Hackintosh on Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7

Status: Stable | Daily driver

This is another repository created by another ordinary person focused on implementing MacOS on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 (or, as I like to say, Lenovo ThinkTosh X1C7 😎).

INTRO: This project was created for people who are interested in seeing how it would be if we could implement MacOS on a laptop that wasn't manufactured by Apple and could be used like a MacBook by spending less (a lot less!) or even reusing your laptops for productivity, programming, work, entertainment, enthusiasts, etc.

Since late 2023, I've been working to understand how I can develop a way to implement MacOS on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 (especially the 7th Gen version), and since then, I've been enhancing the core of the project (config.plist) to make the experience as good as possible without encountering problems or experiencing lagging. If you need help with any problem that appears, please visit. Reddit, TonyMacX86, call Copilot if you are Gen Z or just Google if you are like a boss.

Introduction

• Observations
  • Information about EFI/BOOT
  • What is working
  • What is not working
  • Needs to fix
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • ACPI
  • Kexts
  • UEFI
• Tutorial
  • Configuring your custom SMBIOS
  • Editing the configuration file
  • Downloading MacOS Sonoma 14
  • Preparing your flash drive BOOT
  • Configuring UEFI
  • Moving EFI
• POST
  • Trackpad
  • SMBIOS
  • audio
• Credits
  • Other repositories
  • Folks

Note

All tutorial here was made by Windows 10. If you are using MacOS or Linux as a primary OS, maybe some commands be different. So be careful!

Caution

I'm not responsible for any problems or damages that could possibly occur on your laptop if you follow the tutorial below. The procedures transcribed in this repository were executed on the GitHub user's laptop and shared with the community for knowledge purposes without any obligation or warranty of success. By following these steps, YOU TAKE ALL RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU TRY TO REPLICATE THESE ONES.

Observations

Information about EFI/BOOT

One of the most important things to know is how MacOS boot works, the steps before POST, and how EFI/Firmware deal with understanding each line inserted in our OpenCore config (config.plist), ACPI files, kernel extensions, drivers, etc.

Once you have a basic knowledge about UEFI/BOOT, the minimum requirements that will be useful to boot the OS are to create, edit, and generate your SMBIOS, which is nothing more than simulating your laptop as a MacBook for the OS.

EFI/BOOT flowchart 🔃

graph TD;
    A[Power On] --> B[UEFI/EFI Firmware Initialization]
    B --> C[POST Power-On Self-Test]
    C --> D[UEFI Boot Manager]
    D --> E[Load UEFI Drivers]
    E --> F[Locate Boot Loader]
    F --> G[Execute Boot Loader]
    G --> H[Load Operating System]

    B --> B1[Initialize CPU]
    B --> B2[Initialize Memory]
    C --> C1[Check Hardware Components]
    C --> C2[Verify System Integrity]
    D --> D1[Check Boot Configuration]
    E --> E1[Load Network Drivers]
    E --> E2[Load Storage Drivers]
    F --> F1[Verify Boot Loader Signature]
    G --> G1[Transfer Control to OS]

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What is working

Working ✅

Video and Audio

Feature	Status	Dependency	Remarks
Full Graphics Accleration (QE/CI)	✅	WhateverGreen.kext & AAPL,ig-platform-id = 00009B3E & device-id = A53E0000	It this configuration doesn't work, change: AAPL,ig-platform-id: 00009B3E or 0000A53E device-id: 9B3E0000 or A53E0000
Audio Output	✅	AppleALC.kext with Layout ID = 71	-
Audio Speakers	✅	AppleALC.kext with Layout ID = 71	You have to manually aggregate the two output using "Audio MIDI Setup" to have 4 speakers working
Audio Input	✅	AppleALC.kext with Layout ID = 71	Headset microphone is inconsistent and needs more testing
Automatic Headphone Output Switching	✅	AppleALC.kext with Layout ID = 71	-

Power Management

Feature	Status	Dependency	Remarks
Battery	✅	ECEnabler.kext	Battery life is native compared to Windows and Linux
CPU Power Management (SpeedShift)	✅	CPUFriend.kext with CPUFriendDataProvider.kext	Essential to make a battery management
iGPU Power Management	✅	SSDT-PLUG.aml	Essential to use graphics acceleration
NVMe Drive Battery Management	✅	NVMeFix.kext	Improves NVMe drive power management
S3 Sleep / Hibernation Mode 3	✅	HibernationFixup.kext	Continuously working in improvement

Connectivity

Feature	Status	Dependency	Remarks
WiFi	✅	AirportIltwm.kext	Related to Wi-Fi connection
Bluetooth	✅	IntelBluetoothFirmware.kext, BlueToolFixup.kext, and USBMap.kext	Headset's microphone is not working via Bluetooth
Ethernet	✅	IntelMausi.kext	-
HDMI 1.4	✅	BusID patching	It only works properly after being put to sleep and woken up once (Hotplug & 4K resolution are supported)
1st USB-C (Display output)	✅	-	It only works properly after being put to sleep and woken up once (Hotplug & 4K resolution are supported)
2nd USB-C (Display output)	✅	-	It works properly (Hotplug is supported)
USB 2.0 / USB 3.0	✅	USBMap.kext	Create your own USBMap.kext using CorpNewt
USB 3.1 (Type-C)	✅	USBMap.kext and enable Thunderbolt 3 in BIOS	Hotplug is working
USB Power Properties in macOS	✅	-	-
ThinkPad USB-C Docking Station	✅	-	Work smoothly

Display, TrackPad, TrackPoint, Keyboard, and Webcam

Feature	Status	Dependency	Remarks
Brightness Adjustments	✅	WhateverGreen.kext, SSDT-PNLF.aml, enable-backlight-smoother property, and BrightnessKeys.kext	enable-backlight-smoother property is optional for smoother birghtness adjustments
TrackPoint	✅	VoodooPS2Controller.kext	-
TrackPad	✅	VoodooI2C.kext and VoodooI2CHID.kext	-
Built-in Keyboard	✅	VoodooPS2Controller.kext	-
Webcam	✅	USBMap.kext	-

macOS Continuity

Feature	Status	Dependency	Remarks
iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime	✅	Whitelisted Apple ID, Valid SMBIOS See Dortania / OpenCore-Install-Guide	Switch to itlwm.kext in order to work with macOS Sonoma
Sidecar (wired)	✅	-	Tested with iPad Pro M1 with USB-C to USB-C cable

Miscellaneous

Feature	Status	Dependency	Remarks
Multiple Boot	✅	-	macOS, Windows, and Linux distributions (Use this guide to setup dual boot on the same drive)
Boot chime	✅	-	Working like a charme
Fan Control / Multimedia Keys	✅	YogaSMC.kext	I modified YogaSMC.kext in order to work with my setup
FireVault 2	✅	-	Working but the keyboard layout during boot is messed up!

What is not working

Not working ❌

Feature	Status	Dependency	Remarks
Fingerprint Reader	❌	-	I didn't even get to test
Wireless WAN	❌	DISABLED in BIOS to save power.	Unable to investigate as I have no need and my model did not come with WWAN
DRM	❌	iGPU	DRM is broken with iGPUs
Internal Microphone	❌	-	I hope it will work one day
Thunderbolt 3	❌	-	Not working
Continuity Camera	❌	-	Not working with Intel wireless cards
AirDrop	❌	-	Not working with Intel wireless cards
Apple Watch Auto Unlock	❌	-	Not working with Intel wireless cards
Instant Hotspot	❌	-	Not working with Intel wireless cards
Sidecar (wireless)	❌	-	Not working with Intel wireless cards
Continuity Markup and Sketch	❌	-	Not working with Intel wireless cards
Handoff	❌	-	Support dropped with macOS Sonoma and the new AirportIltwm kext
Universal Clipboard	❌	-	Support dropped with macOS Sonoma and the new AirportIltwm kext
SMS & Phone Call via iPhone	❌	-	Support dropped with macOS Sonoma and the new AirportIltwm kext
AirPlay to Mac	❌	-	Support dropped with macOS Sonoma and the new AirportIltwm kext

Needs to fix

Needs to fix 🛠

Color Banding	Unfortunately, I tried so many configurations and ways to fix the color banding on my ThinkPad model. If you had this problem and was able to resolve, please tell me or open a pull request detailing how to fix this issue.

Hardware

This is a little brief of my hardware specifications. Depending on the type of model or the region where you reside, components may change:

Hardware info 💻

Category	Component	Note
Type	20QE	-
CPU	Intel Core i5-8365U	Whiskey Lake
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 620	Whiskey Lake
SSD	Intel SSDPEKKF256G8L	Swapped for compatibility, the laptop came with a Samsung MZ-VLB256B SSD
Screen	14" FHD - 1920 x 1080	Touch screen
Memory	8GB / 2133MHz LPDDR3	Soldered
Battery	Integrated Li-Polymer 51Wh	Not removable
Camera	720p Camera	-
Wi-Fi & BT	Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201	-
Input	PS2 Keyboard & Synaptics I2C HID TrackPad	-
Ports	2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Right USB Always On) 2x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 / Thunderbolt 3 (Power Delivery and DisplayPort) [Max 5120x2880 @60Hz] HDMI 1.4 (Max 4096x2160 @24Hz)

Software

Component	Version
OpenCore	1.0.1
macOS Sonoma	14.6.1
ProperTree	0.3.0

ACPI

Components
SSDT-AWAC
SSDT-ECRW
SSDT-PLUG
SSDT-PNFL
SSDT-THINK
SSDT-USBX
SSDT-XOSI

Kexts

Kexts ⚙

AirportItlwm	2.3.0
AppleALC	1.9.1
AppleALCU	1.9.1
BlueToolFixup	2.4.0
BrightnessKeys	1.0.3
CPUFriend	1.2.8
CPUFriendDataProvider	1.2.8
ECEnabler	1.0.5
FeatureUnlock	1.1.6
HibernationFixup	1.5.1
IntelBluetoothFirmware	2.4.0
IntelBTPatcher	2.4.0
IntelMausi	1.0.7
IntelSnowMausi	1.0.7
Lilu	1.6.8
NVMeFix	1.1.1
RestrictEvents	1.1.4
SMCBatteryManager	1.3.3
SMCProcessor	1.3.3
SMCSuperIO	1.3.3
USBMap	❓
VirtualSMC	1.3.3
VoodooI2C	2.8
VoodooI2CHID	2.8
VoodooPS2Controller	2.3.5
WhateverGreen	1.6.7
YogaSMC	1.5.3

UEFI

UEFI 💾

Driver	Version
AudioDxe	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1
Ext4Dxe	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1
OpenCanopy	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1
OpenLinuxBoot	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1
OpenHfsPlus	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1
OpenRuntime	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1
ResetNvramEntry	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1
ToggleSipEntry	OpenCorePkg 1.0.1

Tutorial

Configuring your custom SMBIOS

Here, we are talking about how you can create your custom SMBIOS. Remember that each SMBIOS is unique, and because of that, I won't share my full SMBIOS.

1. First, download the GenSMBIOS generator;
2. Unzip the files where you can easily access them and open the GenSMBIOS.bat file;
3. Click on option 3. Here, the app will download additional packages and, once it finishes, it will shows another screen called "Generate SMBIOS";
4. Access this page to choose the best SMBIOS that you want to use. In my case, I'm using the MacBookPro16,3 SMBIOS;
5. Then, an entire SMBIOS config will be generated. Copy all the information to Notepad or a similar text editor.

Finished! Now you have your own SMBIOS config to proceed to the next step! 🚧🏃‍♂️

Editing the configuration file

Now, you need to place the information that you copied from genSMBIOS to you config.plist. In this example, we're gonna use the ProperTree app.

1. Download ProperTree app and unzip it in the easy directory;
2. Download all the files of this repository and unzip them in an easily accessible directory.
3. Open the ProperTree.bat file and minimize the cmd prompt. We don't need it and won't use it. Remember not to close the cmd prompt, just minimize it!
4. Once ProperTree is open, click on File > Open and navigate to the path where you unzipped this repository and open the config.plist file (it's located in EFI/OC/config.plist).
5. A lot of information will pop up on your screen. To make this more manageable, right-click on the Root node and select “Collapse Children”.
6. Now, you need to navigate to the path where you will place all the SMBIOS information. Click on PlatformInfo > Generic and here are the fields you will fill in:

MLB	String	Board Serial
ROM	Data	Apple Room
SystemProductName	String	Type
SystemSerialName	String	Serial
SystemUUID	String	SmUUID

There we have it! You've finished the config.plist configuration.

Downloading MacOS Sonoma 14

Now, this is one of the most important steps to do. You will need to download the MacOS image recovery in order to be able to boot up the system on your laptop. An important note to take is that all image paths written inside the recovery_url.txt file are legitimate and directly pulled from Apple's domain. So, you don't need to worry about customized or malicious images downloaded via the macrecovery app.

1. Download OpenCorePkg and extract the macrecovery utility from Utilities > macrecovery into an easily accessible directory on your PC.

2. Now, you can do this in two ways:

   1. Access the folder where you unzipped the file (e.g., J:\macrecovery), click on the File button in the upper-left corner, and select Open Windows PowerShell or Open Command Prompt (depending on how your PC is configured).
   2. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell by right-clicking on the Windows logo and then typing the path where you unzipped the files (e.g., cd J:\macrecovery).

3. Once the terminal is configured in the macrecovery directory, you will need to paste one of the commands below to download the MacOS Sonoma image recovery and wait until it finishes:

   python3 ./macrecovery.py -b Mac-937A206F2EE63C01 -m 00000000000000000 download

   python3 ./macrecovery.py -b Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94 download

4. When the download has finished, you will notice that two files were downloaded (BaseSystem.chunklist and BaseSystem.dmg).

Well done! Now, you're gonna jump to the final step before trying the first boot up.

Preparing your flash drive BOOT

Alright, once you have your config.plist configured and have downloaded the image recovery, it's time to set up your flash drive (or pen drive) to complete this configuration method.

1. Choose your preferred flash drive (or pen drive) that will be used in this case. Remember that the device needs to have at least 1GiB to store all files (I recommend using one with 2GiB or higher for safekeeping).
2. Format the device with the FAT32 file system. Otherwise, you won't be able to boot it on your laptop!
3. Format options: Quick Format. You can use this option or not. It doesn't matter.
4. Volume Label: tempEFI (optional name to identify).
5. When the flash drive (pen drive) has been formatted successfully, copy the EFI folder that contains the BOOT and OC folders, respectively (this is the folder where you edited the config.plist file!).
6. Then, create a folder named com.apple.recovery.boot outside of the EFI folder, and copy and paste the two files that were downloaded by macrecovery in the previous step (BaseSystem.chunklist and BaseSystem.dmg).
7. Make a check-in to ensure that you correctly have two folders on your flash drive (pen drive): EFI and com.apple.recovery.boot.

Congratulations, you have completed all the steps successfully! Let's now make some configurations in the UEFI on your laptop! 🎖

Configuring UEFI

This step may vary depending on your ThinkPad model, UEFI version, region, etc. Below, there will be two options to choose from:

1. The most common configuration found in various GitHub repositories;
2. My Configuration.

UEFI settings commonly used

• Keyboard/Mouse
  • Trackpoint Enabled
  • Trackpad Enabled
• Display
  • Boot Display Device ThinkPad LCD
  • Total Graphics Memory 256MB
  • Boot Time Extension Disabled
• CPU
  • Intel Hyper-Threading Technology Enabled
• Thunderbolt
  • Thunderbolt BIOS Assist Mode Disabled
  • Security Level No Security
  • Support in Pre Boot Environment -> Thunderbolt(TM) device Disabled
• Security
  • Password Disabled
  • Fingerprint Disabled
  • Security Chip Disabled
  • Memory Protection -> Execution Prevention Enabled
  • Virtualization -> Kernel DMA Protection Disabled
  • Virtualization -> Intel Virtualization Technology Enabled
  • Virtualization -> Intel VT-d Feature Disabled
  • Virtualization -> Enhanced Windows Biometric Security Disabled
  • I/O Port Access -> FingerPrint Reader Disabled
  • I/O Port Access -> Wireless WAN Disabled
  • Secure Boot -> Secure Boot Disabled
  • Intel SGX -> Intel SGX Control Disabled
  • Device Guard Disabled
• Startup
  • UEFI/Legacy Boot UEFI Only
  • CSM Support No
  • Boot Mode Diagnostics (This can be changed to "Quick" once you know your system is running properly)

My UEFI settings

• Keyboard/Mouse
  • Trackpoint Enabled
  • Trackpad Enabled
• Display
  • Boot Display Device ThinkPad LCD
  • Total Graphics Memory 256MB
  • Boot Time Extension Disabled
• CPU
  • Intel Hyper-Threading Technology Enabled
• Thunderbolt
  • Thunderbolt BIOS Assist Mode Disabled
  • Security Level User Authorization
  • Support in Pre Boot Environment -> Thunderbolt(TM) device Disabled
• Security
  • Password Disabled
  • Fingerprint Enabled
  • Security Chip Enabled
  • Clear Security Chip Enabled
  • Intel TXT Feature Disabled
  • Physical Presence for Clear Enabled
  • Memory Protection -> Execution Prevention Enabled
  • Virtualization -> Kernel DMA Protection Disabled
  • Virtualization -> Intel Virtualization Technology Enabled
  • Virtualization -> Intel VT-d Feature Enabled
  • Virtualization -> Enhanced Windows Biometric Security Enabled
  • I/O Port Access -> FingerPrint Reader Enabled
  • I/O Port Access -> Wireless WAN Enabled
  • Secure Boot -> Secure Boot Disabled
  • Intel SGX -> Intel SGX Control Disabled
  • Device Guard Disabled
• Startup
  • UEFI/Legacy Boot UEFI Only
  • CSM Support No
  • Boot Mode Diagnostics (This can be changed to "Quick" once you know your system is running properly)

Once the configurations were done, let's boot this badboy up! 🚀

Moving EFI

Once you have installed MacOS, you need to move the EFI folder from the flash drive to the SSD in order to boot the OS without needing the flash drive every time.

1. Download MountEFI and install it on you machine;
2. Then, click on the Finder option on the taskbar and select “Preferences”. On the General tab, check the Hard disks option and close the window.
3. The MacOS HD folder will appear in the upper-right corner. Right-click on it and select “MountEFI”, type your password (if configured), copy the EFI folder from the flash drive, and paste it inside the EFI folder on your SSD (if the EFI folder contains another folder, delete it and paste the EFI folder. Only this folder needs to stay there).
4. Close all windows, remove your flash drive, and restart the system. You will notice that MacOS can now boot up without needing the flash drive.

Congratulations, you have completed all the steps. Now, enjoy your machine! 🕹

POST

Trackpad

To improve the Trackpad in macOS, you have to disable Force Click and haptic feedback in System Preferences -> Trackpad.

SMBIOS

Like I said before, I won't share my full SMBIOS. But, you can use GenSMBIOS to create your own SMBIOS. Here is the common SMBIOS used for everyone:

• MacBookPro16,3 - What I used
• MacBookPro16,2 - Used by others

Note: If you use a different SMBIOS model than the MacbookPro16,3 that I've used. The provided USB mapping will not work. You will need to edit the USBMap.kext file. You can right click on the file and select Show Package Contents. From there you can open the Info.plist file in ProperTree and change MacBookPro16,3 to whatever Model ID you've chosen. This should provide a working USBMap.kext.

Audio

Using the Layout ID 71 will enable the 4 speakers (top front & bottom rear) in System Preferences > Sound allowing you to select either set of speakers (Two Output). To combine the two you'll need to open Audio MIDI Setup and create Multi-Output Device with both sets of speakers. Unfortunately you can't control natively the volume of an Aggregate Device with the volume keys. You'll need to install AggregateVolumeMenu

Credits

Other repositories

Many thanks to those who made it possible to hackintosh my laptop and provided the library for this ThinkPad series:

• X1C8-hackintosh repositories:
  • HJebbour/ThinkPad-X1C8-Hackintosh
• X1C7-hackintosh repositories:
  • seven-of-eleven/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1C7-OC-Hackintosh;
  • aidanchandra/x1c7-hackintosh
  • huyhoang8398/x1c7-hackintosh-20R1
  • EequalsMCsquare/ThinkPad-X1C7-OpenCore
• X1C6-hackintosh repositories:
  • tylernguyen/x1c6-hackintosh
  • benbender/x1c6-hackintosh
  • zhtengw/EFI-for-X1C6-hackintosh

Folks

I wanna thanks this folks that contributed a lot with the idea of bring MacOS to our ThinkPad devices:

• @benbender for your hardwork. Much of this repo comes from your research and code. Thank you!
• @Fewtarius for your help with patching audio.
• @Colton-Ko for the great features template.
• @stevezhengshiqi for the one-key-cpufriend script.
• @corpnewt for GibMacOS and EFIMount.
• @xzhih for one-key-hidpi.
• daliansky/OC-little for various ACPI hotpatch samples.
• @velaar for your continual support and contributions.
• @Porco-Rosso putting up with my requests to test repo changes.
• @MSzturc for adding my requested features to ThinkpadAssistant.
• paranoidbashthot and \x for the BIOS mod.
• @zhen-zen for YogaSMC

Tech thanks for the folks below to keep updating the main kerx, ACP and drivers:

• The guys from Acidanthera that make this possible
• ben9923 for VoodooI2C
• Apple for macOS
• CorpNewt for USBMap and CPUFriendDataProvider
• headkaze for Hackintool
• Mieze for IntelMausiEthernet
• OpenIntelWireless for IntelBluetoothFirmware, itlwm and HeliPort
• People at r/hackintosh for their advice and help
• And every other contributor

Please let me know if I missed you.💛