"software update" is not available in my system preferences, how do I update my mac?
"software update" is not available in my system preferences, how do I update my mac?
MacBook Air 13″, OS X 10.11
Software Update did not appear in System Preferences until macOS Mojave (10.14.6). Using Safari only, visit How to get old versions of macOS, and find the version of macOS that satisfies your Air with the hardware requirements. Once that is done, visit the relevant link to the Mac App Store and download it to your Mac.
If your MacBook Air is a mid-2012 model or later, you can upgrade only to macOS Catalina (10.15.7), which only supports 64-bit applications. You will need the free Go64 application to list your 32-bit applications. If your MacBook Air is a 2013 or newer model, you can upgrade to macOS Big Sur, also requiring 64-bit applications. Speaking from experience, resist upgrading to Big Sur if you only have a 4GB RAM Air.
Before you upgrade, verify that your printer and scanner drivers have been updated at the vendor site for the destination operating system. Verify that any 32-bit application has 64-bit versions available from the developer site. And do not forget about the critical Time Machine backup of the current operating system before the upgrade. Do not let the new operating system backup to that drive after the upgrade.
