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iMac OS version compatibility

I have a iMac 21.5inch Late 2013, with a 2.7GHz i5 quad-core and 8GHz RAM, why is this version not compatible with Big Sur? Is it system capability or company policy?

Posted on Apr 12, 2021 7:15 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 12, 2021 7:16 PM

Hi 1Sanchez1,


Correct. Your iMac is not compatible with macOS Big Sur. Your Mac does not have the necessary hardware to run Big Sur properly.


You can run up to macOS Catalina: How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support.


Cheers,


Jack

2 replies

Apr 12, 2021 10:06 PM in response to 1Sanchez1

Apple did not tell us what makes 2013 only upgradeable to Catalina. When they announced Big Sure they indicated it will only be available on 2014 and later iMacs. Therefore if you want or need Big Sur, the simplicity is you need a newer iMac another Mac such as a newer Mac mini.


It's that simple.


We know you wanted specifics, however they have not been released by Apple and per the Terms of Use we all agreed to we cannot speculate on Apple policy or decisions. It simply is what it is.

iMac OS version compatibility

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