What is macOS ?

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Apple's macOS is the operating system for the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac mini. The latest version is macOS 13 Ventura.

macOS 13 Ventura

Release date: 4th Quarter, 2022


MacOS 13 Ventura, named after the California coastal city known for its beaches, surfers, and windsurfers, is the 19th major release of the Mac operating system. The operating system adds new continuity features and powerful productivity tools to bring the Mac experience to new levels of performance.

Stage Manager is a new feature that automatically organizes open files and applications on the desktop, allowing users to better focus on the main window they're working in, rather than dozens of open windows begging for attention. Stage Manager puts the main window right in the middle of the screen and groups other open files and apps into little icons on the left side of the screen.

Mac Mail gets a major overhaul in Ventura. Finally, senders can schedule emails and cancel delivery. Additionally, users can choose to return to a message at a specific date and time and receive prompts to follow up on an email if there is no response.

Continuity is a core feature of macOS, expanding your options for interacting with more than one of your Apple devices when it suits you. Answer a call on your iPhone? As you get closer to your Mac, you'll be prompted to switch to the larger screen. Plus, the new FaceTime Handoff feature makes it easy to transfer a FaceTime call from an iPhone to an iPad or Mac. The Continuity Camera feature also means users can use the phone as a webcam for their Macs.

Other new features include:

  • Edit or delete messages sent via iMessage

  • Shared tab groups

  • Access keys that replace passwords in Safari

  • Shared iCloud Photo Library

  • New clock and weather apps

  • Improved Smart Folders in Notes

  • Featured Improvements

  • Enhanced gaming experience

  • Live text for videos

  • Relaxing background sound

macOS 12 Monterey

Release date: October 25, 2021


macOS Monterey, named after the city of Monterey on California's rugged central coast, is the 18th major release of the Mac operating system. It builds on the strong foundation of Big Sur and is packed with improvements.

Universal Control fulfills the age-old desire to control Macs and iPads side by side with a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard.

There are numerous improvements to Mac Core applications. Messages has a handy button to save photos; Apple Books has been expanded to include Reading Goals, Read Now, and Want to Read. Safari received a major redesign that includes a simplified tab bar, tab groups, and iCloud Private Relay. This service ensures that the traffic leaving your Mac is encrypted so that it cannot be intercepted or used.

FaceTime Audio and Video has received a major update. In group FaceTime calls, you and the other participants can watch TV, movies, or listen to music together. Synchronized playback means you can pause, fast-forward, or jump to a new screen and the change will happen in real time on everyone's screens on the call.

Some new features require a Mac with Apple's M1 chip. These include a portrait mode in FaceTime, on-device dictation of any length with no timeout, spatial audio, an interactive globe, and new city experiences for the Maps app.

Other new features include:

  • Digital legacy to share data like photos and videos with trusted friends or family after you're gone

  • An "Erase All Content and Settings" feature for Mac like iPhone

  • Adding microphone and camera screens

  • New iCloud shared folder in Finder

  • Power saving mode for Bluetooth devices

  • A dedicated password manager in system settings

  • Added Shortcuts app to Mac

macOS 11 Big Sur

Release date: November 12, 2020


Named after the mountainous region of central California, macOS 11 Big Sur is the seventeenth major release of the Mac operating system. The new design of macOS Big Sur unveiled at WWDC20 is stunningly beautiful and familiar as iOS.

Unlike Catalina, which delivered minor improvements over Mojave, macOS Big Sur incorporates the most significant changes to Apple's operating system in years. One notable difference is that the newer Macs with the M1 chip can run iPad and iPhone apps directly on the Mac.

Here are other changes you'll find:

  • The iOS Control Center makes its Mac debut with Big Sur.

  • The Calendar, Mail, Photos, and Messages apps get long-awaited makeovers.

  • With its smart tracking feature, Safari creates a privacy report for every website you visit and monitors your passwords to prevent a data breach.

  • New Maps features include the answer to Google's Street View titled Look Around and trusted resource guides.

Key new features include:

  • Safari is 50 percent faster than Chrome

  • The control center

  • Customizable widgets in the notification menu

  • Support iOS apps on Mac with M-1 chip

  • Spatial audio support for AirPods Pro

  • Look around feature in the Maps app

  • Improved group messages in Messages

macOS 10.15 Catalina

Released: October 7, 2019


macOS 10.15 Catalina (named for the island off the coast of California) was announced at WWDC in June 2019 and is the 16th major release of the computer operating system. It is the first version of macOS to only support 64-bit applications and became a free update for all Mac users in September 2019.

It features a new development system called Catalyst that allows developers to target macOS Catalina and iPadOS with the same app. Voice Control continues Apple's quest to let your voice control your Mac.

Here are other changes Apple has made to Catalina:

  • Sidecar allows you to use an iPad as a second screen through AirDisplay or AirParrot.

  • It split iTunes into three new apps: Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV.

  • Finder manages the iOS devices that connect to your Mac.

  • Find My Mac and Find My Friends have been merged into a new app called Find My.

  • Reminders handle attachments, and Siri is smarter when it comes to notifying you.

  • Removed the Dashboard widget app.

These are the main novelties:

  • 64-bit apps only

  • Catalyst applications

  • Sidecar iPad second screen

  • iTunes resolution

  • Find my app

macOS 10.14 Mojave

Released: September 24, 2018


macOS 10.14, or Mojave, was originally announced at WWDC in June 2018 and released on September 24 of the same year. Named for California's Mojave Desert, macOS 10.14 brought the Apple News, Voice Memos, and Home iOS apps to the Mac desktop. It also included an improved dark mode and was the last version of macOS to support 32-bit apps (you'll get a notification if you try to use them).

The Finder has a new view for file metadata and a new gallery view for visually searching files. When you take a screenshot, the image briefly appears in the corner of the screen, similar to iOS. macOS Mojave also added video capabilities to its screenshot tool.

Mojave includes Group FaceTime, which lets you chat with up to 32 people at once using video or audio from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

Safari, Apple's web browser, added tracking protection and sent less information about your system to websites. You can create and store strong passwords for new online accounts and autofill forms.

The Mac App Store has been revamped with a new user interface and editorial content to match the iOS App Store. There's a new Discover tab, along with Create, Work, Play, and Develop tabs for easier app discovery. The News, Stock, Voice Memos, and Home apps (for HomeKit automation) have been ported with this version of iOS.

Key new features include:

  • Four iOS apps

  • Enhanced dark mode

  • Gallery view

  • Group face time

  • Improvements to the Mac App Store

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Released: September 25, 2017


Named after the High Sierra mountain region of California, macOS 10.13 was version 14 of macOS. This sequel to the previous operating system, Sierra (10.12), offered technical and performance updates rather than a complete overhaul.

Apple replaced the HFS Plus file system with a new Apple File System that supports technologies like 64-bit inode numbers and flash memory to speed up everyday file-related tasks like duplicating, locating, and backing up files.

Here are other notable changes:

  • The Metal low-level graphics API received its second version as Metal 2, adding virtual reality and machine learning capabilities and support for external graphics cards.

  • Photos has an updated sidebar, new editing tools, and the ability to sync photos with people you've tagged in iOS 11.

  • Mail got a new Spotlight search called Top Hits and a 35 percent improvement in disk space.

  • Safari added machine learning to block third-party trackers and the ability to block autoplay videos. Reading mode could be permanently activated.

  • The Notes app gained support for tables, and users could now put notes at the top of their list.

  • Siri received a more natural voice and a machine learning boost for her artificial intelligence.

Key new features include:

  • Apple file system

  • Metallic graphics 2

  • New photo features

  • Better storage in Mail

  • Tables in Notes

  • Expressive and intelligent Siri

macOS 10.12 Sierra

Released: September 20, 2016


macOS 10.12 Sierra, named for the Sierra Nevada region of California, was the first Macintosh operating system to be called macOS. It inherited OS X El Capitan (also named after a well-known Californian geographic feature). macOS Sierra was first announced in June 2016 and arrived as a free update to El Capitan in September.

It brought a variety of features present in macOS today, including:

  • The first desktop iteration of Siri

  • iCloud Drive with optimized storage

  • Auto Unlock for Mac

  • Tabbed interfaces for all supported apps

  • Picture-in-picture mode for watching videos while doing other work

  • The first support for Apple File System

  • Night Shift, a function that reduces the blue light of the screen during night hours

The apps have new features including:

  • Improved face recognition and new object and scene recognition for photos are supported for Memories photo groups.

  • Safari has received new developer tools that support extensions associated with third-party apps.

  • Apple Pay has web-based buttons in Safari that you can use to complete purchases with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

  • Messages have increased emoji and tap capabilities, as well as the ability to play YouTube videos and preview web links.

  • With the Mac Messages app, you can see the iOS 10 additions to iMessage and turn read receipts per conversation on and off.

  • iTunes has a new For You tab and Lyrics feature for your MiniPlayer.

  • Notes allows you to share specific notes and work on them together.

Key new features include:

  • Siri on desktop

  • iCloud drive

  • Picture-in-picture mode

  • Night shift

  • Apple pay online

  • iMessage integrations

More About macOS

macOS is a sequel to Mac OS X (later called OS X, pronounced oh-ess-ten), originally released in 2001. It is based on Unix and shares many similarities under the hood with both Unix and Linux, most notably its compatibility with multiple users, preventive multitasking and access to the system through the Terminal.

OS X was renamed macOS 10.12 Sierra in 2016 to match Apple's other operating systems such as iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

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