How to Install Mac OS X (Tiger, Leopard, or Snow Leopard) on a PC: EDIT: This guide is very outdated and it doesn't exactly go into specifics all that well. By now there are much easier and less time-consuming ways to install Mac OS X on a PC. It will be kept up here for archiving purposes. Today I will sho. As an operating system, Mac OS has always tried to make things sleek and minimalist on your desktop. However, in the older versions, the sync between Mac and iPhone led to a lot of clutter. To counter that, Apple added Desktop Stacks to make your desktop organized according to the criteria you desire.
When you upgrade to macOS Catalina, you get more of everything you love about Mac. Experience dedicated apps for music, TV, and podcasts. Smart new features in the apps you use every day. And Sidecar, which lets you use iPad as a second Mac display. Best of all, upgrading is free and easy.
That way of downloading Mac OS X updates and new apps was introduced with Snow Leopard and means that anyone with a Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or earlier can’t actually access the Mac. Early adopters can try the new operating system today by downloading the just-released MacOS Big Sur public beta (here's how to download it to your device.) It'll become generally available as a. Jul 20, 2020 Finalize your purchase and follow the prompts to download the OS. Once you buy the operating system, you should be prompted to download it. If you can't find the prompt, go to Purchases Purchased. The downloaded file can be run from your desktop or loaded onto a USB drive and used on another computer.
Chances are, your Mac can run macOS Catalina.
Mac computers with Metal-capable graphics processors (GPUs) can upgrade to macOS Catalina.
Make sure you’re ready to upgrade.
Before you upgrade, we recommend that you back up your Mac. Then, if your Mac is running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS Catalina.
Upgrading is free. And easier than you think.
Upgrading from macOS Mojave?
Go to Software Update in System Preferences to find the macOS Catalina upgrade. Click Upgrade Now and follow the onscreen instructions to begin your upgrade. If you don’t have broadband access, you can upgrade your Mac at any Apple Store.
Upgrading from an older version of macOS?
If you’re running High Sierra (10.13), Sierra (10.12), or El Capitan (10.11), upgrade to macOS Catalina from the App Store. If you’re running Lion (10.7) or 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.
- OS X 10.9 or later
- 4GB of memory
- 12.5GB of available storage (OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)*
- Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
- Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.
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 Catalina:
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)
Siri
Requires a broadband internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).
Hey Siri
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (2018 or newer)
- MacBook Air (2018 or newer)
- iMac Pro
Dictation, Voice Control, and Voice Memos
Requires a microphone (built-in or external).
Spotlight Suggestions
Requires a broadband internet connection.
Gestures
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.
Photo Booth
Requires a FaceTime or iSight camera (built-in or external), or USB video class (UVC) camera.
FaceTime
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.
Apple TV
High Dynamic Range (HDR) video playback is supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (2018 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (2019) with Pro Display XDR
Dolby Atmos soundtrack playback is supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook Air (2018 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (2018 or newer)
Sidecar
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook (2016 or newer)
- MacBook Air (2018 or newer)
- MacBook Pro (2016 or newer)
- Mac mini (2018 or newer)
- iMac (late 2015 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017 or newer)
- Mac Pro (2019)
Supported by all iPad models with Apple Pencil support:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro
- 11-inch iPad Pro
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (6th generation or later)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
Continuity Camera
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 12 or later.
Continuity Sketch and Continuity Markup
Requires an iPhone with iOS 13 or an iPad with iPadOS.
Handoff
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 8 or later.
Instant Hotspot
Requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity, a Lightning connector, and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.
Universal Clipboard
Requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 10 or later.
Auto Unlock
Supported by Mac models introduced in mid 2013 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later or an iPhone 5 or later.
Approve with Apple Watch
Supported by Mac models introduced in mid 2013 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 6 or later or an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 13.
Apple Pay on the Web
Requires MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or later, or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 or later.
Phone Calling
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.
SMS
Requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.
Home
Requires an iPhone with iOS 12 or later and a configured Home app.
AirDrop
AirDrop to iOS and iPadOS devices requires an iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and iOS 7 or later.
AirPlay
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.
Time Machine
Requires an external storage device (sold separately).
Power Nap
Supported by the following Mac models:
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
- MacBook Pro with Retina display (Mid 2012 or newer)
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)
Boot Camp
Allows Boot Camp installations of Windows 10 on supported Mac models.
Exchange Support
Requires Microsoft Office 365, Exchange 2016, Exchange 2013, or Exchange Server 2010. Installing the latest Service Packs is recommended.
Windows Migration
Supports OS X 10.7 or later and Windows 7 or later.
App Store
Available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries and regions.
- Apple Books
- Apple News
- App Store
- Automator
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Chess
- Contacts
- Dictionary
- DVD Player
- FaceTime
- Find My
- Font Book
- Home
- Image Capture
- Launchpad
- Maps
- Messages
- Mission Control
- Music
- Notes
- Photo Booth
- Photos
- Podcasts
- Preview
- QuickTime Player
- Reminders
- Safari
- Siri
- Stickies
- Stocks
- System Preferences
- TextEdit
- Time Machine
- TV
- Voice Memos
- Activity Monitor
- AirPort Utility
- Audio MIDI Setup
- Bluetooth File Exchange
- Boot Camp Assistant
- ColorSync Utility
- Console
- Digital Color Meter
- Disk Utility
- Grapher
- Keychain Access
- Migration Assistant
- Screenshot
- Screen Time
- Script Editor
- Sidecar
- System Information
- Terminal
- VoiceOver Utility
- Arabic
- Catalan
- Croatian
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese
- Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English (Australia)
- English (UK)
- English (U.S.)
- Finnish
- French
- French (Canada)
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Malay
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Brazilian Portuguese
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Slovak
- Spanish
- Spanish (Latin America)
- Swedish
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Vietnamese
Make your Mac invincible
Get Setapp, a toolkit with fixes for all Mac problems
In June 2020, Apple debuted a completely redesigned macOS Big Sur — along with other major updates such as iOS 14, iPad OS 14, and Apple silicon — and we can’t wait to get our hands on all of it. In this article, we’ll guide you through Big Sur macOS 11 release date, key features, and device compatibility as well as explain how to download and install macOS 11 on Mac.
macOS Big Sur: All new features and tweaks
Apart from many functionality enhancements, macOS Big Sur makes history with its very name. By being officially introduced as macOS 11.0, the new version leaves the era of Mac OS X behind. Good or bad, this definitely marks a new start for the Apple community, which, in the light of a long-awaited shift to Arm-based chips, seems to make a lot of sense. Let’s take a look at the macOS latest version and see what’s in it for you.
Biggest design change in 20 years
Once we got on a call with my colleagues to discuss Big Sur after the Apple Keynote, the one thing people kept mentioning was “it looks soooo different.” Indeed, macOS 11 Big Sur features an overhauled look — and it’s fair to call it the boldest design move since the initial release of OS X around 20 years ago.
So what’s new? Here’s a quick dive into the Big Sur design:
- New Control Center, with quick access to frequently used toggles and new controls for Dark Mode and music
- Space-efficient sidebar and toolbar added to many apps
- Notifications grouped by apps
- New widgets in three different sizes you can switch between to customize the view
- Widgets and notifications can be combined within one custom view
- Translucent Dock icons and the menu bar
- New rounded corners across windows and app icons.
And it’s not only the look that has changed. To match the new iOS-like interface, Apple redesigned system sounds and even brought back the classic startup Chime that was eliminated in the 2016 Mac lineup. So if you’ve missed the old good donnnnnng, with macOS 11.0 you no longer have to tweak the settings to enable it.
Download Mac Os X Free
According to Apple, the redesigned macOS Big Sur “reduces visual complexity while keeping the focus on content.” It also definitely looks a lot more like iOS, which highlights Apple’s effort to improve consistency throughout the ecosystem.
Safari improvements
Beware, there might be a new twist to your Safari-Chrome jokes. With Big Sur, Apple overhauls its native browser, adding some unparalleled privacy, design, and translation enhancements. Best of all, it’s crazily customizable and can look exactly like you want it to.
Here’s why falling in love with new Safari is super easy:
- Personalized start page. You can design Safari’s start page from scratch. Set a custom background picture and choose what should appear on it — anything from Reading List to Privacy Report works.
- Tab preview. No such thing as too many tabs in the macOS Big Sur Safari. The new browser features an improved logo-first tab design as well as lets you hover over a tab to see a quick page preview.
- New extension store. The App Store will now have a dedicated category for Safari extensions you can choose from. What’s more, Apple simplifies the migration of third-party extensions for developers.
- Web page translation. Translate a web page between seven languages, in one click.
- Privacy Report. Safari will protect your browsing by blocking cross-site trackers on any website you visit. Plus, you’re getting quick access to the full list of trackers via Privacy Report.
If new features don’t sound too exciting, here’s my last argument: Big Sur Safari is reportedly 50% faster than Chrome — so yes, the fastest browser on the planet.
Messages: New search, memojis, and inline replies
The top messaging destination on Mac looks handier on macOS Big Sur. With an overhauled Search that highlights the matching terms, it’s easier to find links and photos across all your conversations. The new Messages also features inline replies for group chats and the ability to pin conversations to the top of the list — so that nothing gets lost in the shuffle. More Memojis, trending GIFs and images, and group photos arrive to spice up your chats with awesome visuals.
Maps will guide you better
Another Big Sur update relates to Maps, an app that clearly shows ambition for becoming your favorite tour guide. On macOS 11.0, Maps will include a brand-new feature called Guides, which is a list of places worth visiting in a city. The app is redesigned for better navigation and covers support for Look Around and Indoor maps. If you’re a fan of green travel, you’ll love new cycling and electric vehicle routes.
Other macOS 11 updates and enhancements
This was the biggest macOS news — but there are also many more great tweaks to explore. We encourage you to test the beta to fully experience the new gems. For now, here’s a sneak peek into all macOS 11 updates:
- AirPods device switching. Instead of linking to the last-connected device, AirPods will now auto-pair with the device that starts playing audio first. Apple also upgrades AirPods Pro with Spatial Audio for a more immersive sound experience.
- Improved editing in Photos. This includes an enhanced ML-based Retouch tool and a few more tweaks for photo editing.
- Smarter Siri. With the expanded web knowledge, Big Sur’s Siri will be ready to answer more questions than ever before.
- HomeKit Secure Video upgrade. Apple adds Face Recognition and Activity Zones support to HomeKit Secure Video cameras.
For a detailed list of macOS 11 features, check out Apple’s Big Sur Preview.
How to get Big Sur macOS download
How To Update Mac Os
Ready to give it a try? Let’s dive in. Note that this guide relates to the macOS 11 beta profile download. As of now, it’s available to anyone enrolled in the Apple Developer Program. If that’s not the case, no worries — the public macOS Big Sur beta release is just around the corner.
Get an app that makes macOS updates safe
Create automatic backups of your data with Get Backup Pro — avoid data loss and other nonsense while installing macOS Big Sur.
Here’s how to download and install macOS 11 developer beta:
- Back up your Mac with Get Backup Pro or Time Machine. This is something you should never ignore when it comes to macOS installations because you want to be sure your data is well-protected
- Go to developer.apple.com
- Click Discover > macOS
- On the macOS page, click Download in the top right corner and sign in to your Developer account
- Click Install Profile at the bottom of the page
- Find and launch the installer in your Downloads folder
- Open the PKG file and agree to the installation
- If required, verify the account by entering your system password
- Find the update in System Preferences
- Click Update to download and install the macOS Big Sur beta.
Read more information about 'how do i update my mac operating system'
Big Sur macOS compatibility
Whether you’re willing to wait for the public release or want to try macOS Big Sur beta right away, make sure your Mac can take it. Here’s the full list of compatible devices:
- MacBook (2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (2013 or later)
- MacBook Pro (2013 or later)
- Mac Pro (2013 or later)
- Mac Mini (2014 or later)
- iMac (2014 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later).
macOS 11 release date
Traditionally, Apple doesn’t make any promises regarding the official Big Sur macOS release date (but we have our fingers crossed for September). Anyway, it’s reasonable to expect the new macOS 11 will arrive this fall. The public beta will be available in July. And the lucky folks, also known as devs, can try it right now via Apple’s developer portal.
Download Big Sur macOS wallpaper
Big Sur will include four static and two dynamic wallpapers. If you can’t wait to refresh your desktop and make it all trendy with the macOS 11 backgrounds, you can download them here.
How To Download Os For Macbook Pro
You might also want to pick a few beautiful wallpapers to customize your Safari start page, or just in case you want something unique for your desktop. In that case, check out Wallpaper Wizard. It’s a Mac app with a curated 25k+ collection of desktop wallpapers in HD quality. Basically, a gold mine for those who take their Mac background seriously.
So that’s about it regarding the latest version of macOS. Whether you’re going to test the beta or wait until Big Sur is publicly available, we recommend getting your Mac ready. Like any other macOS, Big Sur 11 requires a good deal of storage space. Plus, you’ll want to create a data backup before running any installations.
Setapp has Get Backup Pro for data protection, along with other great utilities like CleanMyMac X and Disk Drill. So it’s essentially a one-stop toolkit that will do all the Mac housekeeping to prepare for Big Sur. With a 7-day free trial, it’s worth checking out.
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