The latest version of macOS is macOS 10.14 Mojave, which Apple released on September 24, 2018. 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 Mojave

Apple’s newest Mac operating system is macOS 10.14, also known as macOS Mojave. This is the fifteenth major release of the Mac operating system.

macOS 10.14 Mojave supports most Macs from 2012 onward. You’ll need either a MacBook (early 2015 or newer), MacBook Pro (mid 2012 or newer), MacBook Air (mid 2012 or newer), Mac mini (late 2012 or newer), iMac (late 2012 or newer), or Mac Pro (late 2013, plus mid 2010 and mid 2012 models with a Metal-capable GPU) to install it.

Mojave contains quite a few interesting features. There’s a new system-wide dark mode you can enable, and macOS can now automatically organize the files on your desktop with Desktop Stacks. The default desktop background changes depending on the time of day. The Mac App Store has been redesigned, and the News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos apps have been ported from iPad to Mac.

RELATED: Everything New in macOS 10.14 Mojave, 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 10.14 of macOS Mojave installed. As long as it starts with 10.14, you have Mojave.

For example, if it says you have macOS Mojave version “10.14.1” installed, this means you have Mojave with the “.1” update installed. These smaller updates contain security patches and other fixes. They appear as updates in the Software Update pane.

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 Mojave installed, you can easily update to it from the Mac App Store. You can either open the App Store and look for Mojave or click the following link to open the Mojave page on the Mac App Store.

Click the “Download” or “Get” button on the macOS Mojave page to download Mojave and install it on your Mac. The download is over 6 GB in size so it may take a while. The installer will automatically open after the download is finished. Click through it to install Mojave 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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Chris Hoffman Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is Editor in Chief of How-To Geek. He's written about technology for nearly a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami's NBC 6 and Chicago's WGN-TV, and his work has been covered by news outlets like The New York Times and the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than 500 million times---and that's just here at How-To Geek.
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