The latest version of OS X features an elegant design, includes enhancements to the apps you use most, and enables your Mac and iOS devices to work together in new ways. Learn more about OS X; Safari extensions are a great way for you to add new features to Safari. Built by developers, Safari extensions use the latest web technologies. Easily check which versions of mac OS, iOS, iPadOS, or watchOS are compatible with your Mac model or iDevice. Guide includes OS X 10.8.x to macOS 11.0.x. Or click ”More info” to see details about each update and select specific updates to install. When Software Update says that your Mac is up to date, the installed version of macOS and all of its apps are also up to date. That includes Safari, iTunes, Books, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Photos, and FaceTime.
Choose About this Mac from the Apple menu and check the processor.
With OS X El Capitan, the best browser for your Mac brings new tools for better surfing. Now Safari lets you keep favourite websites open and accessible with Pinned Sites. You can quickly mute audio without hunting for the tab it’s coming from. And use AirPlay to stream video.
If it's a PowerPC Mac, it's already running the newest OS it can.
If it's a Core Duo Mac, click here, install the DVD, and run Software Update.
If it's a Core 2 Duo or better Mac, upgrade it as if it was a Core Duo Mac, and once done, if desired, open the Mac App Store and try downloading Yosemite. If you get told it's incompatible, go to the online Apple Store and order a download code for Lion 10.7.
Mac OS X 10.7 and newer don't support PowerPC software such as Microsoft Office 2004. If you upgrade the OS, back up the computer first.
It'll need to be upgraded to at least 10.8 to get a current Safari version. Alternatively, you can stop upgrading after 10.6.8 and switch to a product such as Firefox.
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Jul 14, 2015 1:44 PM
The classic OS X 10.12, or rather macOS upgrade, introduced tons of features anyone would still want on their Mac. Why? Because, it's well-tested and secure. Now we'll take a quick look at the legendary macOS Sierra upgrade. (In case you want to upgrade your Mac to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, check out this guide.)
First and foremost, it brought Siri to your Mac. This is great news for everyone who’s already used to her help on iOS. Then, there’s Watch unlocking for Mac, there’s one-click Apple Pay, tabs in apps, and cross-device copypasting. Just to name a few.
So, if you were on the fence about upgrading to Sierra, and in fact, any newer OS, go right ahead. Your Mac deserves a refreshment.
As with the previous versions, macOS Sierra is available for a limited list of Mac models.
Here are the models of Macs that are compatible with macOS 10.12 and can upgrade to Sierra:
MacBook Pro | MacBook Air | Mac mini |
Mid 2010 or newer | Late 2010 or newer | Mid 2010 or newer |
Mac Pro® | MacBook | iMac |
Mid 2010 or newer | Late 2009 or newer | Late 2009 or newer |
If your current operating system is OS X Lion (10.7), you can skip a few versions, and upgrade directly to macOS High Sierra. To upgrade to Sierra from, say, Mavericks, you’ll have to consequently upgrade to Yosemite and then to El Capitan first.
These OS versions can upgrade to Sierra:
Here’s how to find out which OS version you’re running now:
Memory (RAM): 2 GB (preferably 4 GB)
Sierra is pretty lightweight, so you only need 2 GB of RAM to upgrade. Cool, eh?
Disk space: 8 GB of free space on drive.
In the same About this Mac menu select 'Storage' tab. In front of the multi-colored bar, you will see the phrase, 'X.XX GB free out of XX.XX GB.' If you don't have at least 8 GB of free space, you should delete some old files.
Before you update macOS, don’t forget to:
Clean up your Mac
This is essential if you want a fast and effortless update, and glitchless work of your new macOS. And it’s also pretty easy. To give your Mac a cleanup, you need to get rid of system junk, uninstall extra apps, and clean some old caches. If that sounds like a lot of work, you can get a Mac cleaner like CleanMyMac for the job.
As you can see, I have 8.56 GB worth of caches, obsolete language files, broken downloads. You'll feel great getting rid of them.
That will give your Mac a basic system cleanup, but CleanMyMac is going to come in handy after the update as well. It monitors your Mac’s health, helps you speed up the system and remove unnecessary apps (Trashing doesn’t fully uninstall apps, by the way).
Back up your Mac
This is basic common sense before any Mac software update you’d like to undertake. Why? Well, because sometimes updates happen less smoothly than you’d like them to. To make sure you have all your information and files saved up neatly, you need a backup. To back up your Mac, you need to activate Time Machine.
MacOS Sierra is available since September 20, 2016. If you’re thinking “That’s cool, but how do I update my Mac to it?”, no worries, it’s quite simple.
To download any new macOS and install it you’ll need to do the next:
We hope this guide has been of use, and don’t forget to clean up your Mac and back it up before you get the classic macOS! Cheers.