Macs are renowned for their longevity. Even Macs that are several years old can be updated to the latest version of macOS and enjoy the new features and improvements. However, all good things must come to an end. And every Mac eventually reaches the point where it is no longer supported by Apple to install the latest version of macOS. If you’re wondering if your Mac is too old to update to the latest OS, we’ll tell you and show you how you can check for yourself in the future. We’ll also explain the risks involved with continuing to use a Mac that can’t be updated to the latest OS and how you can mitigate them.
Is my Mac too old to update to the latest OS?
At the time of writing, the latest version of macOS is Sequoia. We’ve listed below Macs that Apple supports to install it. It’s worth noting that even if your Mac is not covered by the list, it may still be able to install Sequoia, although Apple won’t help you if you run into problems and you may not be able to install future updates.
- iMac 2019 and later
- Mac Studio 2022
- Mac mini 2018 and later
- Mac Pro 2019 and later
- iMac Pro 2017 and later
- MacBook Air 2020 and later
- MacBook Pro 2018 and later
Why is it important to update to the latest OS?
If your Mac is covered by the list above, good news! You can install macOS Sequoia. But why should you? The answer can be summed up in one word — security. Apple regularly updates the current version of macOS, including addressing security vulnerabilities. It also patches older versions of the OS, but not as often. And research has shown that it doesn’t always patch every vulnerability in older versions. So, if you want to be absolutely sure your Mac is as safe as it can be, you should update to the latest version.
There are other reasons, too. Most developers have a cut-off point in terms of old versions of macOS the current versions of their apps will support. So, if you never upgrade your Mac, eventually, you won’t be able to run the latest versions of your favorite apps. This is particularly important for web browsers, which are regularly updated to implement security patches and combat the latest threats.
Keeping macOS and all your apps up to date can be time-consuming. If you set everything to update automatically, it’s easier, but you lose control of when everything is updated, and that could mean having to quit apps while you’re in the middle of working in them. The good news is that there is a way you can keep control of updates and still update everything quickly and easily if you need to. It’s the Applications tool in CleanMyMac. It scans your Mac, checking what applications you have installed and which version of macOS you’re running. It then looks for updates and, when it’s done, allows you to update the OS and your apps with a couple of clicks, or review its findings and decide for yourself what to update. You can download CleanMyMac for free here. Then, open the app, click Applications > Scan, and check the results.
Reasons not to upgrade to the latest OS
Despite the fact that it’s important from a security point of view, there are good reasons why some people choose not to upgrade to the latest version. Some choose not to do it because an application they rely on won’t run on the newer version of macOS. When Apple ditched iTunes, for example, in favor of separate apps, some people didn’t upgrade Macs that they used as music servers that were running iTunes. Another example is the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon. Macs with Apple silicon (M chips) don’t support Boot Camp, so Boot Camp Assistant is no longer a part of macOS. Some users keep an Intel-based Mac around just to use it to run Windows in Boot Camp, and so they need an older version of macOS.
What should I do if my Mac isn’t supported to run the latest macOS?
The fact that Apple doesn’t support your Mac to run the latest version of macOS doesn’t mean it can’t run it. It just means that you can’t use the normal upgrade methods and you won’t get any help from Apple if things go wrong. However, if, say, your Mac is only slightly older than those supported by the latest version of macOS, you could try using a workaround to upgrade. There are risks associated with that, of course. If things go wrong and the upgrade isn’t successful, it might be difficult (though not impossible) to revert to the version of the OS your Mac had been running.
You can mitigate that risk by backing up your Mac using Time Machine before you start the upgrade. That way, if things go wrong, you can erase your boot disk and restore from the Time Machine backup. It’s also likely that if you install the latest OS on an unsupported Mac, it will be slow and could be unstable. There’s no way to know how slow it will be or how often it will crash without trying it. With all that in mind, if you want to give it a go and install the latest version of macOS on an unsupported Mac, follow the steps below.
If you decide you don’t want to install the latest OS, you can just keep using the old version with the most recent versions of the apps you use that support that version of the OS. Bear in mind that it may be vulnerable to malware and will never receive updates to patch those vulnerabilities. For that reason, it’s a good idea not to connect it to the internet or allow it to connect. To do that, turn off Wi-Fi using the switch in Control Center or System Settings > Wi-Fi. You should also turn off Bluetooth to prevent nearby devices from connecting to it. If you need to use it on a local network, you can connect it by Ethernet to a router, as long as that router is not connected to the wider internet.
The method below requires you to erase your boot disk before installing macOS. However, most of the time, when you install a macOS update, you won’t do that. In those cases, it’s a good idea to get your Mac ready for the update by getting rid of clutter, optimizing performance, checking for duplicate files, and scanning for malware. The easiest way to do all of that in one go is to use the Smart Care tool in CleanMyMac. It takes only a couple of clicks and a few minutes to run, and your Mac will be ready to go with the new version of macOS.
How to install the latest macOS on an unsupported Mac
This method uses a third-party tool called OpenCore Legacy Patcher to bypass the checks the macOS installer usually makes on a Mac to make sure it’s supported to install that version. In addition to OpenCore Legacy Patcher, you will need a 16GB or bigger USB stick that you’re happy to erase and reformat and a Mac that is supported to run the latest version of macOS on which you can download the installer.
- If you haven’t already backed up the Mac on which you want to install the latest version of macOS, do it now.
- On the Mac that is supported to run the latest version of macOS, launch the App Store app and search for the OS, e.g., macOS Sequoia. Download it and, when the installer launches, quit it.
- Connect the USB stick to your Mac and launch Disk Utility.
- Choose erase, give it a name, and format it as MacOS Extended (Journaled).
- Download OpenCore Legacy Patcher here.
- With the USB stick connected to your Mac, launch OpenCore Legacy and choose Build OpenCore.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to build the OpenCore Legacy package for the Mac on which you want to install the latest version of macOS.
- When it’s finished, go to Install OpenCore and follow the instructions to create a bootable installer on the USB stick.
- When it’s finished, you will have a bootable installer on the USB stick that won’t check which Mac you’re trying to install it on.
- Unplug the USB stick and plug it into the Mac on which you want to install the OS, then restart the Mac while holding down the Option key.
- When asked, choose the USB stick as the boot volume.
- From macOS Utilities, choose Install macOS and follow the instructions.
Tips to keep an older Mac running longer
If you have an older Mac, whether or not it supports the latest version of macOS, there are several things you can do to keep it running longer.
- If it still uses a hard drive, you could replace that with a solid state drive (SSD). SSDs are much faster than hard drives and booting from an SSD is much quicker than booting from a hard drive. The same is true of launching applications or accessing large files. SSDs are also more reliable and less likely to fail than hard drives.
- If you can upgrade RAM, you should do that, too. Modern apps are much more demanding when it comes to RAM than older ones, and more RAM will make your Mac run more quickly. Here’s a guide on how to do it.
- It’s a good idea to monitor battery life on an older Mac. Go to System Settings/Preferences > Battery and check on the health of your Mac’s battery. If it’s in poor health, consider replacing it if you can. Or at least, set Low Power Mode to be always on to reduce the number of times you need to charge it in future.
- You should also run regular maintenance and optimization tasks to keep your Mac running longer. Maintenance tasks include reindexing Spotlight, flushing DNS cache, repairing disk permissions, thinning out Time Machine snapshots, and speeding up Mail. The easiest way to do all of that in one go is to use the Smart Care module in CleanMyMac. As well as those maintenance tasks, it will also help you get rid of clutter, optimize performance, and scan for malware. It takes only a couple of clicks and a few minutes to run, and your Mac will be ready to go with the new version of macOS.
You should always keep your Mac up to date with macOS updates. But what if your Mac is too old to update to the latest OS. What do you do then? You could try to install it anyway using the instructions above. Or keep it running an older version. If you do that, it’s a good idea to prevent it from connecting to the internet for security reasons and follow some of the tips mentioned above to keep your Mac running longer.
