Find mac os version you have

How to get old versions of macOS

If your Mac isn’t compatible with the latest macOS, you might still be able to upgrade to an earlier macOS, such as macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, or El Capitan.

To get the latest features and maintain the security, stability, compatibility, and performance of your Mac, it’s important to keep your software up to date. Apple recommends that you always use the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.

Check compatibility

The version of macOS that came with your Mac is the earliest version it can use. For example, if your Mac came with macOS Big Sur, it will not accept installation of macOS Catalina or earlier.

If a macOS can’t be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it’s not compatible with this device or is too old to be opened on this version of macOS. To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum hardware requirements:

Download macOS using Safari on your Mac

Safari uses these links to find the old installers in the App Store. After downloading from the App Store, the installer opens automatically.

• macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks
• macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
• macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion

Safari downloads the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. Open the disk image, then open the .pkg installer inside the disk image. It installs an app named Install [ Version Name ]. Open that app from your Applications folder to begin installing the operating system.

• macOS Sierra 10.12 can upgrade El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, or Lion
• OS X El Capitan 10.11 can upgrade Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard
• OS X Yosemite 10.10can upgrade Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard

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How to upgrade to macOS Big Sur

Learn how to download and install macOS Big Sur, the latest version of the Mac operating system.

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. And get even more transparency around your privacy.

Check compatibility

macOS Big Sur is compatible with the following computers. If your Mac isn’t compatible, you might be able to install an old version of macOS instead.

MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
MacBook Air introduced in 2013 or later
MacBook Pro introduced in late 2013 or later
Mac mini introduced in 2014 or later
iMac introduced in 2014 or later
iMac Pro
Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later
View the complete list of compatible computers.

If upgrading from macOS Sierra or later, your Mac needs 35.5GB of available storage to upgrade. If upgrading from an earlier release, your Mac needs up to 44.5GB of available storage. To upgrade from OS X Mountain Lion, first upgrade to OS X El Capitan, then upgrade to macOS Big Sur.

Download macOS Big Sur

If you’re using macOS Mojave or later, get macOS Big Sur via Software Update: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update.

Or use this link to open the macOS Big Sur page on the App Store: Get macOS Big Sur. Then click the Get button or iCloud download icon.

Install macOS Big Sur

After downloading, the installer opens automatically. Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.

Please allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. During installation, it might restart and show a progress bar or blank screen several times. You might find it easiest to begin installation in the evening so that it can complete overnight, if needed.

Stay up to date

After installing macOS Big Sur, you will be notified when updates to macOS Big Sur are available. To check for updates, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update.

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Upgrade to macOS Big Sur

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.

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; fees 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.

If you don’t have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.

General Requirements

• 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; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

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)

Feature Requirements

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

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:

• 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.

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.

Apple Pay on the Web

Requires a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Touch ID, an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or later, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later.

Phone Calling

Requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.

Requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.

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

Requires an external storage device (sold separately).

Maps electric vehicle routing

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

Maps license 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 age 13 or older in the U.S. 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

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How to Check What Mac OS Version is Running on a Mac

Have you ever needed to know which version of Mac OS was on a computer? For some users the answer may be never, but others may need to know exactly what version of Mac OS system software is running on a particular Mac. Typically the need to know which MacOS version is on a Mac is necessary for learning about compatibility with software or a specific feature, but it can also be helpful to know what version of Mac OS is installed for troubleshooting purposes and other reasons too. While many Mac users will immediately know what release and version of system software is running on their computer, others users may not know this information.

This tutorial will show you how to easily find out what version of Mac OS system software is running on a Mac, including what the major release name is as well as the specific version of MacOS system software.

How to See What Version of Mac OS is Running and Installed on a Mac

1. From anywhere on the Mac, look in the upper left corner for the  Apple menu and click that

From the  Apple menu choose “About This Mac”

The Mac system overview panel will appear on screen, showing what Mac OS release and version is installed on the computer

In the this screenshot example, the “About This Mac” screen on that particular Mac is running “macOS Mojave” as the major release, and the specific version of MacOS Mojave that is running is 10.14.2.

In the screenshot below, “About This Mac” shows the Mac running “OS X El Capitan” as the major release, and the specific system software version is 10.11.6.

• Bonus tip: You can also get the Mac OS build number from the same screen. Simply click on the version number at the About This Mac screen, a hexadecimal code next to the version will appear showing that specific software release build number. The build number can be helpful for more advanced users to know, but is generally not necessary information for average Mac users.

• Bonus tip 2: The About This Mac screen also easily allows you to find when a Mac model was made and built.

• Bonus tip 3: You can also find the Mac serial number from the About This Mac screen.

• Bonus tip 4: If you’re inclined to use the Terminal, you can also get Mac OS system information and version from the command line if needed.

• Bonus tip 5: The solution here will show you how to get the current Mac OS version, but if you have an installer file somewhere you might be wondering which version is contained within that system installer. You can find out what Mac OS system software version is contained within a MacOS Installer application by following these steps.

Why does the version of MacOS software matter?

Some users may be wondering why the MacOS software version even matters, and why would they care to know it in the first place. But knowing the system software version can be helpful for many reasons, including for:

• Feature existence or compatibility
• App compatibility
• Accessory support or compatibility
• Troubleshooting procedures
• Installing, reinstalling, and updating Mac OS
• If you’re using a Combo Update to update Mac OS system software

Major new releases of Mac OS are available from the Mac App Store, whereas software updates to an existing release can be found from the Software Update control panel, or the Updates tab of the Mac App Store.

Mac OS X Version History & Release Names

For those interested in some history, you might like to know that Mac OS has been labeled with various naming conventions, with each major Mac OS release having a distinct name as well. For the initial nine releases, Mac OS versions were labeled after wild cats, while the releases after that are named after locations and places in the state of California.

The current and historical Mac OS names and versions are as follows:

• Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah
• Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
• Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
• Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
• Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
• Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
• Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
• OS X 10.7 Lion
• OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
• OS X 10.9 Mavericks
• OS X 10.10 Yosemite
• OS X 10.11 El Capitan
• MacOS 10.12 Sierra
• MacOS 10.13 High Sierra
• MacOS 10.14 Mojave

Prior to the modern “Mac OS X” naming convention, Mac system software was labeled as ‘Mac OS’ and also as ‘System’, but those earlier versions had completely different underlying architecture. Modern Mac OS versions are built atop a BSD unix core, whereas the much older releases from the pre-OSX era were not.

For what it’s worth, accessing the “About This Mac” screen from the  Apple menu goes way back to old school Mac OS releases as well, so if you dig up an Apple Macintosh SE/30 from an attic you can find the system software version on those old Macs the same way too.

Obviously this applies to the Mac, but if you have an iPhone or iPad you can check what iOS version is running on iOS devices through Settings.

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