Apple began transitioning to 64-bit hardware and software technology for Mac over a decade ago, and all modern Macs now include powerful 64-bit processors that can run advanced 64-bit apps. These apps can access dramatically more memory, enable faster system performance, and take advantage of technologies that define today's Mac experience.
Download macOS Big Sur If you’re using macOS Mojave or later, choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click Software Update. If you’re using an earlier macOS, use the App Store instead. Testing conducted by Apple in October 2020 on production 1.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5–based 13-inch MacBook Pro systems with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and prerelease macOS Big Sur. Systems tested with a WPA2 Wi-Fi network connection while running on battery power, with display brightness set to 12 clicks from the bottom or 75 per cent. MacOS High Sierra (version 10.13) is the fourteenth major release of macOS, Apple Inc.' S desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. MacOS High Sierra was announced at the WWDC 2017 on June 5, 2017 and was released on September 25, 2017. Testing conducted by Apple in October 2020 on production 1.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5–based 13-inch MacBook Pro systems with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and pre-release macOS Big Sur. Systems tested with WPA2 Wi‑Fi network connection while running on battery power, with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%. Apple previewed macOS 10.13 High Sierra at WWDC 2017, before releasing it later that year. When running on solid state drives, it uses APFS, rather than HFS+. Its successor, macOS 10.14 Mojave, was released in 2018, adding a dark user interface option and a dynamic wallpaper setting.
Apple has been working with developers to transition their apps, and in 2018 Apple informed them that macOS Mojave would be the last version of macOS to run 32-bit apps. Starting with macOS Catalina, 32-bit apps are no longer compatible with macOS.
If you get an alert about a 32-bit app
You will see one of these alerts when attempting to open a 32-bit app:
[app name] needs to be updated.
The developer of this app needs to update it to work with this version of macOS. Contact the developer for more information.
[app name] is not optimized for your Mac and needs to be updated.
This app will not work with future versions of macOS and needs to be updated to improve compatibility. Contact the developer for more information.
When installing macOS, you may see a list of recently used apps that are 32-bit. You can review this list before deciding to continue installation. You may also see a prohibitory symbol over the icon of each 32-bit app in the Finder, letting you know that the app will not open.
For all 32-bit apps, please contact the developer of the app to learn whether an updated version of their software is available or planned.
macOS Big Sur takes the most advanced operating system in the world to a whole new level of power and beauty, and makes your apps look better than ever. Widgets and the widget gallery help you deliver more value to your users. Adding intelligence to your apps with machine learning is simple with extensive tools, models, training capabilities, and APIs. You can create more powerful Mac versions of your iPad apps with Mac Catalyst. And you can easily bring your extensions to Safari — and to the App Store.
All-new Interface
macOS Big Sur brings a new design that’s been finely tuned for the powerful features that make a Mac a Mac. Core features, such as the menu bar and Dock, take advantage of the large Mac display, with translucent backings and spacious pull-down menus. The new Control Center, designed just for Mac, provides quick access to controls while keeping the menu bar clutter-free. Notification Center puts recent notifications and powerful new widgets together in a single view for at-a-glance information as you work. And a streamlined new design for apps features full-height sidebars and integrated toolbar buttons.
Widgets
Easily build widgets using the WidgetKit framework and the new widget API for SwiftUI. Widgets now come in multiple sizes, and users can visit the new widget gallery to search, preview sizes, and add them to Notification Center to access important details at a glance.
Safari Extensions
With support for the popular WebExtension API, it’s even easier to bring powerful extensions to Safari. Xcode 12 even includes a porting tool to streamline the process.
The new Extensions category on the Mac App Store showcases Safari extensions, with editorial spotlights and top charts to help users discover and download great extensions from the developer community.
Apple Macos Sierra For Mac Download
Machine Learning
With macOS Big Sur, creating apps that leverage the power of machine learning is even easier and more extensive with additional tools in Core ML for model deployment, new models and training capabilities in Create ML, more APIs for vision and natural language, and improved resources for training on Mac and converting models to Core ML format.
Mac Catalyst
Create even more powerful Mac versions of your iPad apps. Apps built with Mac Catalyst now take on the new look of macOS Big Sur and help you better define the look and behavior of your apps. You can choose to turn off automatic scaling of iPad controls and layout, allowing you to precisely place every pixel on the screen. Provide full control of your app using just the keyboard, take advantage of the updated Photos picker, access more iOS frameworks, and more.
User privacy on the App Store
The Mac App Store helps users better understand apps’ privacy practices. You’ll need to enter your privacy practice details into App Store Connect for display on your product page.
Apple Macos Sierra Download
Tools and resources
Apple Macos High Sierra
Use Xcode 12 and these resources to build apps for macOS Big Sur.