TABLE of CONTENTS
OpenCore EFI folder and config for running macOS Sonoma and newer on the Lenovo ThinkPad T490. Read the following documentation carefully in order to install/boot macOS successfully!
[!CAUTION]
Upgrading from to macOS 14.3.1 to 14.4 and newer via
System Update
causes a Kernel Panic during install! DisableAiportItlwm
and enableitlwm.kext
instead. SetSecureBootModel
toDisabled
, reset NVRAM and run the update again. If this does not work, follow this workaround to install macOS 14.4 on a new APFS volume. Use Migration Manager afterwards to get your data onto the new volume!
97
.PlatformInfo
data into Windows.[!IMPORTANT]
Before reporting any issues, ensure that your system uses the latest UEFI and EC Firmware as I do. I have no time trying to fix issues which are not caused by my EFI but rather by running the system on outdated firmware!
Category | Description |
---|---|
Model | Lenovo ThinkPad T490 |
Variant | 20N3 |
BIOS | UEFI: v1.83 (2024-06-20) Embedded Controller: v1.27 |
CPU | Intel Intel Core i5 8265U (Quad Core) |
RAM | 16 GB:
|
Storage | Western Digital PC SN530 NVMe SSD |
Display | Full HD (1080p) (Non-Touch) |
iGPU | Intel(R) Grpahics UHD 620 (spoofed as Iris 655, BusID: 2 ) |
dGPU | None |
Audio | Realtek ALC257 (using Layout 97 ) |
Thunderbolt | Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 Connector (USB-C) (Reported working but I don't have any gear to test it) |
Ethernet | Intel I219-V |
WiFi | Intel AC-9560 Firmware: iwm-9000-46 (Screenshot) |
Bluetooth | Device: Intel Wireless Bluetooth BT Version: 5.1 VID: 0x8087 , PID: 0x0aaa Firmware: ibt-17-16-1.sfi , ibt17-16-1.ddc USB Port: HS10 |
Trackpad | Synaptics Device-id: pci8086,9de8 . Controlled via SMBus. |
SD Card Reader | Realtek MicroSD Card Reader |
Dock | ThinkPad Ultra Docking Station |
After powering on the machine, spam F1 until you hear a beep to enter the BIOS. Change the following settings:
Category | Setting |
---|---|
Config | Display
|
Security | Fingerprint
|
Startup |
|
Devices/Properties/Add/PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x2,0x0)
enable-backlight-registers-alternative-fix
and use enable-backlight-registers-fix
instead to fix black screen issues.#
)!AppleXcpmCfgLock
is not required on my system. Try for yourself if your T490 can boot without it.boot-args
-v
, debug=0x100
and keepsyms=1
for debugging if you face issues.MinVersion
and MinDate
to -1
if you want to run macOS Catalina or older.MLB
, Serial
and ROM
for MacBookPro15,2
using GenSMBIOS or OCAT.[!CAUTION]
- Don't change the SMBIOS or the USB port mapping stored in
USBMap_MBP152.kext
won't be applied and Bluetooth won't work either! If you must change the SMBIOS then you also need to change themodel
property inside theinfo.plist
of the kext to match the selected SMBIOS as well (instructions).- If your T490 model uses a different WiFi/BT card than the stock Intel AC-9560 card, use the official
itlwm.kext
instead because mine only contains the firmware for the 9560 so it won't work with other cards.
Although the Intel AC-9560 Card is compatible with both kexts (use either one or the other), there are Pros and Cons to both of them (check the FAQs for other differences):
AirportItlwm: (default)
itlwm.kext
itlwm.kext
itlwm.kext
MinKernel
and MaxKernel
settingsitlwm.kext (disabled)
itlwm.kext
works across multiple versions of macOSAirportItlwm
Pre-compiled WiFi kexts for other versions of macOS can be found in the Additional Files section!
[!NOTE]
My config uses
AirportItlw.kext
by default since it allows accessing the internet during macOS installation (unlikeitlwm.kext
which requires an additional app to do so). Currently, AirportItlwm kexts for macOS Sonoma is included. Myitlwm.kext
is a slimmed-down version only containing the firmware for the Intel AC-9560 (1,5 MB instead of 16,1 MB). If you want to use itlwm, disable AirportItlwm (all variants) and enable itlwm in the config.plist instead. Next, download the Helipad app, run it and add it to "Login Items" (in System Settings) so that it starts automatically with macOS.
itlwm.kext
is used for Wi-Fi)sudo spctl --master-disable
because it is annoying and wants to stop you from running scripts from github etc. This command no longer works in macOS Sequoia – it requires a different method to disable Gatekeeper.itlwm.kext
users only):
YogaSMC
app into the "Programs" folder and run itCPUFriendDataProvider.kext
to optimize CPU Power Management if your T490 uses a different CPU than mine.sudo pmset -a powernap 0
sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25
Apple changed how FAT32 partitions are handled, so mounting the EFI partition does no longer work. For now, use this tool to mount the EFI partition.
[!NOTE]
This issue has been resolved in beta 6, so this workaround is no longer required.
Open the YogaSMC preference pane. You will find the following options (among others):
DYTC
: DYTC stands for Dynamic Thermal Control
. It allows the OS or firmware to manage the thermal characteristics of a device or component dynamically, adjusting power and performance to maintain safe operating temperatures. 3 profiles are available: "Quiet", "Balanced", and "Performance"PSC support
, the control for the slider becomes more nuanced. Instead of 3 positions it gets more increments. I think PSC
refers to Power State Current
in the DSDT
and is used to control different levels of performance via the slider.If you don't want to use YogaSMC, do the following:
YogaSMCPane
and remove itACPI
, disable SSDT-THINK.aml
and SSDT-ECRW.aml
Kernel
, disable YogaSMC.kext
[!NOTE]
After disabling YogaSMC, fan and performance controls are no longer available. F-keys besides Volume and Brightness will no longer work either.
Add the following entries to the "Kext URL Upgrade" list accessible via "Settings" from the "Sync" window (if not present already), so kext which are marked in grey in the Sync window will be downloaded when checking for updates:
Kext Name | Source URL |
---|---|
AdvancedMap.kext | https://github.com/notjosh/AdvancedMap |
AirportItlwm.kext | https://github.com/OpenIntelWireless/itlwm |
AMFIPass.kext | https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher |
IntelBluetoothFirmware.kext | https://github.com/OpenIntelWireless/IntelBluetoothFirmware |
IntelMausiEthernet.kext | https://github.com/CloverHackyColor/IntelMausiEthernet |
itlwm.kext | https://github.com/OpenIntelWireless/itlwm |
RealtekCardReader.kext | https://github.com/0xFireWolf/RealtekCardReader |
RealtekCardReaderFriend.kext | https://github.com/0xFireWolf/RealtekCardReaderFriend |
[!IMPORTANT]
Don't update
AirportItlwm.kext
,AppleALC.kext
,IntelBluetoothFirmware.kext
anditlwm.kext
via OCAT because then you lose the slimmed versions of these kexts!
Chris1111 has created a helpful little app called Wifi-Intel-KextsBuilder which automates the process of compiling Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Firmware kexts. It only requires you to have Xcode installed and will handle the rest on its own once you run it.
Wifi-Intel-KextsBuilder downloads the source code of itlwm, IntelBluetoothFirmware, MacKernelSDK and Lilu and then compiles itlwm, AirportItlwm and Intel Bluetooth Firmware kexts. They will be located under "Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Developer/Wifi-Intel-KextsBuilder/ in the "build/Release" folder of each repo.
These kexts won't be slimmed like the ones present in my EFI folders but at least you now have a simple option to compile them on your own in the future. For compiling slimmed kexts, follow my guide