hibernatemode

• Shutdown (from Apple menu)

• Restart (from Apple menu)

• Manual Sleep (Apple menu -> Sleep)

• Press and hold power button for 1.5 seconds, select Sleep

• Auto Sleep (System Preferences -> Energy Saver)

• Wake by keyboard

• Wake by mouse/trackpad

CPU

• CPU Power Management Optimizing Power Management

  • Check with IORegistryExplorer

• Temperatures and stability with 100% CPU

  • Use Prime95 Torture Test

Disk

Test with AJA System Test Lite or AmorphousDiskMark

• NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen3 or Gen4 speeds)

• SATA SSD

• TRIM support (System Information -> SATA -> SSD drive)

• USB Drives

Sensors

Check with HWMonitorSMC2

• CPU

• GPU

• SSD, NVMe, HD

• Fans

Keyboard

• Option/Command correctly mapped in macOS

  • For PC Keyboards swap in: System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Modifier Keys

  • Press Spacebar and the key left of the Spacebar. This should show Spotlight

• Fn keys working (Audio Volume keys, etc.)

USB

Check with USBToolBox or Hackintool (shows connection speed)

Test external drive speed with AJA System Test Lite

• USB 2 ports

• USB 2 on USB 3 ports

• USB 3 and 3.1 ports (check transfer speed during copy)

• USB Type-C ports

• SD Card Reader

• Camera (Photo Booth, Facetime, Zoom)

• Fingerprint reader

ThunderBolt

• File transfer

• Display

Ethernet

• Gigabit LAN (System Preferences-> Network -> Ethernet -> Advanced -> Hardware -> Speed should be 1000baseT or more)

• 2.5GBase-T (especially on Comet Lake and above boards)

• 10GBase-T (Aquantia with updated firmware)

Wifi & Bluetooth

• Wifi function and transmission speed (Option Click -> Wifi menu bar icon -> check Tx Rate)

• Bluetooth devices (trackpad, mouse, keyboard, headset)

• AirDrop (test with iDevices)

• AirPlay to Mac (macOS Monterey or later, test with iOS 14 or later devices)

  • tap the AirPlay icon on your Apple device to share videos to your Hackintosh

• Handoff System requirements for Continuity and Use Continuity which requires macOS Catalina & iOS 13+

• Sidecar requires macOS Catalina or later and a compatible iPad using iPadOS 13 or later.

OS Features

• iMessage, FaceTime, App Store, iTunes Store

• DRM support (iTunes Movies, Apple TV+. Amazon Prime and Netflix, and others - test in Safari. Requires AMD Polaris or newer GPU.)

Laptop Specific

additional checks relevant for Notebooks including MacBooks with Legacy Patchers

Display

• Backlight setting

• Backlight sensor

• Backlight Fn keys

Audio

• Internal Speakers

• Internal Microphone

• 3.5 mm Jack Headphones

• 3.5 mm Jack Microphone

Sleep & Power

• Sleep by close lid

• Sleep by close lid with external display

• Wake by open lid

Battery

• Showing percentage

• Showing capacity/health

  • coconutBattery

• Charge plug/unplug detected

Sensors

• Battery

Keyboard & Trackpad

• Keyboard (possibly PS2 based)

• Brightness and other Fn Keys

• Touchpad basic functions

• Touchpad Gestures

Location of Checklist: https://github.com/chriswayg/Opencore-Visual-Beginners-Guide/blob/master/step-by-step/hackintosh-checklist.md

I make this checklist available under public domain (CC0)