Upgrading Mac Os



  • To update macOS from the command line, first launch Terminal, which can be found in the Applications/Utilities folder. This will open a Terminal window and a command prompt for you to begin typing.
  • Newest OS – Option-⌘-R; This option will be the newest or latest version of macOS that can be installed on your Mac. Shipping OS (Oldest OS Available) – Shift-Option-⌘-R; The “Shipping OS Version” is the macOS version that your Mac originally shipped with from the factory. This is the IR Version that you will see if you use Shift.

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.

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?

Upgrading mac os to high sierra 10.13

How to prepare for the macOS High Sierra upgrade

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

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.

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.

  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.

12 8 likes 19,490 views Last modified Mar 28, 2021 3:16 PM

This is a series of tips that cover Mac OS X client edition. Server forums cover Mac OS X server on the community.

Here is the series of tips for related Macs. 10.6,10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10,10.11,

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]


Upgrading

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:


Pm kreativ trainer.

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. Abbyy lingvo 12 serial number free.


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.


Mac Os X 10.8 Download Free

Upgrading mac os x 10.6.8 to el capitan

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.

Upgrading Mac Os X 10.9.5


Upgrading Mac Os

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.


The SD card reader in the MacBook Pro 13' early 2015 no longer reads directly in the Finder under Mojave with a card formatted under a Panasonic FZ80. I found I could use the application Image Capture to read the card. What happens in the Finder, is instead of a generic floppy disk icon, I get a generic document icon. At least Image Capture is a work around.


Upgrading Mac Os To High Sierra 10.13

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.

Upgrading Mac Os Sierra To Catalina