Want to upgrade your Mac’s software, but aren’t sure about what operating system it will work with? Read on for how to check your Mac’s software compatibility.
Whether you have been putting off upgrading your Mac’s software or maybe just got a used Mac, it’s easy to figure out what the latest version of macOS your Mac can run.
How to check your Mac’s software compatibility
- Head to Apple’s support page for the macOS Mojave compatibility details
- If your machine can’t run Mojave, check compatibility for High Sierra
- If it’s too old to run High Sierra, try Sierra
- If no luck there, give El Capitan a try for Macs a decade old or more
If you are asking in terms of supported hardware and performance, that will depend on what Mac system you are running and how demanding the games are. If you find a game you are interested in, at the bottom of it's Steam Store page you will see System Requirements listed for all supported operating systems.
For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:
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If you try to start up your Mac from a hard disk, network volume, or Time Machine backup that contains an incompatible version or build of macOS, you might experience one or more of these symptoms:
- Your Mac doesn't finish starting up, or displays a prohibitory symbol at startup.
- You see a message that you're using an unsupported or incorrect version of the Mac operating system.
- Your Mac doesn't respond to your trackpad, mouse, or keyboard.
- Apps unexpectedly quit.
- Your Mac doesn't sleep or wake.
- You don't hear any sound from your Mac.
- The fans in your Mac are louder, because they're spinning faster.
- The image on your display appears to shrink, has black bars around it, or appears tinted.
- You can't use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Which Mac operating systems are compatible?
The version of macOS that came with your Mac is the earliest version compatible with that Mac. To find out whether your Mac is compatible with a later version of macOS, check the system requirements:
If your Mac won't start up from a compatible version of macOS, it might require a specific build of that version. To get the correct build, reinstall macOS or upgrade to a later version of macOS.
Learn more
- To restore a Time Machine backup that was created on a different Mac, use Migration Assistant.