Upgrading to Sierra
This page will be updated on the author's own homepage: http://www.macmaps.com/docs/DOC-10693/
Links to this page may give the author compensation.
This tip is part of a series of tips for : Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10,El Capitan System (10.11), Mac OS 10.12 Sierra, 10.13 High Sierra (beginning of APFS), 10.14 Mojave (end of 32 bit apps), 10.15 Catalina, 11.0 Big Sur, 12.0 Monterey, and 13.0 Ventura client.
Questions regarding the Server release in Apple menu -> About This Mac, need to go to the macOS Server - Apple Community forum.
10.12 is not to be confused for 12.0, the operating system Monterey of 10/25/2021.
10.12 is the oldest system still able to upgrade to 13.0 on certain Mac models.
iPhone 14 & 15 require High Sierra.
Go to Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Date and Time and select the closest time server to set your time, and do so. Download based on manual time may fail, especially on older systems where the system time is not set right.
Note, some downloads from Apple do not work in Safari for earlier Mac OSes, see this tip if you find you can't download them anymore, to find a browser that will work.
All Macs prebundled with 10.12 can be upgraded to Monterey directly.
Two factor authentication needed to unlock AppleID was initiated with 10.12.4. If you are using an older version of 10.12, please upgrade to 10.12.6 Combo and 2019-005 Security Update Sierra to ensure you have the latest patches for security on 10.12. Night Shift, also requires 10.12.4 and specific hardware.
The official release date of Sierra was September 20, 2016. Note, it no longer has 'X' in the official name.
Macs that shipped with Sierra can be updated directly to Mojave from the Mac App Store.
Apple has the official release links for Sierra through Mojave on:
How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support 10.12 Sierra
How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support 10.13 High Sierra
How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support 10.14 Mojave
High Sierra is also still available as of September 30, 2018. The only exception is that High Sierra needs a minimum of 10.8 installed, and will reformat SSD and and Flash drives to APFS rendering it invisible to Sierra and older systems.
Note: some downloads may have trouble because of Apple's certificates. This thread discusses the issues around that:
The installer information on the recovery… - Apple Community
Sierra can be upgraded from 10.7.5 directly if all its associated updates have been installed.
Any version of 10.7 can be upgraded in this sequence before installing
newer operating systems if the hardware is supported:
1. 10.7.5 Combo
2. Supplemental to both Combo and Delta
3. 10.7.5 Security Update 2014-004
Some Macs may not be able to take Sierra, but can take 10.11 and came with 10.6.8 or
earlier. Apple has provided an update to 10.11 for these Macs while
leaving 10.10 and 10.9 off the App Store as discussed here.
Not all 10.6.8 compatible Macs are compatible with 10.11 either.
See this tip to find out if your Mac can install Sierra from a system as old as 10.6:
Which 10.6 Macs can install Mac OS Sierra through Mojave (10.12-10.14)
As always, http://roaringapps.com/apps is an excellent third party resource to find and contribute
compatibility of Mac Software. Some reports may predate the September
20, 2016 date, and should be verified with the software publisher.
Note, download times may be longer than usual on first release. Backup (link explains how) your data before you install anything.
Apple had kept the same minimum hardware requirements for Mac OS X 10.8 through 10.11.
Here are the new requirements with the Machine ID (x,x) as stated in the System Profiler for Mac OS 10.12 Sierra.
- MacBook (Late 2009 or newer) 6,1
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer) 6,1
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer) 3,1
- Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer) 4,1
- iMac (Late 2009 or newer) 10,1
- Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer) 5,1
These requirements are the same for High Sierra, the operating system that succeeded Sierra.
This information is available on Upgrade to macOS Monterey - Official Apple Support
Apple has printer support on this knowledgebase article.
Mac OS Sierra 10.12.1, 10.12.2, 10.12.3, 10,12.4, 10.12.5, 10.12.6 are available for it as well. And
as with any install should be preceded with a backup using the
aforementioned backup directions.
Sierra supports new RAW formats for digital photography:
Digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS 10 and macOS Sierra - Apple Support
New USB serial drivers for Sierra have been made available by third party here:
https://www.mac-usb-serial.com/
Safari 12.0.1 was released on October 31st for both Sierra and High Sierra through the App Store.
Security Update 2018-005 was released October 30, 2018.
Sometimes certificate issues in installation or download can be resolved by adjusting the computer's time.
Need to create an older installation flash drive? Apple explains how for El Capitan and higher.
Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support