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I'm trying to update my old Mac book with the suggestions above and there is nothing that shows software updates for me to download. What can I do to update my Mac book?

I'm trying to update my old Mac book with the suggestions on the apple support site and there is nothing that shows software updates for me to download. What can I do to update my Mac book?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Sep 20, 2021 7:40 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 21, 2021 2:10 AM

Probably you won't find 'a listed' Update. However there are full versions of Upgrades

online to download from Apple servers, on this page about How to get old versions..


[From Mojave 10.14.6 and up, the software updates is different. By the time Catalina

and Big Sur came into being the 'Software Update' feature allows upgrades too.]


And old is relative; presently that list tops out with Catalina 10.15.7. Not sure how it

may look a year after macOS12.x Monterey has been out. An even newer name may

follow those older names. The point is, to know what you can upgrade your Mac to

can be determined by info inside your Mac. And related info on this downloads page:


• How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683


Information and downloadable installers are on this page for each supported macOS.


And links nearby show newer options. ~ Before trying to install anything newer, you'd

need to know which newer system your older Mac could run. Over time, those differed.


Of the things you may try & do, is find out what build year + model is yours. Details

MacBook/ MacBook Pro/ MacBook Air/ or Early MacBook 13-inch 2006 - 2010 model.


To find out this, from your Mac's Finder desktop screen under Apple menu, click first

on "About this Mac". There's several items which appear there. In much older Macs

even that window when opened, looks different. To navigate and see more, varies.


Older ones did not have 'System Information' & other deeper screens there. An Easy

'click into a subsection' inside the first window, exposed more in there. But no more!


You can identify your Mac by half a dozen of identifiers; including the serial number.

All except the SN can be posted into an ASC discussion. Avoid posting serial number.


Depending on your Mac's production year, whatever supported or correct vintage mac

OS and subsequent applications, can be determined. Things change; kind of evolution.


Each build model year and systems include differences and improvements; those aren't

backward-compatible outside short time frame: no older than its production year made.

So those detail are important to match what there now is, with what your Mac may use.


2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 21, 2021 2:10 AM in response to Nilly_

Probably you won't find 'a listed' Update. However there are full versions of Upgrades

online to download from Apple servers, on this page about How to get old versions..


[From Mojave 10.14.6 and up, the software updates is different. By the time Catalina

and Big Sur came into being the 'Software Update' feature allows upgrades too.]


And old is relative; presently that list tops out with Catalina 10.15.7. Not sure how it

may look a year after macOS12.x Monterey has been out. An even newer name may

follow those older names. The point is, to know what you can upgrade your Mac to

can be determined by info inside your Mac. And related info on this downloads page:


• How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683


Information and downloadable installers are on this page for each supported macOS.


And links nearby show newer options. ~ Before trying to install anything newer, you'd

need to know which newer system your older Mac could run. Over time, those differed.


Of the things you may try & do, is find out what build year + model is yours. Details

MacBook/ MacBook Pro/ MacBook Air/ or Early MacBook 13-inch 2006 - 2010 model.


To find out this, from your Mac's Finder desktop screen under Apple menu, click first

on "About this Mac". There's several items which appear there. In much older Macs

even that window when opened, looks different. To navigate and see more, varies.


Older ones did not have 'System Information' & other deeper screens there. An Easy

'click into a subsection' inside the first window, exposed more in there. But no more!


You can identify your Mac by half a dozen of identifiers; including the serial number.

All except the SN can be posted into an ASC discussion. Avoid posting serial number.


Depending on your Mac's production year, whatever supported or correct vintage mac

OS and subsequent applications, can be determined. Things change; kind of evolution.


Each build model year and systems include differences and improvements; those aren't

backward-compatible outside short time frame: no older than its production year made.

So those detail are important to match what there now is, with what your Mac may use.


Sep 21, 2021 12:49 PM in response to Nilly_

macOS High Sierra - Technical Specifications


General Requirements

  • OS X 10.8 or later
  • 2GB of memory
  • 14.3GB of available storage to perform upgrade*
  • Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
  • Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, choose About This Mac. These Mac models are 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)
  • Don't use FireFox for these links…

https://support.apple.com/kb/sp765?locale=en_US

https://itunes.apple.com/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12



macOS Mojave 10.14.6 - Technical Specifications


General Requirements

OS X 10.8 or later

2GB of memory

12.5GB of available storage (OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)*

Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Mojave:

MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)

MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)

Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac Pro (2017)

Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards)


Don't use FireFox for these links…

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-mojave/id1398502828?mt=12


MacOS Catalina 10.15.7 - Technical Specifications


General Requirements

OS X 10.9 or later

4GB of memory

12.5GB of available storage (OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)*

Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Catalina:

MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)

MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)

Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac (Late 2012 or newer)

iMac Pro (2017)

Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer)

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210190

Don't use FireFox for these links…

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/macos-catalina/id1466841314?ls=1&mt=12


How to upgrade to macOS Catalina – Apple Support


And caution on 10.15 or higher, to see which Apps will no longer work in 10.15 get Go64...


https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/


macOS Big Sur - Technical Specifications


General Requirements

OS X 10.9 or later

4GB of memory

35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later*

Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Some features require a compatible internet service provider; fees may apply.

Mac Hardware Requirements

For details about your Mac model, click the Apple icon at the top left of your screen and choose About This Mac. These Mac models are compatible with macOS Big Sur:

MacBook (2015 or later)

MacBook Air (2013 or later)

MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)

Mac mini (2014 or later)

iMac (2014 or later)

iMac Pro (2017 or later)

Mac Pro (2013 or later)

Learn about compatibility and how to identify your specific Mac model

Don't use FireFox or WaterFox for this link. it'll mess it up...

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-big-sur/id1526878132?ls=1&mt=12


And caution on 10.15 or higher, to see which Apps will no longer work in 10.15 get Go64...


https://www.stclairsoft.com/Go64/

I'm trying to update my old Mac book with the suggestions above and there is nothing that shows software updates for me to download. What can I do to update my Mac book?

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