If you're using Lion (10.7) or Mountain Lion (10.8), you will need to upgrade to El Capitan (10.11) first before you could upgrade to macOS Catalina. Bootstrap main page template. Begin installation. Once the download is completed, the installer will open automatically. Simply click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions. Manually Download the Catalina Combo Update. Once downloaded - stop there. Restart the computer in Safe Mode (Shift key at Startup). If using on laptop make sure it is being charged. Guide: Update Directly to macOS Catalina. Update your existing Clover install to version r4910 or higher using MultiBeast or official Clover package. Open Clover configuration folder on the root of your system drive or EFI Partition using EFI Mounter v3.
Apple released macOS Big Sur on Thursday. It's a really nice upgrade, but I advise most people to not install it right away. Wait a few weeks or even a few months. But what if you missed upgrading to macOS Catalina, last year's upgrade? Don't worry, Apple still offers it for download, you just can't search for it on the Mac App Store. Apple provides links to download many prior versions of macOS:
Just keep in mind, Apple only releases security patches for the most recent OS plus the two prior which means the following OSes are secure through:
- macOS 11Big Sur: 2023
- macOS 10.15 Catalina: 2022
- macOS 10.14 Mojave: 2021
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra: 2020
- macOS 10.12 Sierra: 2019
- OS X 10.11 El Capitan: 2018
- OS X 10.10 Yosemite: 2017
Further help
If you are an existing customer who needs help with this or if you have other questions, or if you are in San Francisco and interested in becoming a client I invite you to book an appointment with me. Otherwise, you may wish to contact Apple Support or to find a local Apple consultant.
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Can't Update To Catalina
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We all know that it's important to 'stay patched, so you stay secure.' But macOS is making that a bit harder these days. Apple really wants you to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, but if you're not ready for that big jump, it may be hard to notice that you have macOS Catalina and Safari updates to apply.
macOS Big Sur is a huge change and it's usually a good idea to let the bleeding edge folks work out the kinks. It's also not a bad idea to wait for Apple to make at least its first update before jumping on the new hotness. You may have applications that are not yet macOS Big Sur-compatible so be cautious with a big upgrade like this. I'm not a proponent of waiting a long time to upgrade to the latest OS but caution, especially on such a big change, is definitely warranted. While you're waiting for the OS to stabilize, you want to keep macOS Catalina up to date, but Apple makes it difficult to see just how to do that.
While you're still on macOS Catalina, if you open System Preferences and select Software Update, you'll see the icon for macOS Big Sur with an obvious 'Upgrade Now' button. But we don't want to upgrade to macOS Big Sur just yet.
When I took the screenshot for this post, I actually had updates to macOS Catalina and Safari waiting for me, but it sure wasn't obvious they were there.
Under the icon for macOS Big Sur, there was some smaller text that said, 'Other updates are available' and blue link text that said 'More info…'
Click on that tiny More info link to reveal the updates you really need to apply. In my example, I had macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update waiting, and the notes below clearly say that this update 'improves the security of macOS.' There was also a Safari update to 14.0.1 which had some speed enhancements but also security fixes, including the removal of support for Adobe Flash. You really want this update!
After you apply any Safari or macOS Catalina updates, the Software Update Preference Pane will still say 'More info…' As shown below:
But if you click the link now, it will take you to the Apple web page telling you about all the awesome features of macOS Big Sur. I presume this 'More info…' link will change back to showing you security updates for macOS Catalina and Safari when new ones are available, so you'll have to be vigilant and pay attention in looking for the updates.
Cover word free. I don't like that Apple has made it so undiscoverable that security updates are awaiting us. I would really prefer that they had made two equally-obvious buttons, one to upgrade to macOS Big Sur and one to update macOS Catalina and Safari. They're doing a disservice to the community by making it this hidden. As I said up front, I'm a big proponent of getting on a new OS when it's practical to do so, but it is the user's decision when to do it and shouldn't be tricked into what could be a catastrophic upgrade.
If you are an existing customer who needs help with this or if you have other questions, or if you are in San Francisco and interested in becoming a client I invite you to book an appointment with me. Otherwise, you may wish to contact Apple Support or to find a local Apple consultant.
More Tips
Can't Update To Catalina
For more tips like this delivered directly to your inbox sign up for my email list:
We all know that it's important to 'stay patched, so you stay secure.' But macOS is making that a bit harder these days. Apple really wants you to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, but if you're not ready for that big jump, it may be hard to notice that you have macOS Catalina and Safari updates to apply.
macOS Big Sur is a huge change and it's usually a good idea to let the bleeding edge folks work out the kinks. It's also not a bad idea to wait for Apple to make at least its first update before jumping on the new hotness. You may have applications that are not yet macOS Big Sur-compatible so be cautious with a big upgrade like this. I'm not a proponent of waiting a long time to upgrade to the latest OS but caution, especially on such a big change, is definitely warranted. While you're waiting for the OS to stabilize, you want to keep macOS Catalina up to date, but Apple makes it difficult to see just how to do that.
While you're still on macOS Catalina, if you open System Preferences and select Software Update, you'll see the icon for macOS Big Sur with an obvious 'Upgrade Now' button. But we don't want to upgrade to macOS Big Sur just yet.
When I took the screenshot for this post, I actually had updates to macOS Catalina and Safari waiting for me, but it sure wasn't obvious they were there.
Under the icon for macOS Big Sur, there was some smaller text that said, 'Other updates are available' and blue link text that said 'More info…'
Click on that tiny More info link to reveal the updates you really need to apply. In my example, I had macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update waiting, and the notes below clearly say that this update 'improves the security of macOS.' There was also a Safari update to 14.0.1 which had some speed enhancements but also security fixes, including the removal of support for Adobe Flash. You really want this update!
After you apply any Safari or macOS Catalina updates, the Software Update Preference Pane will still say 'More info…' As shown below:
But if you click the link now, it will take you to the Apple web page telling you about all the awesome features of macOS Big Sur. I presume this 'More info…' link will change back to showing you security updates for macOS Catalina and Safari when new ones are available, so you'll have to be vigilant and pay attention in looking for the updates.
Cover word free. I don't like that Apple has made it so undiscoverable that security updates are awaiting us. I would really prefer that they had made two equally-obvious buttons, one to upgrade to macOS Big Sur and one to update macOS Catalina and Safari. They're doing a disservice to the community by making it this hidden. As I said up front, I'm a big proponent of getting on a new OS when it's practical to do so, but it is the user's decision when to do it and shouldn't be tricked into what could be a catastrophic upgrade.
Can't Update To Catalina
Since you're probably the family nerd if you're reading or hearing this, please pass this post along to your friends and family so they stay patched so they stay secure.
