Although upgrading OS can be a project, I recommend doing so as long as your hardware allows. I run various old Macs limited to their "terminal OS versions": El Capitan (2008 Mac Pro, 2011 iMac) and High Sierra (2012 min). The second paragraph lists OS versions that are compatible and extend to Big Sur. This may or not apply to you but the first paragraph lists OS versions with full support for your computer, including HEVC, some type of video acceleration. If they are providing 64bit updates or alternatives.īelow are OS compatibilities for 2015 11" MBAir (base processor). Use this app to discover which apps you haveĪre 32bit, then contact the developers of the software to see Some updates may be free, some may be paid. Your Mac is probably running 32bit apps and these will need to be updated to 64bit apps, If you are considering upgrading to Catalina or Big Sur be warned they do not support 32bit apps. Restart, click on the link again, the App Store should say ‘Get' or 'Download'. Go to the Applications folder locate Install macOS ******.app. If the App Store says ‘Open’ then it is detecting a previous download of the install app This will direct you to the App Store High Sierra download page it should say Get or Download.īefore upgrading make a full back up of your Mac.Ĭheck that third party apps you use have updates available for the new OS.Ĭheck that your printers/ scanners etc have updated drivers and software available for the new OS.Ĭonnect your mac to your router via cable rather than rely on WiFi.ĭo not use your mac while it is downloadingĪnd do not use any other devices that share the same internet connection. Go to Download OS and click on macOS High Sierra. To upgrade to High Sierra click here, How to get old versions of macOS – Apple Support To macOS High Sierra first and then Big Sur. Please read this article, How to upgrade to macOS Big Sur - Apple SupportĪlthough it is possible to upgrade directly to Big Sur I would recommend upgrading Open your Safari browser and click on the links below. So you are going to offload a lot of files and folders you do not need on a daily basis to an external disk. To find out what model and year Mac you have go to the Apple menu > About this Mac.In order to upgrade to macOS Big Sur you need to have at least 45.5GBs of free space. High Sierra will get security patches until fall of 2020, and Sierra until the fall of 2019. Mojave will receive security patches until the fall of 2021. Google Chrome only maintains support about one year after.Īs an alternative to completely retiring the computer, you can install an alternate OS such as Linux, but the specifics of that are far more than I could cover in this post.įor most people, I would suggest upgrading to macOS Mojave if your Mac supports it. Firefox is a good alternative because they often support system software for two years longer than Apple does. You should at the very least stop using Safari since that’s communicating directly with the internet and is no longer going to get updated. If you insist on keeping an obsolete computer please be careful and be aware of the risks. And at some point shortly after that software developers will stop making their software compatible which you’ll first notice means your web browser will stop functioning properly on the internet. As security holes are found, Apple will no longer patch El Capitan. If you have a computer running El Capitan still I highly recommend you upgrade to a newer version if possible, or retire your computer if it cannot be upgraded. You then have to choose to get it from the Mac App Store. Usually it will offer to upgrade you to a new version once, but if you dismiss the offer to upgrade it doesn’t persist. Normally auto-update only installs updates for your current software. Don’t assume that you’re on the latest version because your computer automatically updates itself. Not sure what version you are running? Here’s how to find out. The good news though, is that if you have a compatible computer software upgrades from Apple are free. So that means Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra. Apply historically only patches software for the current software plus two versions prior. With yesterday’s software updates El Capitan fell off the security patch bandwagon, as expected.
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