How to install updates on my Mac laptop (Sierra)? It doesn't appear that this is happening even though I believe I have auto-update. When I try to update, then it appears that I have 6 updates that are incompatible. It looks like I might need an IOS update but I cannot seem to do this. Thank you for anyone that can help me!
iMac Pro
The Age of this computer will Govern what newer version of macOS it will Qualify to install. Use About this Mac from the Apple Icon on Desktop - the required Information will be there.
With the above information in-hand - follow this How to get old versions of macOS and verify what version this computer Qualifies to install. Make sure to use Only Safari to commence the download as Other may not work
Make a Time Machine Backup Before attempting. Notation - Mojave is the Last version to support 32 bit applications / extensions and Drivers. Catalina and Big Sur Only support 64 bit and there is not workaround.
Are there any AntiVirus, Disk Cleaner, Optimizers, Defrag, VPNs etc installed which should be removed as per Developers Instructions. They are useless, unneeded, cause havoc and interfere with the normal operation of the OS and may even Corrupt the OS requiring a Reinstallation.
The Age of this computer will Govern what newer version of macOS it will Qualify to install. Use About this Mac from the Apple Icon on Desktop - the required Information will be there.
With the above information in-hand - follow this How to get old versions of macOS and verify what version this computer Qualifies to install. Make sure to use Only Safari to commence the download as Other may not work
Make a Time Machine Backup Before attempting. Notation - Mojave is the Last version to support 32 bit applications / extensions and Drivers. Catalina and Big Sur Only support 64 bit and there is not workaround.
Are there any AntiVirus, Disk Cleaner, Optimizers, Defrag, VPNs etc installed which should be removed as per Developers Instructions. They are useless, unneeded, cause havoc and interfere with the normal operation of the OS and may even Corrupt the OS requiring a Reinstallation.
If you read what I had posted you would know about how to check what your computer can do, how to go about upgrading it, how to do so safely and with confidence that you are making the right selection of OS version. All the information was there much earlier but I guess it was too much for you to read and it was pointless my posting it in the first place. Dang, I knew I should have gone out and taking in the garbage cans instead. Oh well. Have fun doing your update and good luck.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I WILL TRY TO DO THIS. MY COMPUTE IS FROM 2017, SO MAYBE IT IS TOO OLD TO ACCEPT UPDATES.
Welcome and either method ( @ Limnos or @ P. Phillips ) would have arrived at the same results. As for what version of macOS is compatible - the 2017 could upgrade all the way to Big sur
Thank you so very much. I will try to do this tomorrow.
Thank you for all that you wrote. I did read it all and it was very helpful. You response was very appreciated!
I appreciate all that you have sent me about my issue. I hope to pour over all of this tomorrow to see how I can update or upgrade. Thank you for your time in sending me these pointers. Take care.
The various ways of checking for software may only show upDATES to the current main system version you are running (e.g., 10.4.8 --> 10.4.11), not upGRADES to a higher system version such as a jump from El Capitan (10.11) to Catalina (10.15). Note the difference between an update and an upgrade.
Upgrading a macOS depends upon the model Mac, specifications, and year. To get more information about your computer, choose: (Apple menu) > 'About This Mac' in the upper left corner of any window, then "More Info..." or "System Report". There's more about this in "About System Information [Profiler] on your Mac" - https://support.apple.com/HT203001
Use the computer information, including the model year, and the links below to determine what is possible with your computer.
Click on this link to read how to get different versions of macOS - https://support.apple.com/HT211683
- The article also has links to system requirements for each OS version which you should check against your exact computer model. Note some of the model identifier articles are outdated. For any model produced in the last 5 years or so you should use the system requirements links for each OS version instead. This web site also has a reliable presentation of model and OS version compatibility: https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility
- It helps to have more RAM (memory) than what is noted as "minimum" for any particular system or your computer may run slowly.
- You may find you need to use Safari to get links for High Sierra and later using the Mac App Store application to open a functioning page.
- Sierra, El Capitan, and Yosemite download as a .pkg. Click on this to have a converted version placed in your Applications folder as an "Install OS..." application. Run the installer and follow the directions.
- Upgrades may take some time (up to an hour or more) to install, with restarts and blank screens.
Before upgrading, back up at least your data in case something goes wrong. See this support document: How to back up your Mac - https://support.apple.com/mac-backup
Check if your old apps will still work with with the OS you want to install - https://roaringapps.com/apps This is particularly critical if you are upgrading to Catalina or newer, as older 32 bit apps will no longer work. To check for those, try this 32 bit application scanner application --> https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/
Update issues
