2017 MacBook Air Seeking Software Upgrade
I have a 2017 MacBook Air running High Sierrea 10.13.6, can I upgrade to a newer MacOS? It does not show any updates available in the System Preferences.
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10.13.6 is the highest revision of High Sierra (10.13), which is probably why you're not seeing anything in System Preferences. I'm guessing it's just showing "point release" updates to the current OS (High Sierra).
You can upgrade a MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) to Monterey, but no further.
By default, the App Store hides old versions of macOS, so to upgrade, use the links in
How to download and install macOS - Apple Support
If you upgrade to Catalina or later,
- 32-bit applications will stop working
- iTunes will go away, replaced by separate applications: What happened to iTunes? - Apple Support
There are several ways to check for 32-bit applications. One is by going into > About This Mac, selecting the System Report…, choosing the Applications category, and waiting for the Mac to build the list. When it is done, click on the 64-bit (Intel) column header to sort by that field (and group applications for easier scanning).
I would recommend skipping Catalina and Big Sur. They are now neither fish nor fowl. They're new enough that they break 32-bit applications, but old enough that they are no longer among the "most recent three". Monterey still is one of the "most recent three" and probably will be for the better part of a year.