This is a series of tips that cover Mac OS X client edition. Server forums cover Mac OS X server on the community.
Also, you should have a 64-bit Windows operating system with at least 2 GB RAM and 20 GB of free storage. We recommend you 4 GB of RAM or higher and more room so you can store more files and install more apps on macOS Catalina disk.
Here is the series of tips for related Macs. 10.6,10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10,10.11,
- The MacBook Pro has had a long life thanks to frequent operating system updates. While the hardware has become difficult if not impossible to upgrade yourself, Apple has worked on extending the MacBook Pro's life by making sure its operating system, macOS, runs on models going back many years.
- MacOS Catalina (version 10.15) is the sixteenth major release of macOS, Apple Inc.' S desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. It is the successor to macOS Mojave and was announced at WWDC 2019 on June 3, 2019 and released to the public on October 7, 2019.
10.12 ,10.13, 10.14 Mojave, 10.15 Catalina , 11.0 Big Sur.
See special note about resetting the SMC during updates and upgrades, later in the tip.
is an article I wrote that everyone updating their Mac should read. No update should be ventured into with operating systems or software without first ensuring your data is backed up in two separate places. Slowing down of your Mac should not lead you to assume an update will fix everything. First isolate why your Mac is slowing down or crashing before installing anything new.
Apple includes many full upgrade installer links on https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683
Note: APFS came about with High Sierra, and Mojave continues the practice of auto-reformatting drives into APFS that are solid state like flash drives from HFS Journaled. If you need to downgrade to an older system than High Sierra, you will need to reformat the drive again, or leave a partition with the old formatting available.
Apple released for 10.14.6 users, 2020-003 Mojave security update. If running an earlier version of 10.14, run the 10.14.6 Combo update first.
Apple recommends you have these Macs according to: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP777?locale=en_US
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer) [model identifier 8,1 or later]
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer) [model identifier 5,1 or later]
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer) [model identifier 9,1 or later]
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer) [model identifier 6,1 or later]
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer) [model identifier 12,1 or later]
- Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards) [model identifier 5,1 or later]
bracketed items in quotes were added for additional identification purposes. Your Apple menu -> About This Mac -> System Report or System Profiler gives you the model identifier.
All of the Macs that are older than 10.11, need to be updated to 10.11 first before installing Mojave.
The oldest MacBook Air, Mac mini, and iMac which can upgrade to Mojave shipped with 10.8, Mountain Lion.
The oldest MacBook Pro which can upgrade to Mojave shipped with 10.7, Lion.
The oldest MacBook had Mac OS X 10.10 installed.
The oldest Mac Pro on the list above with the compatible graphics cards, had 10.6 originally installed, and is the only Mac that shipped with 10.6 that can install Mojave. Before upgrading to 10.7 or later, read this tip as Apple has not reintroduced a series of software that made older Mac compatible software compatible with Intel Macs since 10.6.8's release.
Apple released Mojave on September 24, 2018. Reports from:
earlier than that date were made with pre-release Mojave versions and can not be relied upon.
September 30, 2018 driver additions from third party update pages:
HP, and Samsung (HP has become the download site for at least some Mojave Samsung printers, if you have Samsung see if any are Catalina compatible)
Silverfast.
10.14.3 was released January 22, 2019. Note, some users are reporting 10.14.3 will not successfully apply as an update without an SMC reset as described how to do in this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295
Frequently both updates and upgrades will require multiple reboots to successfully apply. Do NOT become impatient if you find the screen go blank during the update or upgrade process. If you press the power button to shut it down while it is rebooting for the update or upgrade, it may quit the process, and leave you stuck.
Use the macOS Mojave forum for operating system specific questions of other end users such as yourself.
Note: https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/partition-a-physical-disk-dskutl14027/mac
are directions for creating a separate partition that will allow you to dual boot into an older operating system
if you find something not compatible with the current. Once you install the older operating system, you can use the Startup manager to dual boot to the older system.
You can't install Mojave from the Finder, unless you are running 10.13.6 or earlier.
The direct download link for Mojave is:
Note: some people have had trouble downloading the latest Mojave links. https://brave.com/ has been found to be a better web browser than some if you run into issues and is known to work on Mac OS X 10.10 and later.
Note: the 2020-004 security update for Mojave has a bug with the screen saver getting stuck. To repair delays in the screen saver, 'The workaround is to choose a non-picture screen saver such as Flurry, Message, etc.' (special thanks to community member dialabrain for this report.
Make your Mac invincible
Let's just say it: 2020 is a weird year — messing with an ordinary state of things to the extent that you no longer know what's ordinary. So don't panic if you google 'What is the latest macOS 2021?' and can't find the macOS version 10.16. It doesn't exist.
This year, Apple hosted its first virtual-only WWDC event where they announced a transition to macOS 11, hence ending the era of Mac OS X generation. The new macOS Big Sur version 11.0 arrives with an overhauled design that features lots of iOS elements. Also, macOS 11 will be the first operating system to support Macs with Apple silicon chips. So just like anything 2020, macOS Big Sur is pretty unusual — but is it really worth an upgrade?
Big Sur upgrade assistant
Before you switch to a new macOS, install Setapp. It’s a suite of apps that will keep your data protected on any system.
macOS Big Sur review: What's new
Before we look at the pros and cons, let's focus on the major changes that Apple Big Sur is bringing to the table. The following section will help you understand whether an upgrade to Big Sur makes sense in your case. If you decide to skip it over, we won't judge you — but make sure you check the infographic below for a quick summary.
macOS Big Sur requirements: Will your Mac run macOS 11?
Full disclosure: This article only makes sense if you can give a positive answer to the question 'Can my Mac run Big Sur?' If it's a no, breathe out and continue enjoying Catalina. Or, get a new Mac. If you compare device compatibility in macOS Big Sur vs Catalina, you'll notice a change. Essentially, Big Sur moves a year to two years ahead, cutting off support for all Macs released prior to 2013.
Here’s the full list of macOS Big Sur compatible devices:
MacBook (2015 or later)
MacBook Air (2013 or later)
MacBook Pro (2013 or later)
Mac Pro (2013 or later)
Mac Mini (2014 or later)
iMac (2014 or later)
iMac Pro (2017 or later).
You’ll find more on macOS Big Sur system requirements here.
Design changes that change it all
Is Catalina A Good Upgrade
Apple calls it the biggest design change in the last 20 years. We call it an iPad marries a Mac. Here's a quick dive into why macOS Big Sur is very different from what you experience with Catalina:
New Control Center featuring quick access to settings and controls on Mac
Full-size sidebars across apps
Notifications grouped by apps
Three new widget layouts
Widgets and notifications can be combined within one view
Translucent Dock icons and the menu bar
Rounded corners across windows and app icons.
It looks like macOS Big Sur takes a content-first approach, removing visual complexity and helping you customize lots of things on a desktop. It also has that sweet homely iOS vibe about it, which you’ll recognize instantly if you’re an iPhone/iPad user.
The iPadification of Mac
Apart from the design change, the latest macOS is embracing more iOS apps via Catalyst. For instance, Maps and Messages have been redesigned with the Mac Catalyst app — and Catalyst itself is getting some major enhancements. Particularly, it arrives with access to more iOS frameworks, new APIs, and the ability to control Mac Catalyst apps using just the keyboard.
The Catalyst era kicked off in 2019, with the release of macOS 10.15 Catalina. Apple made it possible to port iOS apps to macOS, and introduced Screen Time as the first native app to undergo the Catalyst transition. With macOS 11, Catalyst apps continue arriving — easy to port and fitting the Big Sur design perfectly.
What’s more, Macs with Apple silicon chips will be able to run iOS apps natively on Big Sur. This means one thing: In the battle of Big Sur vs Catalina, the former certainly wins if you want to see more iOS apps on Mac.
Safari reborn on macOS Big Sur
Apple introduced some great Safari improvements with macOS Catalina, including weak password flagging and tab switching. But compared to what they did this year, Catalina updates were just the beginning of a major Safari transformation. On macOS Big Sur, Safari is crazily customizable and 50% faster than Chrome. Here are some key changes:
Customizable start page. You can set any background picture and choose what should appear on your Safari start page.
Preview tabs. Hover over any tab for a quick website preview.
Bring extensions from anywhere. Developers can easily migrate third-party extensions to Safari.
Translate an entire web page. Translate a website page across seven languages in a flash.
See who’s tracking you. The new built-in Privacy Report gives you access to the list of trackers on any website, which is a huge leap forward in terms of safer browsing.
Is it safe to update to Big Sur?
Many users are wondering whether it’s safe to download and install Big Sur at this point. We’ve dived into the depths of Reddit and Twitter, searching for any hints about macOS Big Sur misbehavior. So far, there have been some reports on installation problems and Safari crashing. But considering betas are generally buggy, it seems normal.
According to Apple, macOS Big Sur will offer even more control over users’ personal data. Developers will be asked to provide extensive information on their privacy practices when bringing apps to the App Store — so that you know what types of data an app collects before installing it. And with the new Privacy Report in Safari, you can expect a safer browsing journey on Big Sur. So we believe it’s pretty safe to upgrade to Big Sur.
Make your macOS perform better
Read more about how to upgrade mac os the right way
The only recommendation is to make sure your Mac is prepared well in advance. Free up storage with CleanMyMac X — you’ll need at least 20GB of free disk space — and back up data with Get Backup Pro just to be sure nothing disappears from your Mac. Both tools are on Setapp and available with a 7-day free trial.
Catalina vs Big Sur: Final verdict
The question “Should I upgrade to Big Sur or not?” doesn’t have an easy answer. But we say give it a try if you like the new iOS-inspired design and enhanced Safari. Also, macOS Big Sur is the best operating system for porting iOS apps — and, hopefully, running iOS apps in the near future. Summing it up, here’s the final look at Big Sur vs Catalina features:
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
Mac Os Catalina Should I Upgrade
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