Update My Mac Operating System Free

  

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.

Getting the operating system included along with the price of a computer isn't getting it for free. That's instead covering the cost of OS X within the price of a Mac. Find the Storage tab and see how much free space you have. If it’s low, get a Mac cleaner to free up some space. Let's talk about it in detail. Clean up your Mac. Mac software update always works better on a clean computer, without old cache files, leftovers, and random system junk.

Chances are, your Mac can run macOS Big Sur

The following models are supported:

  • 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; charges 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.

  • 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; charges 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

Operating

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

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

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

Dolby Atmos soundtrack playback is supported by the following Mac models:

Mac
  • 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.

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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.

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

How do i update my mac operating system

Requires an external storage device (sold separately).

Maps electric vehicle routing

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

Maps number 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 aged 13 or older in the US 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 (US)
  • 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

November 2020 marked the launch of macOS Big Sur. The arrival of a new version of macOS is always exciting. The new features and improvements can almost make it seem like you’re running a brand new Mac. However, there can also be problems and every new release is accompanied by stories of Macs running into problems and crashing. With that in mind, is it safe to upgrade to macOS Big Sur?

One thing you should take into consideration before you decide to upgrade to Big Sur is whether you have enough disk space. You should allow at least 32GB to upgrade, but that’s a bare minimum and doesn’t take account of the new apps you’ll no doubt want to download once you’ve upgraded. If you’re short of disk space, you should check out the latest CleanMyMac X app by MacPaw. It has an interactive junk detector, that will recover a few GBs for your needs. This app is notarized by Apple, by the way (here’s a link to a free version — give it a check)

Should I update to macOS Big Sur?

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Compatibility

Before asking that question, you should ask if you can upgrade to macOS Big Sur. If you’re upgrading from Catalina, the answer is probably yes as there are very few Macs that can run Catalina but not Big Sur. However, if you’re running an older version, you may be out of luck. The full list of Macs that will run Big Sur is:

Mac
  • Any Mac Pro or iMac Pro
  • MacBook Pro and MacBook Air 2013 and later
  • iMac and Mac mini 2014 and later
  • MacBook 2015 and later

If your Mac is on that list, you can safely install Big Sur.

However, your Mac’s specification is the only thing you need to check for compatibility. You should also make sure the apps you use regularly, and especially those you rely on, will run on Big Sur.

32-bit apps

If you skipped macOS Catalina and want to update from the earlier version, there’s an important thing to note. macOS Big Sur doesn’t support 32-bit apps, for example, many Steam games will be left out. So you are faced with a choice:

  • Search for 64-bit versions of your apps (if they are available)
  • Keep using your current macOS

How do I find my 32-bit apps?

Go to the Apple menu > About this Mac > System Report
Under Software, choose Applications.

There you’ll find a column titled “64-bit.” Now, look for “No” entries in the column. These are your 32-bit applications.

Stability

Some users encountered continuous “kernel panics” on Big Sur. This is reportedly solved by a fresh installation that is performed on the erased hard-drive. Or you can go back to macOS Catalina and wait for the updated Big Sur version to be released.

If your Mac hangs up too often, read how to lessen the load on your processor.

Timing

If you have decided you are going to upgrade to Big Sur, the next question is when. As with any new version of macOS, it’s safest to wait a few weeks after release until any issues have been fixed.

Hear the difference: Sound design

This is rarely mentioned but macOS Big Sur has received a serious sound overhaul. All these familiar alert bleeps we’ve heard on macOS Catalina have been replaced with much more intriguing voices.

Do you really need all the new features?

It’s always tempting to upgrade to the latest and greatest version of macOS. However, it’s not all upside. New versions of operating systems can be buggy, they can slow down your Mac, and there are always compatibility issues with some apps.

macOS 11 Big Sur will be the first OS to support Apple’s ARM silicon, instead of traditional Intel-based chips. And thanks to this, we’ll soon see iOS apps running natively on Macs.

Update My Mac Operating System Free Online

Two reasons to upgrade your Mac to Big Sur (if you run Catalina)

  1. macOS design is consistent with iOS platform
  2. You want a Mac with Apple silicon that will in future support iOS apps on Mac.

How should you upgrade? And what are the first steps?

There are two ways to upgrade to Big Sur, or any other operating system.

  1. Install Big Sur over the top of your current operating system.
  2. Perform a clean install.

Each has its pros and cons. A clean install will ensure that you don’t carry over any leftover files that may cause compatibility issues with the new operating system. It will also resolve any problems you might already be having with your Mac because of ‘junk’ files left by apps or by the system. However, it means wiping your Mac’s boot drive completely, so you will need to spend time reinstalling apps, copying files from a backup, and configuring settings. Standard installation is much quicker and easier, but risks more compatibility issues because of files already on your Mac.

Update Your Mac

  • The standard upgrade is done through the App Store
  • For clean install, you’ll need Disk Utility, an external USB drive, and Time Machine.

Zen option: Wipe away all the junk first

If you like the idea of a clean install but don’t want to have to go through the process of reinstalling apps and configuring settings, there is a third option: Just do a quick cleanup beforehand.

  • Broken downloads
  • Application cache
  • Unused localizations
  • Browser cookies

All these files clutter your system and will one day compromise the performance of your macOS Big Sur. If you like, you can embark on a manual cleaning mission. But how do you find all the junk? Here’s the trick I’m using — which is the free version of CleanMyMac X.
If you install it and run the System Junk tool, it will magically show you what you can delete.

Download this app here — this version is notarized by Apple. It also gets rid of broken items that may cause your Mac to behave erratically.

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Is Big Sur safe? Yes. However, deciding whether to upgrade to Big Sur may seem straightforward. After all, it’s free and easy to do. However, you should think carefully before you decide if and when to upgrade. In addition to checking whether your Mac is compatible, you should make sure you have enough free disk space to install it. If you’re currently running an earlier version of macOS than Catalina, you should also make sure you don’t rely on 32-bit apps. When you do upgrade, make sure you backup your Mac first. And remember, you can use CleanMyMac X to help free up space and optimize your Mac before you upgrade.