Desktop MacOS Big Sur upgrade issue

Question

Level 1

4 points

Desktop MacOS Big Sur upgrade issue

Hi,

I bought this desktop iMac in 2015, which went through a couple of upgrades. Now it has Big Sur (version 11.7.10). This has been staying unchanged for several years. I never got upgrade reminding and I couldn't find any MacOS upgrade in the Apple Store, either. It's really stuck to this old version.

I couldn't install/run the TurboTax. I couldn't install python 3.10 (with brew). This really prevent me updating, or using many other applications.

How can I resolve this issue?

Thanks for any help or hint!

-iMacUser137

iMac 27″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Nov 2, 2024 10:20 AM

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Answer 1

PRP_53

Level 10

91,837 points

Nov 3, 2024 7:14 AM in response to iMacUser137

An iMac Purchased in 2015 does not mean the iMac is necessary a 2015 Model

The Age of this computer will Govern what newer version of macOS it will Qualify to install.

Use About this Mac from the Apple Icon on Desktop - the required Information will be there.

macOS Big Sur is compatible with these computers

macOS Monterey is compatible with these computers

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

60,656 points

Nov 4, 2024 2:13 PM in response to iMacUser137

The iMac (mid-2015) can only run up to Big Sur.

The iMac (Late-2015) can run up to Monterey.

You can get the exact model of the iMac by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac".

If you don't have a Late-2015 iMac or another Mac able to run a more recent version of macOS, then you will need to get another computer that has an OS compatible with the software you want to use.

FYI, I would avoid using Homebrew to install Python. Check to see if the official Python3 installer is supported on your older OS. The official Python3 installer from the Python3 maintainers is the best option since Homebrew has been known to cause problems by messing up the PATH.

https://www.python.org/downloads/

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