I’m currently running Catalina on my 2017 Intel iMac (internal, 5400 RPM rotational HD) but am running by booting Catalina from an external SSD. My iMac was incredibly slow when trying to run Catalina from the internal HD. I know that at some point I will need (be forced?) to install Big Sur. So my question, can Big Sur also be run from an external SSD?
iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 10.15
I'm less concerned about the security updates than I am about TurboTax. Every year, when I first load TurboTax I get a window popup that states that I'm one OS release behind and will need to update to use TurboTax again the following year. So far it's worked out. At some point, my 2017 iMac is going to need to be replaced, but that decision rests with my "live in" accountant.
Yep, I got the same notice when I used TT this year (I run Catalina on my main internal drive, so like you I was told I'll need Big Sur or higher next year). I'm in the same boat as you, I'll probably get a new Mac when I can no longer get security updates and things like TT don't work anymore because of the "old" OS.
You can boot from any any Mac from any compatible macOS on an external drive.
Thank you.
Hi,
Yes, I have a bootable external SSD Big Sur setup. You won't be "forced" to upgrade to Big Sur, but you'll want to when Catalina no longer receives security updates.
Booting Big Sur From External SSD
