The latest version of macOS is macOS 10.13 High Sierra, which was released on September 25, 2017. Apple releases a new major version roughly once every year. These upgrades are free, and are available in the Mac App Store.
The Latest Version is macOS High Sierra
Apple’s newest Mac operating system is macOS 10.13, also known as macOS High Sierra. This is the fourteenth major release of the Mac operating system.
macOS 10.13 High Sierra has the same hardware requirements as macOS 10.12 Sierra. You’ll need either a 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), or Mac Pro (mid 2010 or newer) to install it.
High Sierra contains quite a few interesting features. Safari now blocks auto-playing videos and ads that track you across the web. Powerful Spotlight search is available in the Mail app, and the Photos app offers more powerful editing features. Under the hood, Apple is now using the new Apple File System (APFS) by default. Apple has improved support for graphics, too. Macs now support external graphics cards, Metal 2 improves graphics performance, and Metal for VR brings improved virtual reality support to the Mac.
RELATED: What’s New in macOS 10.13 High Sierra, Available Now
How to Check if You Have the Latest Version
To see which version of macOS you have installed, click the Apple menu icon at the top left corner of your screen, and then select the “About This Mac” command.
The name and version number of your Mac’s operating system appears on the “Overview” tab in the About This Mac window.
In the screenshot below, we have version 10.13.4 of macOS High Sierra installed. In other words, we have High Sierra with the “.4” update installed. These smaller updates contain security patches and other fixes. They appear as updates in the Mac App Store app.
RELATED: How to Check Which Version of macOS You’re Using
How to Update to the Latest Version
If you don’t yet have macOS High Sierra installed, you can easily update to it from the Mac App Store. You can either open the App Store and look for High Sierra, or click the following link to open the High Sierra page on the Mac App Store.
Click the “Download” button on the macOS High Sierra page to download High Sierra and install it on your Mac. The download is over 5 GB in size, so it may take a while. The installer will automatically open after the download is finished. Click through it to install High SIerra on your Mac.
Note: We highly recommend backing up your Mac with Time Machine (or however you back up) before upgrading your operating system. The upgrade should leave everything in place, but it’s always better to play it safe just in case.
Apple only supports the most recent three versions of macOS with security updates, so you have to upgrade regularly to ensure you have the latest security patches.
RELATED: Which Releases of macOS Are Supported With Security Updates?
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