Multiple SSD, different or same OSX version - How?

[mengshi]

I want to have several OSX versions on several SSDs. How do I have separate Opencore setting for each ssd without screwing things up (especially if I want to experiment with Tahoe). 
 

Can such set up allow me to copy files from one SSD to another?

Edited September 20, 2025 by mengshi

[deeveedee]

@mengshi Each drive formatted with a GUID partition map can have its own Open Core EFI; however, I would recommend against it.  I used to have multiple physical drives, each with a GUID partition map and a unique Open Core EFI.  My intent was to test different Open Core configurations.  I found that having multiple Open Core installations on "permanent" drives was hard to manage and prone to user error (where I would accidentally boot from the wrong Open Core EFI).  Juggling the different Open Core installations was inconvenient and cumbersome.

 

I would recommend having only a single "master" Open Core EFI installed on one of the "permanent" drives in your hack.  Whenever you want to test an Open Core variant, boot from a USB drive.

 

EDIT: I currently boot Catalina through Tahoe on my hacks with the same Open Core EFI.  With MinKernel and MaxKernel attributes in your config.plist's "Kernel > Add, Block and Patch" you should be able to create a single Open Core EFI that accommodates different versions of macOS.  For hacks where I want to test old versions of macOS like High Sierra, I do have a separate physical disk with its own EFI, but I don't keep this physical disk connected simultaneously with newer versions of macOS.  Juggling new and very old versions of macOS like this is rare for me, so it's not really a problem.

Edited September 25, 2025 by deeveedee

[deeveedee]

@verdazil You're more talented than I am. I found it difficult to juggle multiple OC EFI's on the same hack. I must be lucky, because my hacks all have a single EFI that boots multiple versions of macOS (starting with Catalina) without requiring different boot-args for each macOS version.

[Cyberdevs]

As the last resort if all approaches fail I guess you can create multiple EFI partitions in your disks and copy different EFI folders in each EFI partition. In theory it should work, I haven't tested it in actuality, and as grandma mentioned my rigs usually have the same EFI for multiple OSes.

[Anto65]

It definitely works on the same disk with multiple EFI partitions... if really necessary (I also use a single EFI for everything).
But even without creating multiple EFI partitions
just create the OC-TAHOE, OC-SONOMA, OC-VENTURA, Clover  ... folders, along with the BOOT  folder... each with its own configuration and use BLC ( BootloaderChooser -- rename -> Bootx64.efi --, I prefer rEFInd ) then choose where to boot from.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

  rEFInd

 

 

}

menuentry Tahoe { 
os.type "MacOS"
graphics "on"
icon \EFI\BOOT\rEFInd-Shadow-IOS\Tahoe.png
loader \EFI\OC-Tahoe\OpenCore.efi

}

menuentry Sequoia { 
os.type "MacOS"
graphics "on"
icon \EFI\BOOT\rEFInd-Shadow-IOS\Sequoia.png
loader \EFI\OC-Sequoia\OpenCore.efi

}

menuentry Sonoma { 
os.type "MacOS"
graphics "on"
icon \EFI\BOOT\rEFInd-Shadow-IOS\Sonoma.png
loader \EFI\OC-Sonoma\OpenCore.efi

}

menuentry Clover { 
os.type "MacOS"
graphics "on"
icon \EFI\BOOT\rEFInd-Shadow-IOS\Clover.png
loader \EFI\CLOVER\CLOVERX64.efi

}

menuentry Windows-11-25-H2 { 
graphics "on"
icon \EFI\BOOT\rEFInd-Shadow-IOS\os_windows.png
volume BD026231-7FDA-4422-B556-236278080610, 0x800, 0x64800 
loader \EFI\HackBGRT\loader.efi

}

menuentry Ubuntu {
graphics "on"
icon \EFI\BOOT\rEFInd-Shadow-IOS\os_ubuntu.png
loader \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi

include rEFInd-Shadow-IOS.conf

 

 

Edited October 22, 2025 by Anto65

[PippoX0]

Nice trick :-)
I will give a try …