Overview/Introduction
The following steps can be taken on your Mac computer to ensure it is ready and able to upgrade to a new version of MacOS.
Details
Verify Your Free Disk Space
You'll need 37 GB of free space to upgrade to macOS 13 (Ventura) or 26 GB of free space to upgrade to macOS 12 (Monterey) (or 44GB if you're upgrading from macOS 10.12 Sierra or older).
- From the Apple Menu, select About this Mac (macOS 11-12) or System Settings > General (macOS 13)
- Click on Storage
- You'll see how much used and free space your computer has.
- If you are upgrading a dual boot machine, make sure there are 37 GB free under Macintosh HD--Windows is not relevant.
- If you are short on disk space:
- Check your Desktop and Downloads folder for items you no longer need.
- Take a look in your Applications folder and remove any applications you no longer need. Some applications will have an Uninstaller app in their folder, but most can just be moved to the Trash to uninstall them.
- Empty your computer’s Trash.
Check Your System Disk
- Go to your Applications folder
- Select Utilities > Disk Utility
- Click on Macintosh HD in the left-hand column.
- Click on First Aid (older macOS versions may call this option Verify and may look like this)
- If you also have a Macintosh HD - Data disk listed, run First Aid (or Verify) for that hard drive as well.
Disable FileVault or 3rd Party Disk Encryption
If you are using a third party Disk Encryption app for critical files (TrueCrypt, PGPDisk), please disable this before upgrading. Early versions of FileVault should also be turned off. See the Turn Off FileVault instructions.
Note: Upgrading your computer to a new major version of MacOS can take a LONG time. You can typically continue to use your computer in the meantime, but estimates from 4 hours to over a day are not uncommon, and you may see a range of estimates throughout the process.
FAQs