Upgrading OS X Yosemite
My device is MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) and runs on OS X Yosemite version 10.10.5. How can I upgrade it to version 10.11 or higher?
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Your 2014 MBA can upgrade to all available OS's right up to the newest macOS Big Sur 11.4.
Please read thoroughly all information included in the links below especially the requirements
for the OS you want to upgrade to. Although it is possible for your mac to upgrade directly to the newer OS's
like macOS Mojave 10.14, macOS Catalina 10.15 and macOS Big Sur 11.4 I would recommend you upgrade
to macOS High Sierra 10.13 first as this will prepare your mac for the new APFS file system.
These newer OS's work best with macs running at least 8GBs of RAM, ignore what Apple says.
For older OS’s,
Open Safari and click on this link,
How to get old versions of macOS – Apple Support
Go to Check Compatibility to see if your mac qualifies for the OS upgrade you want.
Then go to the Download OS section and click on the OS you want to install.
Before upgrading make a full back up of your Mac.
Check that third party apps you use have updates available for the new OS.
Check that your printers/ scanners etc have updated drivers and software available for the new OS.
Connect your mac to your router via cable rather than rely on WiFi.
Do not use your mac while it is downloading
and do not use any other devices that share the same internet connection.
If the App Store says ‘Open’ then it is detecting a previous download of the install app
go to the Applications folder locate Install macOS ******.app.
Move it to the Trash, empty the Trash.
Restart, click on the link again, the App Store should say ‘Get' or 'Download'.
If you want to install Big Sur, open Safari and click on the link below.
How to upgrade to macOS Big Sur - Apple Support
If you are considering upgrading to Catalina or Big Sur be warned they do not support 32bit apps.
Your Mac is probably running 32bit apps and these will need to be updated to 64bit apps,
some updates may be free, some may be paid. Use this app to discover which apps you have
are 32bit, https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/ then contact the developers of the software to see
if they are offering 64bit updates.