macOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. Get even more transparency around your privacy.
Available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, and a total of 20 security issues were specifically mentioned, most of which are the same as those addressed in iOS and iPadOS 13.4.8. Among other parts of the operating system, the kernel, WebKit, and GeoServices.
The following models are supported:
To see which model you have, click the Apple icon in your menu bar and choose About This Mac.
Before you upgrade, we recommend that you back up your Mac. If your Mac is running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS Big Sur. You’ll need the following:
Go to Software Update in System Preferences to find macOS Big Sur. Click Upgrade Now and follow the onscreen instructions.
If you’re running any release from macOS 10.13 to 10.9, you can upgrade to macOS Big Sur from the App Store. If you’re running Mountain Lion 10.8, you will need to upgrade to El Capitan 10.11 first.
If you don’t have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.
For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Big Sur:
Requires a broadband internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).
Supported by the following Mac models:
Requires a microphone (built-in or external).
Requires a broadband internet connection.
Requires a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad, Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse.
Force Touch gestures require a Force Touch trackpad.
VoiceOver gestures require a Multi-Touch trackpad, Force Touch trackpad or Magic Trackpad.
Requires a FaceTime or iSight camera (built-in or external) or USB video class (UVC) camera.
Audio calls require a microphone (built-in or external) and broadband internet connection.
Video calls require a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built-in or external) or a USB video class (UVC) camera; and broadband internet connection.
High dynamic range (HDR) video playback is supported by the following Mac models:
Dolby Atmos soundtrack playback is supported by the following Mac models:
Supported by the following Mac models:
Supported by all iPad models with Apple Pencil support:
Requires an iPhone or iPad that supports iOS 12 or later.
Requires an iPhone with iOS 13 or later or an iPad with iPadOS 13 or later.
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB‑C and iOS 8 or later.
Requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity, a Lightning connector or USB‑C and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your network provider.
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB‑C and iOS 10 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later or an iPhone 5 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 6 or later or an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13 or later.
Requires a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Touch ID, an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or later, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later.
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated data plan.
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated data plan.
Requires an iPhone with iOS 12 or later and a configured Home app.
AirDrop to iOS and iPadOS devices requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector or with USB‑C and iOS 7 or later.
AirPlay Mirroring requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).
AirPlay for web video requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).
Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) and an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later.
Requires an external storage device (sold separately).
Requires an iPhone with iOS 14 and a compatible electric vehicle.
Requires an iPhone running iOS 14 or an iPad running iPadOS 14.
Allows Boot Camp installations of Windows 10 on supported Mac models.
Requires Microsoft Office 365, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013 or Exchange Server 2010. Installing the latest Service Packs is recommended.
Supports OS X 10.7 or later and Windows 7 or later.
Available only to persons aged 13 or older in the US and many other countries and regions.
The improved Retouch tool is supported on the following Mac models:
If you’re looking for old Mac software, there are a number of sites on the interwebs that are worth checking out:
Macintosh Garden– great site for old Mac games, system software and abandoned applications
Rescue My Classic Mac – old Macintosh boot floppies and applications available for purchase
Macintosh Repository – a sanctuary for old software of the classic Mac OS era
Mac GUI – customize your Mac’s look and feel with Themes, Desktops, Icons, Widgets, etc..
Mac OS 9 Lives – tips and software for running the Classic Mac OS; audio-centric focus
U-Mich Software Archives – large legacy software collection, for Macs and other platforms
Max1zzz’s Classic Mac Server – another vast collection of Mac system and application software
The Gryphel Project – 68k era Mac software and home of the Mini VMac Mac Plus emulator
E-Maculation – dedicated to emulation of the classic Macintosh computer in OS X, Windows and Linux
OldApps.com – installers for superceded and obsoleted Mac OS X software
PowerPC Software Archive– links to the most current PowerPC compatible versions of many programs
The Mac Driver Museum – old hardware drivers for Mac printers, disks, video cards and related items (partial archive)
MacFixer Mac Software Library – a growing compendium of early Mac system, utility and game installers
The Internet Archive – the grand attic of the internet adds software to its collection
Mac OS 9.2.2 for PowerMac G4 MDD– Retail Mac OS 9 installers do not work on the last generation PowerMac G4 MDD models. This is a copy of Mac OS 9.2.2 included on the MDD bundled Software Restore CDs which is able to boot these G4 models into OS 9 (FireWire 400 models only). It can also be used as Classic Mode on any PowerMac running Mac OS X 10.1-10.4.
ProTools 3.4 Free– Pro Tools 3.4 Digital Audio Workstation software was released free of charge by Digidesign in 1997. This is a fully-functional 16-track version of the program which runs on many 68k Nubus Macs and old PCI PowerMacs.
SoundApp – a swiss army knife for old sound files. Play and convert many vintage audio formats with this useful utility.
Classilla and TenFourFox – ports of the current Firefox web browser, optimized for Mac OS 9 (Classilla) and PowerPC Macs running OS X Tiger (TenFourFox). Get online with your vintage Mac!
PrintToPDF– a free utility to create PDF files on classic Macs running System 7 through Mac OS 9. This is a handy way to keep the formatting of old documents you can’t otherwise convert.
The Vintage Mac Museum is a private, working collection of the pre-Intel Apple Macintosh. We provide old Mac file transfer and conversion services, along with research into old Mac technologies for patent prior art searches or academic purposes.