I just purchased a refurbished MacBook Air and trying to sign in and it says that my software is too updated for my Mac computer. If I make a new iCloud account on the Mac will my devices sync.
Earlier displays & monitors
No. Creating a new iCloud Account will not help.
Back up a few steps and describe what you mean by "trying to sign in". For example, when you first started your Mac the very first thing you should encounter is a "hello" screen followed by asking what language you want to use. Then, you will be asked to sign in to your existing iCloud Account or if you want to create a new Apple ID. You will need to sign in to your existing iCloud Account. That will ensure the ability to sync your iPhone with its Apple ID. Do not create a new Apple ID.
We can better help you if we knew WHICH Macbook Air sub-model your have and what macOS version it is running. We need them to determine if you have an upgrade path available. Both are quickly available from "About this Mac..." Example:
⚠️ For security reasons, please DO NOT post the serial number.
Older Macs cannot run the latest macOS versions so we need to know those details.
If you get the onscreen message shown in this Apple article:
If your Mac says that a software update is required to connect to iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
all you need to do is click Install. It onlypatches iTunes to be compatible with newer versions of iOS and iPadOS. It is a small and fast download that will not change your macOS version.
My iPhone11 has iOS16 and my MacBook Air software not updating to the latest update
