How to Upgrade macOS to macOS Big Sur – Guide

Apple’s latest iteration of macOS is here. Big Sur replaces Catalina and features a major redesign to match the company’s new ARM-based computers. Big Sur has a more stylized design than its predecessor that focuses on ease of navigation. Expect changes to Safari, Messages and Maps, as well as an iPad-like control center and widgets. Big Sur also gives Safari a customizable homepage, more powerful tabs, new translation options, and a new privacy report. The public beta of Big Sur was released in August, which we hope will give Apple enough time to fix any issues before the official release today. If you want to join earlier, you can always join the public beta next time. Just know they can be fickle and messy up your existing applications. Before updating your operating system, it’s always a good idea to go back up your files first. once you defined up Time Machine, it will backup hourly for the last 24 hours, daily backup for the last month, and weekly backup for all previous months. Backups can also be stored on an external hard drive. A possible alternative is a dedicated backup service that stores your data remotely. Once everything is backed up, you can continue.

Mac model compatibility

The first thing to check is if your Mac model is Monterey compatible. The following Macs can run Monterey: This is a big change from macOS Big Sur, especially for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, which jumped two years – you can run Big Sur on 2013 versions of these Macs. If you’re not sure where your Mac came from, go to the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. You’ll see your model and year.

Security software and hardware drivers compatibility

In macOS Big Sur, Apple has made a big change behind the scenes: legacy kernel extensions (kexts) have been deprecated in favor of new “system extensions” that behave very differently, and this carries over to Monterey. If your security and privacy are important to you, you are probably using software such as an antivirus or firewall (including Intego software) or VPN software. It is always important to update them to the latest versions before upgrading to a new major version of macOS. Intego’s X9 apps are now fully compatible with macOS Monterey. Be sure to run NetUpdate to ensure you have the latest versions. It is also very important to verify that all hardware drivers you trust are compatible. For example, if you are using a RAID storage device and its driver is not up to date, you will not be able to access your files on that device. and if you have a graphics card whose drivers are not part of macOS, you need to make sure they are up to date to use your Mac properly. You can also check for Monterey-compatible drivers for your printer or other hardware that may rely on custom software for specialized functionality. While some common printers, scanners, and other hardware may work fine without custom software, you may not know for sure about your own peripherals until you try them out with Monterey.

Clean your Mac

It’s a good idea to update as much software as possible before upgrading to a new Mac operating system, as in many cases there are updates available that support the new operating system prior to release. Most apps these days offer auto-update features, or if you bought them from the Mac App Store, you can get updates through the App Store app. Updating is especially important for software such as the Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Creative Cloud applications, or other applications that you can rely on for your work. Another thing you can do is clean up some of the dirt that’s been on your Mac for a while. You can get started by choosing Apple menu > About This Mac and clicking Storage.

Check your unit

Apple’s Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities) is a tool designed to manage disks, but also to check for errors. Before upgrading, it’s a good idea to run Disk Utility’s First Aid tool on your boot volume as well as the disk(s) you will be using to backup up your Mac (see below). Launch Disk Utility, select the boot volume, and click First Aid on the toolbar. This will take a few minutes and during the process your disk will be locked so Disk Utility can make repairs if needed. When this is complete, it will let you know if everything is ok and if repairs have been made.

Final note

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