There's Always A Bigger... Mac OS

Which Mac operating system is the best is a topic of numerous debates among Apple fans.

Since the mission of this blog is to refute myths and legends around Macs, it’s time for me to provide my 2 cents about the issue on hand. While everything below is just my opinion, as a long-time Mac user and veteran software engineer, I hope my opinion worth something.

The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2021 it is macOS Big Sur. However, for users that need to run 32-bit apps on Mac, the best macOS is Mojave. Also, older Macs would benefit if upgraded at least to macOS Sierra for which Apple still releases security patches.

Constantly Show the Scroll Bars Many computer users like to have scroll bars always visible, rather than only when they are scrolling or based on the input method. This is easy to change in Mac OS. This is easy to change by going to the  Apple menu System Preferences General Show Scroll Bars “Always”. Mac OS X & macOS names. As you can see from the list above, with the exception of the first OS X beta, all versions of the Mac operating system from 2001 to 2012 were all named after big cats. The Big Mac is the chain's signature and most famous burger, but few may know the history behind how the menu item came to be and got its name. There was a lot of deliberation over the name. There is one other thing you can try if you keep getting a message telling you that you do not have enough space to install Big Sur. You should only try it if you are sure there is enough space on your startup disk and that the message is wrong. And it will only work if you use Time Machine to back up your Mac.

How to Tell Which macOS You Are Running

To find out which macOS is currently running on your Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the menubar
  2. In the dropdown click on the first item: About This Mac
  3. The first line in the Overview tab is the name of the current OS.

What Version of OS Can My Mac Run?

Not all Macs can be upgraded to the latest OS version. For instance, old Macs powered by PowerPC CPUs cannot run OS intended for Intel-based computers. Also, some versions have hardware limitations.

For instance, Mojave cannot be installed on MacBook Pro earlier than Mid 2012 model.

Check below to know exactly what version of OS your Mac can run.

Which OS is Best for my Mac

Anytime someone asks me which OS is best for them I always suggested going with the latest. Things have changed recently, however.

Should I Upgrade to macOS Catalina or Big Sur?

While personally I like macOS Big Sur and have it installed on my MacBook Pro, it comes with serious breaking changes.

The first issue is compatibility.

Big Sur is a transition OS which is designed to help Apple to move from Intel processors to their own chips on ARM.

After I installed Big Sur on my MacBook Pro mid 2020 (pre-Silicon), most of my apps, including Microsoft Office, were working as expected.

There's Always A Bigger.. Mac Os Version

However, my VMWare Fusion 11 does not start anymore, so I have to purchase a new license if I want to keep using it (or roll back to Catalina). Luckily, I took a full backup before the upgrade.

The second breaking issue is the lack of 32-bit app support.

There

macOS Catalina and Big Sur can only run 64-bit apps.

If you wondering whether you should upgrade to macOS Catalina or Big Sur, first verify that you don’t have any 32-bit apps. But first, take a back up, so you can go back in case something breaks after the upgrade.

For instance, I had to remove uTorrent after upgrade. And I didn’t know that uTorrent is 32-bit!

How to Know If App is 32-bit or 64-bit

To find out whether the app on your Mac is 32-bit or 64-bit follow these steps:

  1. Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the Mac screen
  2. Click on About This Mac option
  3. Click on System Report button in Overview tab (first one)
  4. Scroll down to Software -> Applications
  5. Find the app and check Kind

Which macOS Should I Use

If you have an older Mac which is not eligible to upgrade with some latest software or hardware, I’d suggest upgrading at least to Sierra (or better High Sierra) for the following reasons:

  • Sierra is still supported by Apple, and it gets security updates
  • APFS file system is available
  • It supports Siri
  • Significant security improvements

The most important point when choosing the best OS is the ability to get security updates. While Apple generally does not announce the OS end of life dates, it is possible to know when they stop releasing security updates from this page.

For instance, according to the page, the last security update for OS X Yosemite was released on September 12, 2017. The last update for OS X El Capitan was in July 2018, and Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that El Capitan’s end of life date was August 2018.

Snow Leopard Myth

I know that some users on forums believe that the best OS version for Macs was Snow Leopard. But that is a myth. And I know how such myths get created.

Once I worked in the company, which was selling a 20-year old product. And customers were still using and didn’t want to switch to new versions, because the old one was rock solid.

I then talked to the engineer who worked on the project, and he revealed that the product was a total disaster when it was first deployed. Engineers had to work on-site for almost a year in order to fix all bugs.

After five or so years of polishing the product, it becomes virtually bug-free, and nobody now remembers how bad it was when it was first rolled out. A similar thing happened Snow Leopard, and it was recognized as best mac os version after some time.

How to Update to the Latest Version

There are two ways to update to the latest OS version on Mac:

  • From the Software Update section in System Preferences
  • Use a download link

Using Software Update

This is by far the best option, but it only available if you have Yosemite, or later OS installed already. If you enabled automatic updates, then Mac will inform you that the next macOS is available.

Just open System Preferences, go to Software Update and click on the Upgrade Now button.

This method is also best if wondering how to check if you have the latest version of OS installed on your Mac. Only the version compatible with your hardware will appear here.

For instance, my the latest version for Mac Mini 2012 is Mojave, I can’t install anything newer than that.

If you are having problems with updates or having issues post-upgrade check my post about troubleshooting macOS.

Using download links

For older systems or in case you need to downgrade, you have to download a standalone installer in DMG format. DMG stands for disk image, similar to ISO, just different formats.

After downloading the installer, just double click on it and follow instructions. Again, do not forget to take a backup before the upgrade.

Mac OS Comparisons: Requirements, Features, Compatibility, Download Links

Following is a high-level description of all Mac operating systems as early as Mountain Lion.

You can refer to those descriptions when deciding which operating system is best for your iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, or MacBook.

With each OS description, I included a list of Macs supported. However, you can use Mac OS compatibility checker for more detailed information.

macOS 11 Big Sur

macOS v11 (codename Big Sur) is the latest version of the operating system for Apple computers.

Release date: October 13, 2020

Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement 4GB. Big Sur is the first OS to support new Macs using ARM technology (in the future).

Features

  • The biggest design refresh since macOS X.
  • Support for new ARM processors.
  • Safar improved performance and power consumption.
  • Time Machine supports backup to APFS volumes.
  • One-click translation for 7 languages.
  • Redesigned maps

Software Compatibility Issues

Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Big Sur.

How to install

There are two ways to install Big Sur: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.

Or check my post with tips on installing macOS on unsupported devices.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Big Sur

  • MacBook (2015 and later)
  • MacBook Air (2013 and later)
  • MacBook Pro (2013 and later)
  • Mac mini (2014 and later)
  • iMac models (2014 and later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 and later)
  • Mac Pro (2013 and later)

macOS 10.15 Catalina

Release date: October 7, 2019

Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement increased from 2GB to 4GB.

Features

  • Introduced Sidecar, which allows for Macs to use an iPad as an external display.
  • iTunes was replaced by separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV.
  • Find My Mac and Find My Friends have merged into one app.

Software Compatibility Issues

macOS Catalina is the first Mac operating system that does not support 32-bit applications. Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Catalina.

How to install

There are two ways to install Catalina: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Catalina

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac models (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac Pro (All models)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)

macOS 10.14 Mojave

Release date: September 24, 2018

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 18.5GB free space on disk

Features

  • The main feature of Mojave is “Dark Mode”
  • FaceTime adds group feature which allows chatting with up to 32 people
  • News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home apps were ported from iOS to Mac.

How to install

If your Mac is eligible to update to Mojave, then the easiest way to install it is by enabling automatic updates. Downloading a standalone Mojave installer could be a little tricky.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Mojave

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac Pro (All models)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013 and 2010-2012 models with upgraded GPU)

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Release date: September 25, 2017

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 14.3GB free space on disk

Features

  • APFS (Apple File System) becomes the default file system in High Sierra. It’s a significant upgrade from the older HFS+ in terms of speed, size, and security
  • iCloud support of Messages which allows sync messages of the account across multiple devices
  • Mail app uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS High 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)

How to install

Here is a High Sierra download link.

macOS 10.12 Sierra

This is the first macOS version. Previous OS versions for Macs were called OS X (X stands for 10).

Release date: September 20, 2016

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • Siri was introduced to Macs
  • Optimized storage with iCloud sync
  • Auto-lock feature allows unlocking MacBook with paired Apple Watch
  • APFS preview available
  • Disk Utility can manage RAID sets again
  • Significant security improvements

How to install

Here is a Sierra download link.

List of Apple computers 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)

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Last OS X version.

Release date: September 30, 2015

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • System Integrity Protection – a security feature that protects even when the root user executes the process
  • Performance improvements: open PDF files four times faster, Mail is twice faster, launching apps 40% faster
  • Notes app similar to the app in iOS

Macs compatible with OS X El Capitan

same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

Here is El Capitan download link.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Release date: October 16, 2014

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Macs compatible with OS X Yosemite

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

Features

  • Major user design overhaul
  • Introduction of Handoff and Continuity features
  • Photos app replaced iPhoto and Aperture

How to install

Here is Yosemite download link.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

First free Mac OS. Previous OS versions vary from $19.99 to $129.

Release date: October 22, 2013

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • Compressed Memory feature automatically compresses inactive apps when approaching maximum memory capacity
  • Timer coalescing is a feature that reduces CPU usage by up to 72 percent
  • App Nap puts apps that are not currently visible to sleep

Macs compatible with OS X Mavericks

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

OS X Mavericks installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install Mavericks.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Must be purchased. Fixed many bugs introduced in OS X Lion.

Release date: July 25, 2012

System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

  • New apps: Notification Center, Notes, Messages, Game Center
  • AirPlay mirroring allowed to mirror Mac screen to Apple TV
  • Application updates automatically install from the App Store

List of Apple computers compatible with OS X Mountain Lion

  • iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)

How to install

Mountain Lion installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install OS X Mountain Lion.

List of older Mac OS Versions

Following Mac OS versions are still running on older Macs, but Apple does not support them anymore, and there is no point to upgrade (or downgrade) to them:

  • OS X 10.7 Lion
  • OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
  • Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
  • Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
  • Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
  • Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
  • Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
  • Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah

The fourteenth significant arrival of macOS and Apple Inc’s is the macOS High Sierra which has a variant 10.13. The framework was working for Macintosh PCs by the work area. macOS Sierra was declared at a mega event named WWDC which was scheduled on June 5, 2017. On 25, 2017 the preceding being discharged, and on September 24, 2018, its successor macOS Mojave was discharged.

The name “High Sierra” officially comes from the area of high Sierra which is located in California. Other software versions of macOS like Snow Leopard, El Capitan, and Mountain Lion are also from California. These names are additionally equivalent to its status as a revision of its introduction. The software is completely focused on bringing up enhancements through introducing updates instead of focusing on only the client spotlight. Photos and safari are remarkable changes among all the applications.

Tutorials: How to Clean Install Mac OS using a USB drive on Mac

License
Official Installer

File Size
5.0GB / 4.85GB

Language
English

Developer
Apple Inc.


Download: Mac OS Sierra 10.12 ISO and DMG Image

Mac OS High Sierra 10.13 ISO or DMG

There's Always A Bigger.. Mac Os Operating System

Download only the stub installer means web installer is the main reason that only users may be downloading from the app store. The stub installer is mainly little in size. After running the stub installer, the real operating system will begin being introduced.

This article is focused more on the process part of downloading macOS High Sierra 10 on ISO River platform. With the article, the users can easily understand the bootable USB process to install macOS High Sierra 10.13 full installer. Moreover, this is encouraging a new introduction and an updated side of the macOS software.

Apple security updates: it does not untapped, examine affirm security issues until an examination has stopped only for the client insurance where fixes or discharges are accessible. Apple security discharge page can record the discharge pieces of evidence. Its users may know the more data they must have to see the Apple product’s security page. Users can interchange with Apple utilizing the Apple product security PGP key.

About Macintosh OS Server 1.0

Macintosh OS Server 1.0- 1.2v3 based on Rhapsody which is half and half of OPENSTEP from NeXT Computer and Mac OS 8.5.1. The GUI looks like the blend of MAC OS 8’s Platinum appearance with OPENSTEP’s NeXT based interface. This Blue box is for running inheritance MAC OS based applications which have a different window. There was a discussion of the ‘straightforward blue box’. MAC OS X Server 1.0- 1.2v3 are Incorporated with the following:

  • Apple File Service.
  • Macintosh Manager.
  • Quick Time Streaming Server.
  • Web objects.
  • NeetBoot.

To use these servers it cannot be used up the FireWire gadgets. To copy a quote or image for video copy is very easy from one device to another device operating system. Users must be copied and pasted between the devices with a universal clipboard. Users must access their file on the Mac from the iPhone with iCloud Desktop and documents. Users must save all the files on the desktop or share them on iCloud. Users may keep the same file on their desktop also and documents folder on another Mac. Users may easily optimize their Mac by optimizing, storing, and freeing up space.

Users may rediscover the meaning of full moments of the photos in their gallery. They also enjoy memorable moments. Users may display their images using face recognition technology for the same group photo slideshow together. Users may search their photo with the keyboard like a beach dog or concert. For this user may thank for the smart search. Users may enjoy the convenience and security of the Apple pay when the user may focus on the Apple store and they may use Apple pay easily.

Productive Features of macOS High Sierra 10.13

These are some of the new features and enhancements that can be seen in macOS High Sierra 10.13:

High-Efficiency Video Coding(HEVC)

Since the introduction of iOS 11, iPads and iPhones have started saving their pictures in the HEVC mode. The same model has now been added to macOS High Sierra. Thus, users can now send their photos in HEVC mode to their Mac without converting them. HEVC also does a great job of maintaining excellent picture quality.

Apple File System(APFS)

The new file system, APFS, is a fine improvement over the Hierarchical File System(HFS) Plus that was used before. By the new cloning mechanism that is available under APFS, macOS can now make copies of files on the same volume without utilizing any extra space. Snapshots can also be made now. An excellent security feature in the form of full-disk encryption has been introduced with a variety of options including single key-encryption and multi-key encryption.

The capacity for storing files has increased greatly. Checksums are used to ensure the integrity of the files’ metadata. Copying large files has been made much easier under APFS.

General features of the macOS Sierra

  • Siri system must be added to macOS.
  • Unlocking must be watched by auto unlocking Apple.
  • Apple pays the web must be paid by Apple pay.
  • iCloud improvement must be used by the New Storage Optimization.
  • Apple Music app overview
  • F. From one Apple device copy the content including text, image, photos, and videos, and paste the same to another device.
  • Sierra- iCloud space expanded from 20GB to 150 GB, so image to image capabilities and multi Windows capabilities are shown.
  • h.one must have to enjoy the favorite and forgotten favorite picture from the photo gallery.
  • Apple pay must be used for the security payment when shopping in Safari on the user’s macOS High Sierra.

Apple security archives the vulnerability by CVE- IR when it is conceivable.

System Requirements of MacOS High Sierra 10.13 ISO/DMG File

To get macOS High Sierra 10.13 ISO in your operating system the user needs to have the below requirements which are needed to install the software.

macOS High Sierra 10.13 ISO must be run on this PC.

  • MacBook: It must be late 2008 or fresher.
  • MacBook Air: It must be also late 2008 or freshers
  • MacBook Pro: It must be mid-2007 or freshers
  • Macintosh Mini: It must be of 2009 or freshers
  • iMac: It should be 2007 or freshers.
  • Macintosh Pro: It should be early 2008 or the fresher
  • Xserve: It should be in early 2009.

Pcs are mostly accompanying models which were decorated with the 1 GB RAM. This is the standard choice on the base model when they were delivered at the initial stage. macOS High Sierra 10.13 ISO can run possibly by them. As they possess only 2GB of RAM.

  • iMac: It should be 2007 or freshers.
  • iMac: It should be of early 2008.
  • Macintosh Mini: It should be of Early 2009.

There may be an Airdrop between the Mac PCs and iOS gadget’s new manual API.

  • iMac: Which is mainly late 2012 or more up to date.
  • MacBook: It should be of early 2015 or more up to date.
  • MacBook Air: It should be mid-2012 or more up to date.
  • MacBook Pro: It should be mid-2012 or more up to date.
  • Macintosh Mini: It should be of late 2012 or more up to date.
  • Macintosh Pro: Should be of late 2013.

More about macOS High Sierra 10.13 ISO

MacOS 10.13 is renowned as the High Sierra operating system whose main focus on the continuity, iCloud, and operating system experience. The operating system X extension will be removed from Apple. Apple converts it to Mac OS. It is because of the nominal similarity to iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Siri has been merged with the opening system and users must use it in their Macs. The ability to display image to image is another new feature of Mac OS Sierra. Besides these multi Windows capabilities Which look the same the iPad Pro and Mac computers.

An auto-lock is another character of this operating system with the unlock option. This unlock option is password depending if the user has their Apple Watch in hand. The name Sierra comes from one of the world’s largest mountain ranges in Spain. The principle of continuity between the internal components of the operating system and its compatibility with iOS is used in Apple in case of making the new version of macOS. Improving the iCloud system is another good character of the Mac OS High Sierra on Virtualbox.

Apple can support the 10 billion files on the user’s iCloud driver. The desktop experience of the iCloud files on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Mac book will be of the same type. The new Mac operating system is able to automatically transfer the older files to iCloud so that it is unable to take up any extra space on the user’s Macbook or Mac.

There's Always A Bigger.. Mac Os Update

The Siri feature is a great feature of this system among many. Siri’s system is constructed with the new features specially designed for the desktop only. Their message and music system are more enjoyable and handful. Users may enjoy their favorite features of iOS as well as be optimized for Mac. Sending messages, creating a reminder, searching the Web and many other processes are so easy for handling. Viewing of files, settings, and system information is only possible by the Siri system.

If the download of user’s software fails

There's Always A Bigger.. Mac Os Download

The macOS was released to positive reviews on its release. Many of the new small updates and features received a big thumbs up from the public as well as critics. The new file system that was introduced was offered a much more stable and effective OS. Users who enjoy using the Photos feature are in for a treat as there are new editing features that have been added that are incredibly exciting to try out. The introduction of Safari was seen as a big plus by users who loved the attention paid by the new browser to their privacy.

There were many security issues that arose with High Sierra that was a cause of concern. Users who expected this new version to be more focused on gaming and other entertainment features were disappointed as they did not get what they were looking forward to. In spite of these slight setbacks, mac OS High Sierra was an excellent attempt that helped lay the groundwork for the future of Apple’s products.

To better explain, the article is provided by macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 download DMG. Besides that the macOS High Sierra comes up with advanced software named macOS High Sierra ISO for VMware & VirtualBox. There is no other reason as macOS High Sierra DMG is most loved and highly recommended by the users.

Reviews from the users

During this period new macOS were also introduced but people didn’t stop selecting High Sierra as it was the best software macOS ever had. macOS High Sierra was a tremendous hit even after macOS Catalina was launched during the days. In 2020, macOS High Sierra is available on both Mac computers and Windows computers. Both the segment users can get the benefit of using the same software. After macOS High Sierra macOS Mojave was introduced but it wasn’t as popular as High Sierra.

According to folks, macOS High Sierra does have better performance than traditional macOS versions. Apple is consistently showing its creativity and raising its standards by introducing new computers and laptop devices. In every update, they have been impressively consistent enough in showing innovations with new features and functional settings, formats, and more. The users can easily use, download, and install on new Macs and get the benefits of the updates. Through macOS, the users can really learn about other applications’ performances and stability.