Free architect

1. Upgrade From Yosemite Os
2. Upgrade From Yosemite To Catalina

Since Sierra is out, I can update but it takes to much memory and I want El captain instead which takes less. I tried to go to apple's download page and download el captain but in order to download I have to have at least 10.11.0, but apple only has from 10.11.2 and later on. You can upgrade to Yosemite from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Yosemite can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for FREE. To upgrade to Yosemite you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download.

Software Upgrade. To replace (a software program) with a more recently released, enhanced version. For example, you may be running version 10.11 of Mac OS, version 10.12 is an upgrade, and version 10.11.x is an update. Another good example of a software upgrade is upgrading your version of Windows. For example, if you had Microsoft Windows 8.1. To upgrade Mac OS Yosemite to El Capitan, the latest updates from Apple.Inc, open the “ App Store ” from the apple icon Apple software update. Click on the update tab then tap on “ Free Upgrade “. You will be asked to enter your apple ID. Type your apple ID plus password.

The latest version of the macOS operating system, macOS High Sierra, was released on Monday, September 25, 2017.

In this article, we will explain how to upgrade mac to macOS High Sierra.

Why Should We Upgrade to macOS High Sierra?

Apple released the latest macOS, High Sierra, and added some new features including a new and improved Apple File System (AFPS), a faster browser, stellar graphics, better gaming capabilities and VR support. MacOS 10.13 is absolutely worthwhile to upgrade your Mac.

macOS High Sierra System Compatibility

You can download and install macOS High Sierra OS for free in 2009 or later. Basically, if your Mac is currently running macOS Sierra system (macOS 10.12), you can smoothly upgrade to macOS High Sierra.

The following is the device compatibility information released by Apple:

Some features, such as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoding and decoding require newer processors and devices, some of which unfortunately cannot run on older devices.

If you are running OS X Lion (10.7.5) or later, you can upgrade directly to macOS High Sierra.

How to Upgrade macOS

There are two ways to upgrade macOS: directly in Mac App Store, or upgrade using an USB device.

No matter which way you choose, always remember to back up your data before performing an upgrade.

Time Machine Backup

Apple has its own official backup tool: Time Machine. This feature was released in OS X 10.5 Leopard. If you have never backed up, let me tell you how important it is.

Time Machine can connect to your Mac and any external hard drive via USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt port. Back up everything on your Mac directly to your hard drive, in case the Mac cannot upgrade properly.

It also supports Apple’s Time Capsule and backup disks connected over a network as long as the disks support AFPS. As long as the disk is available to your Mac, you can use it for Time Machine backups.

When enabled, Apple’s Time Machine will periodically transfer all files and store data on an inserted external hard drive or on a Time Capsule connected to the network.

You can choose hourly, daily or weekly backup to store your data on the external hard drive. When the external device is full, Time Machine will delete the oldest backup and replace it with the newer version.

Let’s check how to enable Time Machine backup on Mac devices.

1. Choose “System Preferences…” from the Mac menu.

2. Double-click the Time Machine icon.

3. Click “Select Backup Disk…” to select the disk you want to use as a Time Machine backup.

4. Select the “Back Up Automatically” check box so that your Mac will automatically back up data to your chosen disk.

If you want to restore files from Time Machine, make sure your Mac is running. Click “Enter Time Machine”, find the previous file or folder, and then click “Restore.”

Besides Time Machine, you can try other great backup and restore software such as Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) and SuperDuper.

1. Direct Upgrade in Mac App Store

Generally, you can upgrade your system directly in the Mac App Store by clicking “Check for Updates” or click the following link to download macOS High Sierra:

If you use a Beta version, you still need to click the link above to download the system, or go to the developer’s website for download information.

If you want to choose “USB clean upgrade”, check the detailed information below.

2. Upgrade using USB device

i. USB Preparation

Before formatting your current operating system, download macOS High Sierra from the Mac App Store first. You will need a copy of macOS High Sierra to perform a clean installation later. If you want to upgrade to this version, it is possible as long as your current operating system version is lower than macOS High Sierra.

Natively, look for “Disk Utility” in your application, select an external USB device with a capacity of 8 GB or larger, format it directly, and remember to choose the format “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”. If it is a hard disk, it would be better to make a partition beforehand.

If you have already downloaded the macOS High Sierra package, do not click on the installation. Directly open the “terminal” program, which you can find in the application.

When typing the following text in the terminal, check the name of the formatted external USB device. If you do not name it “Untitled”, you need to change the command syntax of the path name: Volumes/Untitled. The names of external USB devices cannot contain spaces and are case sensitive.

sudo /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/Untitled –applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app –nointeraction

Press “Enter” on your keyboard to execute the command. You will then be prompted to enter the administrator password. It will start the process after the operation, which can take a long time, depending on the transfer speed of the external USB device. When done, the terminal window will report “Done.”

ii. USB Upgrade Installation

a. Click the Apple icon .

b. Choose “Restart…” from the drop-down menu.

c. Press and hold “Command+R” when you hear a startup ring (or when the screen on your newer Mac device turns black), and hold down the keys until your computer restarts.

d. Open “Disk Utility”, choose your startup disk, and then click “Erase”.

e. Select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” from the list of volume formats and start formatting.

f. When it returns to the former page, insert your USB and click “Continue”.

g. When the installation window appears, click “Continue” again.

h. Agree to the software terms and conditions. Choose your hard drive.

i. Click “Install” and wait until the upgrade is done.

How to Keep Your Mac Always Clean

If you have done a complete installation of macOS, you must be enjoying the completely new macOS now. I believe you also want to keep your Mac clean. Let’s say someday your Mac has a lot of junk files and duplicate photos. There are also probably many apps you have never used and don’t need them anymore. I must tell you there is a savior for your Mac! Its name is Cleaner One Pro. It’s really great to have such a system optimizing tool. With its “Junk Files” feature, it not only cleans temporary files including logs, mail caches, iTunes and iOS temporary files, and empties trash for the current user, but also detects remaining files after deleting apps.

It also has a function called “Duplicate Files”, which can find duplicate files on your Mac through fast and accurate scanning techniques covering your entire home folder. Duplicates are selected not only by the file name but also by their contents. Files are shown in detailed previews. It can further help you decide which copy to delete by presenting the “Auto Select” button.

Duplicates can be sorted by file type and listed in their full route for you to track. You can decide which way to clean these files; either by sending them to trash or deleting them permanently.

You probably also need an intelligent app uninstaller. Don’t worry, Cleaner One Pro has this function. It can auto-clean leftovers of deleted apps and manage all the applications installed on your Mac easily. When you remove an app you don’t need anymore, it can get rid of all the associated files of the uninstalled app as well. It will also notify you of new updates to installed apps.

The classic OS X 10.12, or rather macOS upgrade, introduced tons of features anyone would still want on their Mac. Why? Because, it's well-tested and secure. Now we'll take a quick look at the legendary macOS Sierra upgrade. (In case you want to upgrade your Mac to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, check out this guide.)

Interestingly, it first brought Siri to your Mac. This is great news for everyone who’s already used to her help on iOS. Then, there’s Watch unlocking for Mac, there’s one-click Apple Pay, tabs in apps, and cross-device copypasting. Just to name a few.

So, if you were on the fence about upgrading to Sierra, and in fact, any newer OS, go right ahead. Your Mac deserves a refreshment.

How to upgrade macOS: Sierra 10.12 compatibility list

As with the previous versions, macOS Sierra is available for a limited list of Mac models.
Here are the models of Macs that are compatible with macOS 10.12 and can upgrade to Sierra:

Does order matter when you upgrade macOS?

If your current operating system is OS X Lion (10.7), you can skip a few versions, and upgrade directly to macOS High Sierra. To upgrade to Sierra from, say, Mavericks, you’ll have to consequently upgrade to Yosemite and then to El Capitan first.

Check Your macOS for Sierra Compatibility

These OS versions can upgrade to Sierra:

• OS X Mountain Lion v10.8
• OS X Mavericks v10.9
• OS X Yosemite v10.10
• OS X El Capitan v10.11

Here’s how to find out which OS version you’re running now:

1. Click Apple icon in the top left corner.
2. Choose About this Mac.
3. There you have it, in capital letters.

Memory (RAM): 2 GB (preferably 4 GB)
Sierra is pretty lightweight, so you only need 2 GB of RAM to upgrade. Cool, eh?

Upgrade From Yosemite Os

Disk space: 8 GB of free space on drive.
In the same About this Mac menu select 'Storage' tab. In front of the multi-colored bar, you will see the phrase, 'X.XX GB free out of XX.XX GB.' If you don't have at least 8 GB of free space, you should delete some old files.

Before you update macOS, don’t forget to:

Clean up your Mac

This is essential if you want a fast and effortless update, and glitchless work of your new macOS. And it’s also pretty easy. To give your Mac a cleanup, you need to get rid of system junk, uninstall extra apps, and clean some old caches. If that sounds like a lot of work, you can get a Mac cleaner like CleanMyMac for the job.

How to update your Mac: Clean it up first

1. Launch it.
2. Hit Scan to find all the extra files you can delete.
3. Press Run.

As you can see, I have 8.56 GB worth of caches, obsolete language files, broken downloads. You'll feel great getting rid of them.
That will give your Mac a basic system cleanup, but CleanMyMac is going to come in handy after the update as well. It monitors your Mac’s health, helps you speed up the system and remove unnecessary apps (Trashing doesn’t fully uninstall apps, by the way).

Back up your Mac

This is basic common sense before any Mac software update you’d like to undertake. Why? Well, because sometimes updates happen less smoothly than you’d like them to. To make sure you have all your information and files saved up neatly, you need a backup. To back up your Mac, you need to activate Time Machine.

• Open your Applications folder.
• Choose Time Machine.
• 'Select Backup Disk…'
  Note: You may need to first choose to 'Set Up Time Machine.'
• Choose where you'd like to store your backup.
• Both an external drive or an Airport Time Capsule fit.

• Switch the toggle on the left, from 'OFF' to 'ON.' Right beneath the name of your storage device, you'll see 'Oldest backup,' 'Latest backup,' and 'Next backup' — Your backup will begin within 5 minutes. To speed it up, click the arrow clock icon next to the Date & Time at the top-right of the menu bar and select 'Back Up Now.'

How to download macOS Sierra (or newer macOS) and install it

macOS Sierra is increasingly becoming a relic. Since 2020, the newest available macOS version is Big Sur. But it all comes down to hardware. Your Mac can only upgrade to the latest version its hardware can support. If your Mac is from around 2012 it can update as high up as to macOS Catalina. If your Mac is from 2010 or older, its limit is macOS High Sierra.

To download any new macOS and install it you’ll need to do the next:
1. Open System Preferences... in the  Apple menu.
2. Click on Software Updates.
On top of the list you'll see the latest macOS version your Mac can download. In our case, it's macOS Big Sur.

Upgrade From Yosemite To Catalina

Another way to do it is via the Mac App Store.

1. Open App Store.
2. Click the Updates tab.
3. You’ll see macOS updates available for your Mac.
4. Click Update.

Wait for macOS download and installation. Your Mac will restart when it’s done.

Now you have a new OS.
For historic interest, this is how macOS Sierra looked back then when it was still available in the Mac App Store. Now, it can't be found there anymore.

Download macOS installers directly from Apple

For users of past operating systems Apple created a handy a list of macOS installers. They go as far back as to macOS Yosemite. The first 3 of them will open and start the update process automatically.

• macOS High Sierra 10.13
  The 3 following installers will download macOS as a disk image (.dmg) After you unpack it, the macOS updater app will appear in your Applications.

We hope this guide has been of use, and don’t forget to clean up your Mac and back it up before you get the classic macOS! Cheers.

These might also interest you: