Upgrading Older iMac on Snow Leopard

Hardware is ok but you will need to upgrade from Snow Leopard to v10.7 Lion in order to upgrade to the latest macOS Sierra v10.12.x.

Mac Hardware Requirements

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

• MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
• Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
• iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

General Requirements

• OS X 10.7.5 or later
• 2GB of memory
• 8.8GB of available storage
• Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
• Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

So what you need to do is purchase OX 10.7 Lion from the Apple Store > http://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion?fnode=081893974d46a19014ec5 5c7e34a0fc189398115d4b72b92fee805c533e1eba99a56dc4729866b2cb6cbf44b9c542870c4cbc 149f615b5cfbcac00c180692ded9404eba21c21de3aac35ee5791050c0c49a13c979b63ad64ba37b df378700278

After you purchase Lion from the Apple Store you should receive an email notification from Apple with a redemption code you can use at the App Store to download and instal v10.7 Lion.

Once Lion is installed, then you can download and install macOS Sierra.

Check for third party app compatibility > Application Compatibility Table — RoaringApps

It will run Sierra, the latest version of OS X. See Basic Steps for Upgrading OS X. You will need to install Lion after Snow Leopard in order to upgrade to Sierra. Since you are now running Snow Leopard 10.6.8 see below:

Upgrading to Lion

You can purchase Lion at the Online Apple Store. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code to use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.

Lion System Requirements

1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,

or Xeon processor

2. 2GB of memory

3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)

4. 7GB of available space

5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Are my applications compatible? See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.

Upgrading to Sierra

You can upgrade to Sierra from Lion or later. Sierra can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for FREE.

To upgrade to Sierra you must have Lion or later installed. Download Sierra from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Sierra is free. The file is quite large, about 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.

The official list of Macs compatible with macOS Sierra:

2010 or Later

MacBook Air

MacBook Pro

Mac mini

Mac Pro

Late 2009 or Later

MacBook

iMac

Also, see The MacOS Sierra Compatibility List

Are my applications compatible? See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.

You will need to install Lion after Snow Leopard in order to upgrade to Sierra.

Unless they’ve previously bought it or are going to stop upgrading at Lion, getting it now is a waste of time and money. Downloading El Capitan can be done more easily and for free.

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Back up your data,check your applications for compatibility, click here, and download El Capitan from the Mac App Store. It’s free, and you’ll be able to install Sierra afterwards.

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