Revert root patches first, remove OpenCore second. Never the other way round.
And before either: if your Mac is running a macOS version newer than Apple ever supported on it, removing OpenCore leaves it unbootable. You must reinstall a macOS version your Mac supports natively as part of the process.
Decide which of the two situations you're in
| Your situation | What removal involves |
|---|---|
| Running a macOS version your Mac officially supports (you used OCLP for something else, or already downgraded) | Straightforward: revert patches, remove OpenCore, done. The Mac boots on its own afterwards. |
| Running a macOS version newer than Apple supports on this Mac — the usual case | You must reinstall a natively supported macOS. Removing OpenCore from an unsupported OS leaves a Mac that cannot boot. Back up first; this erases the drive. |
The correct order
Back up.
Time Machine or a clone. If the second path applies you're about to erase the drive, and even on the first path this is not the moment to be without a backup.
Revert root patches.
Open OCLP → Post-Install Root Patch → Revert Root Patches. This restores the untouched system volume and reseals it. Do this while OpenCore is still installed — it's what lets the Mac boot to run the tool.
Reboot and confirm the Mac still starts.
Expect the interface to be sluggish on a non-Metal Mac now that acceleration is gone. That's correct — you removed the patches providing it.
If needed, reinstall a supported macOS.
Use another Mac or the internet-recovery version your firmware offers. Check the supported Macs list for what your model shipped with and can run natively.
Remove OpenCore from the EFI partition.
Mount the EFI partition and delete the OC and BOOT folders inside EFI. OCLP's uninstaller package does this for you and is the safer route.
Reset NVRAM.
Power on holding Option + Command + P + R to clear the stored boot selection pointing at OpenCore. Skipping this produces odd boot behaviour afterwards.
Do not delete OpenCore from the EFI partition while running an unsupported macOS. The Mac boots that OS through OpenCore; remove it and the next restart lands on a prohibited sign. Recovering means booting from the OCLP USB and reinstalling OpenCore — annoying, but not fatal if it happens.
Selling or handing on the Mac
A buyer expects stock hardware. Leaving OCLP in place means handing over a machine that will break on its next macOS update, with no idea why.
Do the full removal, reinstall a supported macOS, and erase properly: boot to Recovery, use Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, then reinstall. Confirm the finished machine boots with no USB attached and nothing unusual in the boot picker.
Also sign out of iCloud and remove the Mac from your Apple account before erasing — unrelated to OCLP, but the same job, and easy to forget.
Reverting patches without removing OpenCore
A useful middle position that people often overlook. Reverting root patches while leaving OpenCore installed gives you a clean, sealed system volume that still boots the unsupported macOS.
It's the right move when you're troubleshooting a problem you suspect the patches are causing, or preparing for a major macOS upgrade and want to start from a clean base. You lose acceleration and patched hardware until you reapply, and reapplying is the usual Post-Install Root Patch run.
Common questions
Will uninstalling OCLP delete my files?
Reverting root patches and removing OpenCore don't touch your data. But if your macOS version is newer than your Mac natively supports, the process includes reinstalling macOS, and that does erase the drive. Back up.
I removed OpenCore and now the Mac shows a prohibited sign.
Expected if you were on an unsupported macOS. Boot from your OCLP USB installer, choose EFI Boot, and reinstall OpenCore to the internal drive — the recovery route in stuck on boot.
Can I reinstall OCLP later?
Yes, any time. Nothing about removal is one-way, provided you keep a backup and a working installer USB.