Apple

Will macOS Sierra Work on Your Mac?

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 20, Apple will release macOS Sierra, their latest and greatest operating system for Mac computers. We know you’re probably excited about updating, but… Maybe first, you should check and see if your Mac can handle the new OS.

Is My Mac Compatible?

If you own a Mac computer introduced in late 2009 or later, it can be upgraded to macOS Sierra.

If you have any of the following Macs, you can install macOS Sierra:

  • MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
  • iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

Anything older than the Macs listed above, and you max out at Mac OS X El Capitan, or an earlier version of OS X. But, don’t freak out, El Capitan is still a great operating system, and does some pretty cool things, Plus, Apple will be supporting El Cap for the foreseeable future with updates and security fixes.

Will my Mac Support All of the New Features?

In order to support ALL of the cool new features in macOS Sierra, such as: Handoff, Auto Unlock, Siri, Apple Pay on the Web, Continuity features, and more, your Mac will have to be a 2012 or newer model. (And you’ll also need an Apple Watch running watchOS 3, if you want to make use of Apple Pay on the web, or Auto Unlock.)

The following model Macs will support all of the above features:

  • MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
  • Mac mini (2012 or newer)
  • iMac (2012 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Note: For some of the Continuity features, and Apple Pay; you’ll also need an iPhone 6 or newer, running iOS 10.

System Requirements for macOS Sierra:

  • A Mac running OS X 10.7.5 or later
  • At least 2GB of RAM. (The more the merrier!)
  • 8.8GB of available hard drive space. (More, if possible.)
  • An Apple ID to use iTunes, iCloud, and the Mac App Store

Above, we’ve listed all of the requirements for macOS Sierra, and its new features. It’s up to you to decide if moving to Sierra is worth it. Older Macs won’t get access to any of the Continuity features, or Apple Pay on the web, and a number of other features. It might make sense to just wait until Apple finally updates their Mac lineup and buy a new Mac.

We have already updated our 2015 MacBook Pro with Retina display, and we absolutely love Sierra. However, on our 2011 MBPro we decided to stick with El Capitan for now. It’s nice to have options.

Chris Hauk

Chris is a Senior Editor at Mactrast. He lives somewhere in the deep Southern part of America, and yes, he has to pump in both sunshine and the Internet.