Top 5 Questions To Ask Before You Upgrade macOS

Jul 21, 2020 | Apple macOS

Do you upgrade immediately or not at all? Here are the questions you need to ask before you make that decision. 

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1. What macOS Am I Running Now?

Go to the Black Apple in the top left-hand corner of the toolbar and choose ‘About this Mac’. A pop-up on your screen shows the macOS you’re running.

macOS Mojave

2. With So Many Versions Of macOS Where Do I Fit In?

Here are all versions of macOS from the most current to the oldest.

Where are you in the pack?

  • macOS 14 Sonoma- 64 bit only.
  • macOS 13 Ventura – 64 bit only.
  • macOS 12 Monterey – 64 bit only.
  • macOS 11 Big Sur – 64 bit only.
  • macOS 10.15 Catalina – 64 bit only.
  • macOS 10.14 Mojave
  • macOS 10.13 High Sierra
  • macOS 10.12 Sierra
  • OS X 10.11 El Capitan
  • OS X 10.10 Yosemite
  • OS X 10.9 Mavericks
  • OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
  • Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
  • Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
  • Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
  • Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
  • Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
  • Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
  • Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
  • Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah

If you’re in the red area, you probably need to consider getting a new Mac. 

3. What Versions Of macOS Are Available?

Apple offer several older versions of macOS as App Store download.
If you need any other version you will have to contact a third-party repair store.

Macintosh SE

4. Can My Mac Handle The Upgrade?

Go online and look at the hardware requirements for the macOS you want to upgrade to. It doesn’t happen often, but if your Mac is old enough it may be too old to upgrade.

If your Mac is over 5 years old, find out the speed and type of hard drive, how much RAM it has, and how fast the processor runs. If your Mac does not have adequate power, installing the latest macOS will probably slow it down.

Remember, you don’t need to upgrade to the latest version of macOS. A bump up to High Sierra may be enough to keep everything running smoothly.

5. Will All My Software Work After The Upgrade?

32 bit versus 64 bit – macOS 10.15 Catalina only runs 64 bit Apps. Every macOS before Catalina run both 32 and 64 bit Apps.  If you install Catalina you may need to upgrade to the latest 64-bit versions of Microsoft Office and the Adobe Creative Cloud.

A System Report shows what 32 bit Apps you own. Go to the Black Apple in the top left-hand corner of the toolbar, hold down the Option key, and choose ‘System Report’. Click on Applications in the sidebar. Look at the column named ’64-bit (Intel).

If you have important 32-bit software that the developer has not updated to 64 bit, you will have to stick with 10.14 Mojave if you want them to work.

Important Software – If you don’t upgrade your macOS, chances are you don’t update your software either. If your software is too old, you may find it will not work in newer versions of macOS or that the developer no longer offers a clear upgrade path. You may have to abandon the software.

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I’m Still Confused, Can I Get Help?

We are always here to provide Mac support and advice. We can help you determine if you need to upgrade your macOS and assist you with the process.

It’s not as complex as it sounds and can be done completely remotely.

Contact John at – (310) 621-5679 for more information.

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