How to upgrade your Mac to osMac Sierra on 9/20/16

JEK

Senior Insider
http://www.apple.com/macos/how-to-upgrade/



New features


macOS Available 9.20







Upgrade to macOS Sierra.

There are so many reasons to upgrade to macOS Sierra now. You get access to new features that make your Mac even more useful and fun. Upgrading ensures that you have the latest security features and performance enhancements. Here are two more: It’s free, and it’s easy.


Chances are, your Mac can run macOS Sierra.

Mac computers introduced in late 2009 or later can be upgraded to macOS Sierra.
Check your Mac hardware



Make sure you’re ready to upgrade.

Before you upgrade, we recommend that you back up your Mac. You should also have your Apple ID and password handy. Then, if your Mac is running OS X Lion 10.7.5 or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS Sierra.




Upgrading is free. And easier than you think.

Visit the macOS Sierra page on the Mac App Store on or after September 20, 2016. Click the download button 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.



General Requirements



  • OS X 10.7.5 or later
  • 2GB of memory
  • 8.8GB of available storage


  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
  • Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Have an older version of OS X? Learn how to upgrade

Upgrading from previous versions of OS X

Upgrading from OS X Snow Leopard

If you’re running Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and your Mac supports macOS Sierra, you will need to upgrade to El Capitan first. Click here for instructions.
Upgrading from OS X Leopard

If you’re running Leopard and would like to upgrade to macOS Sierra, first you’ll need to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard. You can purchase OS X Snow Leopard from the Apple Online Store.



Mac Hardware Requirements


For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac, then choose More Info. These Mac models are 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)



Feature Requirements


Handoff, Instant Hotspot, and Universal Clipboard

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
  • Mac mini (2012 or newer)
  • iMac (2012 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Handoff requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a Lightning connector and iOS 8 or later.
Instant Hotspot requires an iPhone or iPad with cellular connectivity with a Lightning connector and iOS 8.1 or later. Requires Personal Hotspot service through your carrier.
Auto Unlock

Supported by Mac models introduced in mid 2013 or later.
Requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 3 and an iPhone 5 or later.
Siri

Requires a broadband Internet connection and microphone (built-in or external).
Apple Pay on the Web

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
  • Mac mini (2012 or newer)
  • iMac (2012 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Requires an iPhone 6 or later with iOS 10 or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3.
Phone Calling

Phone calling requires an iPhone with iOS 8 or later and an activated carrier plan.
SMS

SMS requires an iPhone with iOS 8.1 or later and an activated carrier plan.
AirDrop

AirDrop between Mac computers and iOS devices is supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
  • Mac mini (2012 or newer)
  • iMac (2012 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)
AirDrop to iOS devices requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a Lightning connector and iOS 7 or later.
AirDrop between two Mac computers is supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Late 2008 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • iMac (Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2009 with AirPort Extreme card, or Mid 2010 or newer)
Time Machine

Requires an additional hard drive or AirPort Time Capsule (sold separately).
Metal

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer))
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Later 2013 or newer)
Photo Booth

Requires a FaceTime or iSight camera (built in or external), USB video class (UVC) camera, or FireWire DV camcorder.
FaceTime

Video calls require a built-in FaceTime camera, an iSight camera (built in or external), a USB video class (UVC) camera, or a FireWire DV camcorder; and broadband Internet connection.Learn more

Boot Camp

Supports existing Boot Camp installations with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10. New Boot Camp installations require Windows 8 or Windows 10 (sold separately).
Exchange Support

Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Update Rollup 4, Exchange Server 2010, or Exchange 2013. Auto-setup requires enabling the Autodiscovery feature of Microsoft Exchange Server.
Spotlight Suggestions

Requires a broadband Internet connection.
AirPlay

AirPlay Mirroring requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later). Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Early 2011 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2011 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2011 or newer)
  • iMac (Mid 2011 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)
AirPlay for web video requires an Apple TV (2nd generation or later).
Peer-to-peer AirPlay requires a Mac (2012 or later) with OS X Yosemite or later and an Apple TV (3rd generation rev A, model A1469 or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later.
Power Nap

Supported by the following Mac models:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro with Retina display (Mid 2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2012 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)
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.
Dictation

Dictation requires a microphone (built in or external).
Mac App Store

Available only to persons age 13 or older in the U.S. and many other countries.



What’s Included


Applications



  • Automator
  • Calculator
  • Calendar
  • Chess
  • Contacts
  • Dashboard
  • Dictionary
  • DVD Player
  • FaceTime
  • Font Book
  • iBooks
  • Image Capture
  • iTunes
  • Launchpad
  • Mac App Store
  • Mail


  • Maps
  • Messages
  • Mission Control
  • Notes
  • Photo Booth
  • Photos
  • Preview
  • QuickTime Player
  • Reminders
  • Safari
  • Siri
  • Stickies
  • System Preferences
  • TextEdit
  • Time Machine



Utilities



  • Activity Monitor
  • AirPort Utility
  • AppleScript Editor
  • Audio MIDI Setup
  • Bluetooth File Exchange
  • Boot Camp Assistant
  • ColorSync Utility
  • Console
  • Digital Color Meter


  • Disk Utility
  • Grab
  • Grapher
  • Keychain Access
  • Migration Assistant
  • System Information
  • Terminal
  • VoiceOver Utility



Languages



  • Arabic
  • Catalan
  • Croatian
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Traditional Chinese
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English
  • Finnish
  • French
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hungarian
  • Indonesian
  • Italian


  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Malay
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Portuguese
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Slovak
  • Spanish
  • Spanish (Mexico)
  • Swedish
  • Thai
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese






  • Some features may not be available for all countries or all areas. Click here to see complete list.
  • iCloud requires iOS 5 or later on iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro, iPad Air or later, iPad or later, or iPad mini or later; a Mac computer with OS X Lion 10.7.5 or later; or a PC with Windows 7 or Windows 8 (Outlook 2007 or later or an up-to-date browser is required for accessing email, contacts, and calendars). Some features require iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. Some features require a Wi-Fi connection. Some features are not available in all countries. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices.
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