I have not upgraded my iMac due to having to purchase all new software. So now I wish to upgrade but the only option on Apple website is Ventura which surpasses my 8GB. How can I obtain previous upgrades that will work on my Mac?
iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.14
Please see > How to download macOS.
❗️ Do NOT upgrade until you have made a Time Machine or other backup of your startup drive.
Learn How to Back up your Mac with Time Machine
How to Upgrade macOS:
The macOS version you can upgrade to depends on the year your Mac was released.
Click the (Apple) menu at the top of your screen and choose About This Mac.
Check the Compatibility of your Mac with newer versions of macOS:
➡️ macOS 10.15 Catalina is compatible with the Macs listed here
➡️ macOS 11 Big Sur is compatible with the Macs listed here
➡️ macOS 12 Monterey is compatible with the Macs listed here
➡️ macOS 13 Ventura is compatible with the Macs listed here
❗️ – IMPORTANT – None of your 32-bit apps will work in macOS Catalina or newer.
32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later - Apple Support
Use the free utility Go64 to check the compatibility of your apps:
https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/
✅ - IF your Mac and apps are compatible, then using Safari only, download the macOS upgrade installer app:
Click > Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey or Ventura.
Once downloaded, double-click the “Install macOS…” app in the Applications folder to begin the upgrade.
Please see > How to download macOS.
❗️ Do NOT upgrade until you have made a Time Machine or other backup of your startup drive.
Learn How to Back up your Mac with Time Machine
How to Upgrade macOS:
The macOS version you can upgrade to depends on the year your Mac was released.
Click the (Apple) menu at the top of your screen and choose About This Mac.
Check the Compatibility of your Mac with newer versions of macOS:
➡️ macOS 10.15 Catalina is compatible with the Macs listed here
➡️ macOS 11 Big Sur is compatible with the Macs listed here
➡️ macOS 12 Monterey is compatible with the Macs listed here
➡️ macOS 13 Ventura is compatible with the Macs listed here
❗️ – IMPORTANT – None of your 32-bit apps will work in macOS Catalina or newer.
32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later - Apple Support
Use the free utility Go64 to check the compatibility of your apps:
https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/
✅ - IF your Mac and apps are compatible, then using Safari only, download the macOS upgrade installer app:
Click > Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey or Ventura.
Once downloaded, double-click the “Install macOS…” app in the Applications folder to begin the upgrade.
What 8GB does it surpass exactly?
The size shown in the Mac App Store is for storage space not RAM.
Ventura can work with 8GB of RAM.
It however, needs more than 8GB of storage space to download. If your Mac only has 8GB of storage left, then you really should be thinking of deleting some content or moving it out to an external drive to make more room. You should not be running a Mac with such little storage space left.
You can verify your storage space by going to the Apple Menu ➜ About This Mac ➜ Storage. click here ➜ Free up storage space on your Mac - Apple Support
Thank you!! Answered my question!
UPGRADE FROM MOJAVE
