OS Updates

The App Store Updates page only informs you of updates available for the OS you are running.

Installing a newer OS is called an upgrade.

Which OS you can upgrade to will be governed by which model and year your mac is.

Click on the  top left of your screen click on About This Mac to find out the year of your mac.

If you find your mac can upgrade to the newer OS's like macOS Mojave 10.14, macOS Catalina 10.15, 

macOs Big Sur 11.6 or the latest macOS Monterey 12.0 I would recommend you upgrade to 

macOS High Sierra 10.13 first.

For High Sierra, Mojave,Catalina or Big Sur,

Open Safari and click on this link, 

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683

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.

https://roaringapps.com

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 or are able to upgrade to Monterey open Safari and click on the link below,

How to upgrade to macOS Monterey – Apple Support (UK)

If you are considering upgrading to Catalina, Big Sur or Monterey 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 free 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.

Tips:  Upgrade to Monterey macOS 12

October 29, 2021 Version # 1

The below points should be consider before attempting the upgrade.

Point # 1 - Does the >>  Computer Qualify for the Monterey upgrade 

Point # 2- >> How to upgrade to macOS Monterey

Point # 3 - Empty Space Requirements  >> If upgrading from macOS Sierra or later, your Mac needs 26GB of available storage to upgrade. If upgrading from an earlier release, your Mac needs up to 44GB of available storage. 

Point # 4 - Empty Space afterwards - it is suggested to keep at least 15% of the Drive Total Capacity as Empty Space for good operations of the computer and for additional updates to Monterey to download, expand and install.

Point # 5 - The upgrade will require a quick, stable and reliable Internet Connection - preferred method is via Ethernet Connection. 

Point # 6 - If using Wifi - move computer as close to the Access Point / Router and disconnect all other devices connected to Wifi. Want the maximum bandwidth for the computer being upgraded to Monterey

Point # 7 - Commercial VPNs should only be used if Mandated by Corporate Head Office for working remotely. Otherwise - ones Privacy and Security touted by the VPN is suspect. 

Point # 8 - If downloading Monterey from behind a VPN it may increase Packet Looses and an incomplete or corrupted Installer.

Point # 9 - AntiVirus Software should be removed as per Developers Instructions. They are unneeded, cause havoc and interfere with the normal operation of the OS including the download and installation of Monterey. The The Built in Security  is all that is required. There are no known Windows-like Viruses in the wild that self replicate and affect macOS because of the underling UNIX  Foundation and Permission Limitation. 

Point # 10 - Disk Cleaners, Optimizers and UnInstaller are not needed. They will often times attempt to Modify, Alter, Remove or Delete elements of the Operating System requiring a Re-Installation.

Point # 11 - Do you have a Rescue Plan In-Place. This comprises having 3 Backups using 2 methods and 1 Off Site incase of Theft, Loss or Natural Disasters. A Time Machine Backup  is very useful and can be used to Revert to Previous Working macOS. 

Point # 12 - For addition purposes - two Tested Bootable Clones each to separate external drives. This is insurance incase the upgrades goes sideways. At least one Tested Clone and / or Time Machine Backup should be Off - Site

Point # 13 - Are the installed Applications / Extensions compatible with Monterey. Check with the Developer for compatible Apps / extensions. Do they offer updates or upgrades. Same goes for Third Party Drivers for Printer, Scanners etc.

Point # 14 - If upgrading from Mojave and earlier versions of macOS - Remember that Monterey does not support anything 32 bit. These include Applications, Extensions and Drivers for any devices. There is no workaround.

Point # 15 - To check for 32 bit Applications - a good application to use is Go64 - safe to use.

This could be because macOS Sierra is the last version macOS to support your Mac.

macOS High Sierra (the version that succeeds macOS Sierra) only supports Mac Pro models newer than mid-2010.