Mac: Keeping your MacOS up to date
Blog updated with MacOS Tahoe
A lot of Mac users will buy a Mac and then they will never update the MacOS to the latest version. This is mainly because they don’t know that this can be done or they have forgotten all about this.
It is not uncommon for our clients to be 4-5 versions behind the latest MacOS release that is available.
What is the MacOS and why is it important to update this?
The MacOS is the Operating System of the machine, it is the graphical display, the security and the brains behind what runs the Mac. The current latest release of the MacOS is MacOS Tahoe which was released in September 2025.
This is important to keep up to date because it allows new features to become available and contains the latest Mac security available for your model, it will also give your Mac a fresh new interface and look in most cases.
How do I check what version of MacOS I have?
To check what MacOS version you are currently on, click on the apple icon in the top left hand corner and then click on ‘About This Mac’. This may look slightly different depending on what version you are currently running.
In this example the Mac is running MacOS 26 Tahoe.
It’s also important to keep up to date with the different releases within a major OS release. For example, version 26.1 below is the 3rd minor release of MacOS Tahoe since its original release date in September 2025.
How do I check for updates?
To check for updates, click on System Settings -> General -> Software Update
* In older systems you just need to click System Settings -> Software Update and it will also look slightly different
Click Update Now and update your OS or you can also choose to update the OS overnight.
Please note that upgrading the MacOS is a major update and it is recommended to perform a Time Machine backup before doing this (you can also get in touch with us and we can assist you with this process)
If you don’t see any updates, the OS may already be up to date or you may need to click the ‘i’ icon next to Automatic Updates and turn on – Check for updates or Download new updates when available.
Update Settings
I would recommend to have these automatic options checked. I prefer to have ‘Install macOS updates’ turned off, so that I can manually perform a backup, read the changes and check software compatibility first before installing a major/minor update.
Other Considerations?
As your Mac gets older, Apple drops support for the newer Operating Systems on these models.
For example with MacOS Tahoe it will support as far back as a MacBook Pro 2019 or a Macbook Air 2020 or iMac 2020. If your Mac is older than this then you will only be able to install the latest MacOS available for your model. This will still work, but you will not have the latest updates and features available.
The lifecycle for a Mac is around 5-6 years before you are unable to upgrade to the latest MacOS releases.
Also some people do hold off updating to the newly released MacOS versions until a lot of the major bugs are ironed out in the minor release versions, also some just update straight away (including me). This is a personal choice and may also depend on the software/apps you rely on and if they are compatible with the new OS version.
There are a number of considerations before updating your Mac, so please get in touch if you would like assistance with this process.
You can find your Mac release year here:
* Noting that the release year is not always the same as the year of purchase.
MacOS Release Guide
~ MacOS 26 Tahoe, 2025 (Can run on a Macbook Pro 2019 and later)
~ MacOS 15 Sequoia, 2024 (Can run on a Macbook Pro 2018 and later)
~ MacOS 14 Sonoma, 2023 (Can run on a Macbook Pro 2018 and later)
~ MacOS 13 Ventura, 2022 (Can run on a Macbook Pro 2017 and later)
~ MacOS 12 Monterey, 2021 (Can run on a Macbook Pro Early 2015 and later)
~ MacOS 11 Big Sur, 2020 (Can run on a Macbook Pro Late 2013 and later)
~ MacOS 10.15 Catalina, 2019 (Can run on a Macbook Pro Mid 2012 and later)
~ MacOS 10.14 Mojave, 2018 *last OS to run 32-bit apps
~ MacOS 10.13 High Sierra, 2017
~ MacOS 10.12 Sierra, 2016
~ Clete Diamond IT
