macOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. Get even more transparency around your privacy.

Chances are, your Mac can run macOS Big Sur

Here’s how to find out which OS version you’re running now: Click Apple icon in the top left corner. Choose About this Mac. There you have it, in capital letters.

The following models are supported:

  • Copy OS to USB stick Mount downloaded OS image (it’s often as easy as double click on a file). If installer is an app file simply type in your terminal: sudo /Applications/Install macOS Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia -volume /Volumes/MyVolume -applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS Mojave.app.
  • The maximum version of Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS supported by each G3 and later Mac follows. For complete specs on a particular system, click the name of the Mac. For all Macs that are compatible with a specifc maximum supported version of Mac OS X - courtesy of EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Sort - click the OS of interest.
  • MacBook (2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2013 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)
  • Mac mini (2014 or later)
  • iMac (2014 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2013 or later)

To see which model you have, click the Apple icon in your menu bar and choose About This Mac.

Make sure you’re ready to upgrade.

Before you upgrade, we recommend that you back up your Mac. If your Mac is running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS Big Sur. You’ll need the following:

  • OS X 10.9 or later
  • 4GB of memory
  • 35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*
  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
  • Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

Upgrading is free and easy

Upgrading from macOS Catalina 10.15 or Mojave 10.14?

Go to Software Update in System Preferences to find macOS Big Sur. Click Upgrade Now and follow the onscreen instructions.

Upgrading from an older version of macOS?

If you’re running any release from macOS 10.13 to 10.9, you can upgrade to macOS Big Sur from the App Store. If you’re running Mountain Lion 10.8, you will need to upgrade to El Capitan 10.11 first.

If you don’t have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.

  • OS X 10.9 or later
  • 4GB of memory
  • 35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*
  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
  • Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Big Sur:

  • MacBook (2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2013 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)
  • Mac mini (2014 or later)
  • iMac (2014 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2013 or later)

Siri

Requires a broadband internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).

Hey Siri

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)

Dictation, Voice Control, and Voice Memos

Requires a microphone (built-in or external).

Spotlight Suggestions

Requires a broadband internet connection.

Gestures

Requires a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse.

Force Touch gestures require a Force Touch trackpad.

VoiceOver gestures require a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, or Magic Trackpad.

Photo Booth

https://polydeposit-free-120-bjjmw-spins-casino.peatix.com. Requires a FaceTime or iSight camera (built-in or external) or USB video class (UVC) camera.

FaceTime

Audio calls require a microphone (built-in or external) and broadband internet connection.

Video calls require a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built-in or external), or a USB video class (UVC) camera; and broadband internet connection.

Apple TV

Mac

High dynamic range (HDR) video playback is supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2019) with Pro Display XDR

Logitech webcam ios. Dolby Atmos soundtrack playback is supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (2018 or later)

Sidecar

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (2016 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
  • Mac mini (2018 or later)
  • iMac (late 2015 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2019)

Supported by all iPad models with Apple Pencil support:

  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro
  • 11-inch iPad Pro
  • 10.5-inch iPad Pro
  • 9.7-inch iPad Pro
  • iPad (6th generation or later)
  • iPad mini (5th generation)
  • iPad Air (3rd and 4th generation)

Continuity Camera

Requires an iPhone or iPad that supports iOS 12 or later.

Continuity Sketch and Continuity Markup

Requires an iPhone with iOS 13 or later or an iPad with iPadOS 13 or later.

Handoff

Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 8 or later.

Instant Hotspot

Requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity, a Lightning connector or USB-C, and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.

Universal Clipboard

Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 10 or later.

Auto Unlock

Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later or an iPhone 5 or later.

Approve with Apple Watch

Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 6 or later or an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13 or later.

Apple Pay on the Web

Requires a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Touch ID, an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or later, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later.

Phone Calling

Requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.

SMS

Requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.

Home

Requires an iPhone with iOS 12 or later and a configured Home app.

AirDrop

AirDrop to iOS and iPadOS devices requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB-C and iOS 7 or later.

AirPlay

AirPlay Mirroring requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).

AirPlay for web video requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).

Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) and an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later.

Time Machine

Requires an external storage device (sold separately).

Maps electric vehicle routing

Requires an iPhone with iOS 14 and a compatible electric vehicle.

Maps license plate restrictions

Requires an iPhone running iOS 14 or an iPad running iPadOS 14.

Boot Camp

Allows Boot Camp installations of Windows 10 on supported Mac models.

Exchange Support

Requires Microsoft Office 365, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, or Exchange Server 2010. Installing the latest Service Packs is recommended.

Windows Migration

Supports OS X 10.7 or later and Windows 7 or later.

App Store

Available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries and regions.

Photos

The improved Retouch tool is supported on the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Pro (15-inch and 16-inch models) introduced in 2016 or later
  • iMac (Retina 5K models) introduced in 2014 or later
  • iMac (Retina 4K models) introduced in 2017 or later
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later
  • Apple Books
  • Apple News
  • App Store
  • Automator
  • Calculator
  • Calendar
  • Chess
  • Contacts
  • Dictionary
  • DVD Player
  • FaceTime
  • Find My
  • Font Book
  • Home
  • Image Capture
  • Launchpad
  • Mail
  • Maps
  • Messages
  • Mission Control
  • Music
  • Notes
  • Photo Booth
  • Photos
  • Podcasts
  • Preview
  • QuickTime Player
  • Reminders
  • Safari
  • Siri
  • Stickies
  • Stocks
  • System Preferences
  • TextEdit
  • Time Machine
  • TV
  • Voice Memos
  • Activity Monitor
  • AirPort Utility
  • Audio MIDI Setup
  • Bluetooth File Exchange
  • Boot Camp Assistant
  • ColorSync Utility
  • Console
  • Digital Color Meter
  • Disk Utility
  • Grapher
  • Keychain Access
  • Migration Assistant
  • Screenshot
  • Screen Time
  • Script Editor
  • Sidecar
  • System Information
  • Terminal
  • VoiceOver Utility
  • Arabic
  • Catalan
  • Croatian
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Traditional Chinese
  • Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English (Australia)
  • English (UK)
  • English (U.S.)
  • Finnish
  • French
  • French (Canada)
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Hungarian
  • Indonesian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Malay
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Portuguese
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Slovak
  • Spanish
  • Spanish (Latin America)
  • Swedish
  • Thai
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese

Say hello to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, the new operating system for Mac desktops and notebooks that brings some impressive under-the-hood refinements. If you were expecting some big overhauls, chances are you’ll be disappointed at a first view. But look closer and you’ll discover the fine details that amount to a better user experience and more power for your Mac.

Upgrading to macOS High Sierra is seamlessly simple, taking up little time and almost no effort. And with the upgrade guide we’ve prepared, you’re going to be running the new OS in no time.

Why you should upgrade to macOS High Sierra

The team at Apple went right on target, tweaking those features and apps that promise to be in the spotlight in the near future. With a new and improved AFPS file system, a faster browser (which promises to be the fastest on the market), stellar graphics, better gaming capabilities, and VR support, macOS 10.13 is definitely here to make a stand.

To really give your Mac a boost, upgrading to the new High Sierra is kind of mandatory. Think only about how much space you’ll save with the new operating system that compresses video up to 40% more. macOS High Sierra also comes with an improved Photos app, that now offers professional editing tools that will keep you hooked to find the perfect composition. Of course, the most important upgrade comes from Metal 2, which promises stellar GPU and CPU capabilities while opening the world toward VR and AR.

So, to conclude: upgrade to macOS High Sierra for more space, speed, and power. We should have started with that, right?

How to prepare for the macOS High Sierra upgrade

Stuckgrade Mac Os Sierra

Now that you’ve decided that you cannot live without the new macOS 10.13 High Sierra, it’s time to thoroughly prepare for the upgrade. Do note that the beta version now available may not contain all the features, so if you want to upgrade for a specific feature, make sure it’s included. Let’s go!

In order to prepare to upgrade to High Sierra you should, of course, verify if your Mac is compatible with the new system. As a general rule, any late 2009 Mac or newer will theoretically be able to run it without any issues.

Next, you should do a thorough Mac cleanup to have it running smoothly even before upgrading. A complete cleaning process includes deleting duplicate documents, photos, and files, while also removing temporary files and cache data that built up in the background. You can do this manually (if you have the patience) or you can turn to an app such as CleanMyMac X to have it do all the dirty work for you.

Having a healthy Mac is key to making the most and enjoying the best of macOS High Sierra. Thus, it’s mandatory to check if your Mac has any issues before performing the upgrade. How?

  1. Open Disk Utility
  2. Select your startup drive
  3. Click on the First Aid tab

If you’re lucky, your Mac won’t have any problems. But if you live in the real world, you’ll have to perform some repairs by using the Repair Disk. Restart and hold Command+R to perform the repairs with Disk Utility.

The final preparation step regards the free space necessary for macOS High Sierra. The official sources from apple.com recommend having 8GB of free space before upgrading to the new system, but we feel more comfortable with reserving about 15GB. What can we say, we like our space. If you don’t have enough space, that means you Mac still needs a bit of cleaning.

CHECK OUT: How to clean up your Mac to get more free storage space.

How to backup Mac before the upgrade

Stuckgrade Mac Os X

Backing up your Mac before a major upgrade is a necessity, especially if you’re going for a beta version. You don’t want to risk losing any precious info, so there’s no excuse for skipping this step.

You can easily backup your Mac by turning to Apple’s own software, Time Machine, that saves a copy of everything on your Mac on hourly, daily, monthly, and weekly backups. What’s more, except the automatic backups, you can also customize the process and have your most precious docs and files backed up manually from System Preferences.

Stuckgrade Mac Os Download

In order to use Time Machine, you also need an external storage device. How big? The bigger the better. Choose your favorite from USB, SDD, NAS drive, or Thunderbolt hard drive.

Step by step upgrade to macOS High Sierra

Once you’ve prepared your Mac for the upgrade, it’s time to get the process started. Read on to find a comprehensive guide to a fast and safe upgrade.

Stuckgrade Mac Os Catalina

  1. Choose a safe and trusted network for the upgrade
    All major upgrades should be done from a trusted network, adding speed and safety to your download and installation. The best place to perform the upgrade is from the comfort of your home network and you should avoid WIFI connections and especially hotels, restaurants, or public networks.
  2. Log into iCloud
    This step is pretty straightforward, yet necessary for the upgrade process, as many Mac apps have iCloud integrated parts. So, to have everything run smoothly, log into your account, and proceed.
  3. Update to the latest version of your current OS
    To avoid any problems in the upgrade process, having the latest updated version for your current OS is mandatory. Why? Because your OS is going to be as stable as possible, with all the initial issues fixed and all bugs eliminated.
    Make sure you’re running the latest updated version by checking the Updates folder in the App store.
    It’s also important to have all 3rd party apps updated to their latest version as well. Check the apps purchased through the App Store by using the same method as above. For the other apps you’ve externally brought in you’ll need to perform a manual update.
  4. Download macOS High Sierra
    Right now, macOS High Sierra is already available for all users. You can download it in the standard fashion on the Mac App Store.
    Here's the direct link.
  5. Upgrade to macOS High Sierra
    Open the installer from Applications (if it doesn’t open automatically) and hit continue. The on-screen instructions are going to make it really easy for you, so follow them religiously and you won’t be able to do any wrong. That’s it!

Next, make sure to set up for automatic updates from your System Preferences and the App Store, in order to always have your Mac performing at its best.

So there you have it! We hope you enjoy the upgraded features and your Mac’s new regained speed and, hopefully, extra space.