Upgrade
how do I upgrade my late 2012 imac from high sierra to catalina.?
iMac 27″, macOS 10.13
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. For Best results use Safari to commence the download as Others may not work.
Safari will open a redirect and open the Apple Store where the download can commence.
If one gets an Error message in the Apple Store or no ”Get Button“ Replace the https in the page's address to macappstore.
Credit to Contributor @Niel
macOS Catalina 10.15 hardware requirements
macOS Mojave 10.14 hardware requirements
Make Time Machine Backup is very useful and can be used to Revert to Previous Working macOS
Notation - Mojave is the Last version to support 32 bit applications / extensions and Drivers. Catalina, Big Sur & Monterey supports only 64 bit and there is no workaround.
Suggest using Go64 to find 32 bit application before attempting the upGrade. Some or many of the Application already installed may required update or upGrades to 64 Bit Versions.
