The operating system for Mac was officially released at the September keynote in 2017, and the hype is real. With a lot of tweaks and refinements, the new macOS High Sierra promises a user experience deemed for the future of technology, bringing Apple one step closer to VR, AR, and gaming capabilities.
But before you get to test the new features and fine-tunings, you’ll need to get your hands on High Sierra. While this step is easy since the new update is available for all users, you still need to have a compatible Mac. This brings us to the subject of this article: how to find out if your Mac can run macOS High Sierra and what are the system requirements for macOS 10.13. Eager to find out? Let’s go!
macOS 10.13 High Sierra compatibility
Now, if you’ve been running macOS 10.12 so far, we’ve got great news for you! Your Mac should also run macOS 10.13 High Sierra without any issues. Not sure which version of macOS you have? Find out by opening the Apple menu and clicking on About this Mac.
If you discover you are running an older version of macOS, don’t despair, as there is still hope.
Here’s a complete list of the Mac desktop and notebook computers that support macOS High Sierra:
Late 2009 or newer models:
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| MacBook | MacBook Retina | iMac |
2010 or newer models:
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| MacBook Pro | MacBook Air | Mac Mini | Mac Pro® |
In short, any Mac from 2009 or newer has the configuration to support macOS 10.13 High Sierra. This comes to support Apple’s credo that any device made more than 7 years ago is too old and obsolete to support the newer capabilities in software development. However, devices between 5 and 7 years old are held in a sort of esteem by Apple, who names them “vintage,” thus they still offer support (at least some kind) for them.
System requirements for macOS High Sierra
It’s interesting that the macOS High Sierra requirements and technical specifications are the same as for macOS Sierra. That’s great news for those who own older Mac models. They will also have access to all the amazing innovations a new macOS offers. But note that the new Macs with more powerful processors will make more out of macOS High Sierra. The more powerful the hardware, the better its performance will be. So, keep your expectations realistic.
How much space do you need for macOS High Sierra
You are probably also interested in macOS High Sierra space requirements. To run High Sierra, you’ll need 8 GB of available disk space. But you would be surprised to know that once you’ve upgraded to macOS High Sierra, you’ll have a lot of free space thanks to the new Apple File System and HEVC — a new encoding standard for video. As a result, your files, photos, mail, apps, and videos will occupy less space on your Mac.
Note that there is one more thing that can help you manage the space on your Mac and perfectly prepare it for the upgrade — a cleaning app like CleanMyMac X. With its help, you’ll remove all the junk your Mac contains — system junk, app leftovers, large hidden files, etc. — in just two clicks. An average user finds about 74 GB of potential junk to clear out. Just imagine how much free space you’ll have for the good things! Try it out. The tool is free to download.
How to understand what apps aren’t compatible with macOS High Sierra
In the move to further merge macOS with iOS, 32-bit computing apps will soon no longer be supported, as all apps for iOS are 64-bit. Sadly, some of them may be your old favorites. To check if any of your apps are 32-bit, try this:
- Launch Spotlight by pressing Command + Space bar.
- Start to type in System Information and click Enter when it appears.
- Find the Software section in the System Information.
- Click Applications and wait until they load.
- The right column in the Applications table will show if the app is 64-bit.
As simple as that!
The truth is that the earlier versions of some applications might not be supported by macOS 10.13. But it’s difficult to say exactly what apps aren’t compatible with macOS High Sierra right now because developers update them on a daily basis. The best option is to visit the app’s official site and check this information.
So, if you want to use your favorite apps, make sure to update them to the latest version. Otherwise, they won’t run on macOS High Sierra.
We hope our article was useful and you found all information about mac High Sierra compatibility and requirements you wanted to know. Now, you have access to all the latest improvements of a new version of macOS. To make it shine on your machine, prepare your Mac for the upgrade. Stay tuned!
