NullMoth NVIDIA Driver for macOS
A Metal driver for NVIDIA Turing-and-later cards on Intel Macs and OpenCore systems running macOS 15 Sequoia.
The device table includes GTX 16, RTX 20/30/40/50, TITAN RTX, and supported Quadro/RTX workstation cards.
The driver implements NVIDIA-backed display and Metal interfaces. Feature availability and application behavior depend on the card, operating-system version and installed components; device-table coverage is not runtime qualification.
Made by NullMoth Systems.
Latest update: 1401 and NVIDIA driver 1.3.0. See the changes, validation and qualification scope before updating.
Installing macOS from Windows? Use 1401: https://github.com/nullmoth/1401
This driver is new and may not work on every PC. It is tested on an RTX 5060 under macOS 15.7.x and 15.8.1. Device-table coverage is broader than physical hardware validation; see card support. If your PC does
not boot macOS with OpenCore yet, set that up first with the
OpenCore Install Guide
(OpenCore releases), then install the driver.
The full write-up of how the driver works is in docs/HOW-IT-WORKS.md.
Support the work: https://buymeacoffee.com/nullmoth
|
|
| macOS |
15 Sequoia (tested 15.7.x and 15.8.1), x86_64 |
| GPUs |
NVIDIA Turing and later from the GSP device table; physical validation: RTX 5060 |
| Metal |
Metal 3: argument buffers tier 2, ray tracing, mesh shaders, MPS, MetalFX path |
| Also |
OpenGL (through Apple's GL-on-Metal), OpenCL, Core Image, Core ML |
How it works
Metal app ─► NVMTLDriver.bundle ─► translator (Apple AIR → SPIR-V) ─► NVK (Mesa Vulkan + NAK compiler) ─► kexts ─► GPU
| Component |
Path on disk |
Source |
| Metal driver plugin |
/Library/GPUBundles/NVMTLDriver.bundle |
plugin/ |
| Shader translator |
inside the plugin (libnvmtl_translate.dylib) |
translator/ (LGPL-3.0, based on metal2vulkan) |
| Vulkan back end (NVK) |
/Library/GPUBundles/nvmtl/ |
nvk/nvk-macos.patch on Mesa 17ca6174 |
| Kernel extensions |
/Library/Extensions/NVRM, NVAccel, NVRMFB, NVRMAGDC |
kexts/ |
| GPU firmware (GSP) |
/Users/Shared/nvfw/nvidia/610.57.04 |
NVIDIA, unmodified |
The kernel side runs NVIDIA's own open GPU kernel modules (r610) under macOS. NVRMFB is the display framebuffer,
NVAccel the accelerator WindowServer composites through, NVRMAGDC the display-policy shim.
Install — prebuilt (recommended)
Download nullmoth-nvidia-<version>.tar.gz from Releases, then:
tar -xzf nullmoth-nvidia-*.tar.gz && cd pkgroot
shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS # every file must say OK
sudo ./install.sh # copies the files, rebuilds the Auxiliary Kernel Collection
sudo shutdown -r now # a reboot is required: logout does not load the driver
macOS asks you to allow the extensions in System Settings → Privacy & Security the first time. Allow, then reboot again.
1401 Mac app (easiest)
Download the latest 1401-Mac-<version>.dmg from Releases, open it, and run 1401 (the driver package is inside the disk
image, so nothing else to download). Follow its steps. A supported setup must use a verified or explicitly selected OpenCore partition. The app finds the OpenCore that started your Mac (in EFI/OC or EFI/BOOT, on an
EFI or FAT32 partition), shows every change before making it, backs the config up, installs the driver, and adds
1401: Remove NVIDIA driver to the OpenCore boot picker. Choosing that entry removes the driver at the next start and
puts the Mac back exactly as it was before the install, OpenCore config included, then restarts by itself. The app also
maps your USB ports and, if the driver ever crashes the Mac, offers to make a crash report you can upload yourself
(it never sends anything on its own).
Something not working? Open 1401 > Crash report > Send logs to NullMoth. It sends what 1401 did, the driver's
state, driver crash reports, recent WindowServer crash reports and OpenCore's startup logs (names, serial numbers and addresses removed), each
with a SHA-256 the site checks, and shows a report ID to quote in the NullMoth Discord.
Keep the USB stick or disk OpenCore started your Mac from plugged in while the app runs: that is the config it
changes. A shared SMBIOS model alone does not establish the startup partition. Automatic USB-to-internal copying is disabled, preserving Windows and vendor boot files. Driver installation uses the selected startup partition. Keep the OpenCore stick attached for every restart until the internal boot setup is reviewed. After the install,
restart; the first start with the driver pauses for up to a minute at "PCI configuration end" while the GPU comes up.
Wiring into an existing OpenCore setup
The kexts install into /Library/Extensions and load from the Auxiliary Kernel Collection — do not also inject
them from EFI/OC/Kexts. OpenCore only needs to set SIP and boot-args.
NVRAM → Add → 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82
| Key |
Value |
Why |
csr-active-config |
<430A0000> (Data) |
the tested value: unsigned kexts, plus what root patches need |
boot-args |
nvfb=1 nvaccel=1 nvfbheads=4 -nvkmsnosmooth amfi_get_out_of_my_way=0x1 amfi=0x80 ipc_control_port_options=0 |
framebuffer + accelerator, 4 display heads; the AMFI args let WindowServer load the driver bundle |
Add every key you set to NVRAM → Delete as well, so the values are rewritten each boot.
| Setting |
Value |
Why |
UEFI → Quirks → ResizeGpuBars |
13 |
8 GB BAR: full memory bandwidth (tested on the RTX 5060) |
Booter → Quirks → ResizeAppleGpuBars |
-1 |
macOS sees the full BAR |
Kernel → Block |
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport, Strategy Exclude |
otherwise the firmware framebuffer takes display index 0 from NVRMFB |
Misc → Security → SecureBootModel |
Disabled |
Apple Secure Boot refuses kexts Apple did not sign |
The macOS installer needs the opposite BAR settings (ResizeAppleGpuBars 0, ResizeGpuBars -1, IONDRVSupport
not excluded): it has no NVIDIA driver and runs on the firmware's screen. 1401 builds installers that way, and the 1401
Mac app switches to the values above when it installs the driver.
Also required:
- BIOS: Above 4G Decoding ON (the card maps memory above 4 GB), CSM OFF.
- SMBIOS: a Mac model that runs macOS 15 with a discrete GPU (tested:
iMacPro1,1, which 1401 uses).
- Remove any
nv_disable=1, WhateverGreen NVIDIA patches, or agdpmod=pikera for this card.
- No
DeviceProperties are needed for the NVIDIA card.
Verify after the reboot:
kmutil showloaded --list-only | grep nullmoth # 4 lines
system_profiler SPDisplaysDataType | head -20 # your GeForce, Metal: supported
Dual boot
Nothing in the driver touches other disks. OpenCore's picker boots Windows (ScanPolicy 0 or including NTFS) and Linux
(OpenLinuxBoot.efi in UEFI → Drivers, LauncherOption = Full) alongside macOS.
Uninstall
sudo ./uninstall.sh && sudo shutdown -r now
Build from source
Requires Xcode 16, Rust (stable), Meson/Ninja, and NVIDIA's open-gpu-kernel-modules at tag 610.57.04.
build/build_xlate.sh # translator -> libnvmtl_translate.dylib
RELEASE=1 build/build_plugin.sh # plugin -> NVMTLDriver.bundle (RELEASE=1 strips every diagnostic)
build/build263.sh # NVK: apply nvk/nvk-macos.patch to Mesa 17ca6174 first
build/accel_build.sh <src> <out> # kexts
License
Free of charge, source code included. Nobody may sell it or use it to make money.
plugin/, kexts/, build/, package/: PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 (see LICENSE), © NullMoth Systems.
Personal, research, educational and non-profit use is allowed; any commercial use is not.translator/: LGPL-3.0-or-later (see translator/LICENSE): it is based on metal2vulkan, whose licence carries over.nvk/: changes to Mesa (MIT).- GSP firmware: NVIDIA's redistributable firmware licence.
See NOTICE for third-party credits.
一个免费开源的 Metal 驱动，让 NVIDIA Turing 及更新架构的 GeForce/RTX/Quadro 显卡在通过 OpenCore 运行 macOS 15 Sequoia 的 Intel Mac 上作为受完整支持的 GPU 工作，涵盖桌面渲染、Metal 应用、游戏、Core ML/MPS 和 OpenCL。