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.
Learn how to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS.
Note: The headings on this list indicate the Macintosh System bundle names; the bullet points indicate the version of the System File included in that bundle. This is to make it clearer for people searching for specific bundle versions as opposed to System File versions. Finder File versions are not indicated. 1 Classic Mac OS 1.1 Macintosh System Software (0 - 0.3) 1.1.1 System File 1 1.1.2.
Check compatibility
- 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.
- Before the first version of Mac OS X was released, third-party developers started pro-ducing skins (look-and-feel colors and styles for application interfaces) for customiz-able applications that mimicked the Aqua appearance.
- On March 24, 2001, Apple released the first version of its Mac OS X operating system, noteworthy for its UNIX architecture. OS X (now macOS) has been known over the years for its simplicity.
- Launch the App Store app on your Mac and you should see the new version of macOS available as a free download. It’s a good idea to back up your Mac before continuing. You can also click the “Software Update” button in the About This Mac window to open the app.
If a macOS installer can't be used on your Mac, the installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it's too old to be opened on this version of macOS, or that your Mac doesn't have enough free storage space for the installation.
To confirm compatibility before downloading, check the minimum requirements for macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, or Yosemite. You can also find compatibility information on the product-ID page for MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro.
Make a backup
Before installing, it’s a good idea to back up your Mac. Time Machine makes it simple, and other backup methods are also available. Learn how to back up your Mac.
Download macOS
It takes time to download and install macOS, so make sure that you're plugged into AC power and have a reliable internet connection.
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
Install macOS
Follow the onscreen instructions in the installer. Photo wall 3 4 0 – collage maker templates. It might be easiest to begin installation in the evening so that it can complete overnight, if needed.
If the installer asks for permission to install a helper tool, enter the administrator name and password that you use to log in to your Mac, then click Add Helper.
4k movie trailer download. Please allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. Your Mac might restart, show a progress bar, or show a blank screen several times as it installs macOS and related firmware updates.
Learn more
You might also be able to use macOS Recovery to reinstall the macOS you're using now, upgrade to the latest compatible macOS, or install the macOS that came with your Mac.
Mac OS – Complete History of Mac OS
On January 24, 1984, Apple Computer Inc.’s chairman Steve Jobs took to the stage of the Apple’s annual shareholders meeting in Cupertino, to show off the very first Macintosh personal computer in a live demonstration. Macintosh 128 came bundled with what was later called the Mac OS, but then known simply as the System Software (or System).
The original System Software was partially based on the Lisa OS, previously released by Apple for the Lisa computer in 1983, and both OS were directly inspired by Xerox Alto. It is known, that Steve Jobs and a number of Apple engineers visited Xerox PARC (in exchange for Apple stock options) in December 1979, to see Alto’s WYSIWYG concept and the mouse-driven graphical user interface, three months after the Lisa and Macintosh projects had begun. The final Lisa and Macintosh operating systems upgraded the concepts of Xerox Alto with menubars, pop-up menus and drag and drop action.
The primary software architect of the Mac OS was Andy Hertzfeld (see the lower photo, he is standing in the middle). He coded much of the original Mac ROM, the kernel, the Macintosh Toolbox and some of the desktop accessories. The icons of the operating system were designed by Susan Kare (the only woman in the lower photo). Macintosh system utilities and Macintosh Finder were coded by Bruce Horn and Steve Capps. Bill Atkinson (the man with the moustache in the lower photo) was creator of the ground-breaking MacPaint application, as well as QuickDraw, the fundamental toolbox that the Mac used for graphics. Atkinson also designed and implemented HyperCard, the first popular hypermedia system.
First Version Of Mac Os X
Apple Macintosh design team with Andy Hertzfeld,
Just like his direct rival, the IBM PC, Mac used a system ROM for the key OS code. However, IBM PC used only 8 kB of ROM for its power-on self-test (POST) and basic input/output system (BIOS), while the Mac ROM was significantly larger (64 kB), because it contained both low-level and high-level code. The low-level code was for hardware initialization, diagnostics, drivers, etc. The higher-level Toolbox was a collection of software routines meant for use by applications, quite like a shared library. Toolbox functionality included the following: management of dialog boxes; fonts, icons, pull-down menus, scroll bars, and windows; event handling; text entry and editing; arithmetic and logical operations.
First Mac Os Version
The first version of the Mac OS (the System Software, which resided on a single 400KB floppy disk) was easily distinguished between other operating systems then because it does not use a command line interface—it was one of the first operating systems to use an entirely graphical user interface or GUI. Additional to the ROM and system kernel is the Finder, an application used for file management, which also displays the Desktop. The two files were contained in a folder labeled System Folder, which contained other resource files, like a printer driver, needed to interact with the System Software.
Mac Os First Version 10.8
The first Mac OS Control Panel and other applications Android phone compatible with mac.
Mac Os First Version 7.0
Clean my mac mojave. The first releases were single-user, single-tasking (only run one application at a time), though special application shells such could work around this to some extent. They used a flat file system called Macintosh File System (MFS), all files were stored in a single directory. The Finder provided virtual folders that could be used to organize files in a hierarchical view with nested folders, but these were not visible from any other application and did not actually exist in the file system.