Updating El Capitan to High Sierra or Big Sur

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Level 1

4 points

Updating El Capitan to High Sierra or Big Sur

I have a mid-2010 iMac running 10.11.6 El Capitan. Processor is 3.06 GHz i3 with 4GB DDR and a 500GB drive (not an SSD). My drive in only half-full. Will upgrading to High Sierra (and then Big Sur) be helpful/worth it? I'm planning on updating my RAM to 16 GB (4-4GBs) and adding an internal SSD, having been told both of these will speed things up considerably. I only use this computer for basic stuff (Office applications, web browsing, bill pay online, online purchases, etc.). I'm wanting to do some basic online banking stuff (budgeting, etc.), but I've heard some fear mongering about that kind of stuff on El Capitan, since it's not supported (?) anymore. What would you do?

iMac 21.5″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Feb 4, 2023 9:27 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

BDAqua

Level 10

250,693 points

Feb 4, 2023 10:44 AM in response to pierce56

Hi there, 10.13.6 is as far as it can go, no Mojave, Catalina, or Big Sur.

macOS High Sierra - Technical Specifications

General Requirements

OS X 10.8 or later
2GB of memory
14.3GB of available storage to perform upgrade*
Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS High Sierra: