{"id":55396,"date":"2016-08-25T10:17:06","date_gmt":"2016-08-25T17:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/?p=55396"},"modified":"2020-11-13T13:58:12","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T21:58:12","slug":"how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-macos-sierra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-macos-sierra\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare Your Mac for macOS Sierra"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-55828\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/macos-sierra-faq.jpg\" alt=\"How to Prepare Your Mac for macOS Sierra\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/macos-sierra-faq.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/macos-sierra-faq-150x75.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/macos-sierra-faq-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>For the latest version of this article, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-to-upgrade-to-macos-big-sur\/\">How to Prepare Your Mac to Upgrade to macOS Big Sur<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"oCXVJouSqm\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-to-upgrade-to-macos-big-sur\/\">How to Prepare Your Mac to Upgrade to macOS Big Sur: the Ultimate Guide<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;How to Prepare Your Mac to Upgrade to macOS Big Sur: the Ultimate Guide&#8221; &#8212; The Mac Security Blog\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-to-upgrade-to-macos-big-sur\/embed\/#?secret=oCXVJouSqm\" data-secret=\"oCXVJouSqm\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As you\u2019ve probably noticed by now, the next version of Apple\u2019s desktop operating system, macOS Sierra, is due to be released in the fall. Following the annual schedule that Apple has kept to for some time, operating systems for both the Mac and for iOS will make their debuts in the coming weeks. And, as has been the case for several years, both of these upgrades will be free.<\/p>\n<p>What does this mean for you? You most likely want to update your Mac, but there are a number of things you should consider doing before updating. And for some of them, it\u2019s useful to plan ahead. In this article, I&#8217;m going to explain\u00a0how you can prepare your Mac for macOS Sierra. Following\u00a0are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about upgrading to macOS Sierra.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"ismymaccompatible\">Is my Mac compatible with macOS Sierra?<\/h3>\n<p>The first thing to find out is if your Mac can run macOS Sierra. Apple hasn\u2019t published this information on its website yet, but during the presentation of the new operating system at the WorldWide Developer Conference in June, a slide revealed\u00a0the following compatibility information:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Late 2009 &amp; later<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; MacBook<br \/>\n&#8211; iMac<\/p>\n<p><strong>2010 &amp; later<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; MacBook Air<br \/>\n&#8211; MacBook Pro<br \/>\n&#8211; Mac mini<br \/>\n&#8211; Mac Pro<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is simple, for the most part, with the exception of exactly what \u201cLate 2009\u201d means. Apple often names its products like that, using \u201cEarly\u201d and \u201cLate\u201d to identify models.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to find out your Mac\u2019s pedigree. Just click the \uf8ff Apple menu and choose About this Mac. You\u2019ll see a window with information about your computer. For example, I\u2019m writing this article an a \u201cMacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015).\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/about-this-mac.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-55405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/about-this-mac-1024x586.png\" alt=\"about-this-mac\" width=\"500\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/about-this-mac-1024x586.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/about-this-mac-150x86.png 150w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/about-this-mac-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/about-this-mac-657x376.png 657w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/about-this-mac.png 1174w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So if your Mac matches one of the above dates, then you\u2019re good to go.<\/p>\n<p>If your Mac is too old, you could always buy a new Mac, or even a more recent used model. New Macs will start shipping with macOS Sierra shortly after its release, and even if you buy a Mac that doesn\u2019t have macOS Sierra, you\u2019ll be able to easily update to the new operating system.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"howmuchspacewillineed\">How much space will I need to upgrade?<\/h3>\n<p>Apple hasn\u2019t published that information yet, but if <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apple.com\/osx\/how-to-upgrade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">the specifications for OS X El Capitan<\/a> are a guide, you\u2019ll need around 9\u201310 GB free to upgrade. If your getting tight on hard disk (or SSD) space, read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-uncover-and-delete-hidden-files-cluttering-your-mac\/\">this article about how to delete files that take up space on your Mac<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-reclaim-os-x-disk-space\/\">this article about how to reclaim space on your drive using Intego&#8217;s Mac Washing Machine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/storage.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-55411\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/storage-1024x333.png\" alt=\"storage\" width=\"500\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/storage-1024x333.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/storage-150x49.png 150w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/storage-300x98.png 300w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/storage-657x214.png 657w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/storage.png 1174w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regardless,\u00a0if you only have enough free space to install macOS Sierra, then you should seriously consider cleaning up your hard drive. Operating systems don\u2019t run well if they don\u2019t have free space for temporary files, and for virtual memory files, which can be several GB.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"willmymackeepupwiththenewoperatingsystem\">Will my Mac keep up with the\u00a0new operating system?<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s hard to tell. If your Mac is on the low end of the compatibility list\u2014those models from late 2009 or 2010\u2014you may find that things get a bit sluggish. This is because your Mac may have a slow processor that isn\u2019t up to the demands of the new operating system, or because you don\u2019t have enough RAM.<\/p>\n<p>While you can\u2019t update the processor on your Mac, you may be able to add more RAM. This is possible on most iMacs, the Mac Pro, and some Mac mini models. For laptops, it\u2019s a bit more difficult; check around to see if any company offers upgrades for your laptop. This will involve a technician opening up the Mac and performing surgery; not something I\u2019d recommend doing at home. If you want to try, though, check the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifixit.com\/Device\/Mac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">iFixit website<\/a>; they have great teardowns and walkthroughs that may help.<\/p>\n<p>As to how much RAM you\u2019ll need, the specs for El Capitan call for a minimum of 2 GB, but I recommend having at least 4 GB, or more if possible. My MacBook has 8 GB, and that seems to me the minimum to be comfortable running multiple apps, but if your use is more limited, 4 GB should be fine.<\/p>\n<p>Another upgrade you can make, which would have a notable effect, is swapping your hard drive (if your Mac has one) for an SSD. Hard drives\u2014especially in portables\u2014are relatively slow, and switching to an SSD will make your Mac feel like it\u2019s stopped by for a drink at the fountain of youth. The downside is that SSDs are more expensive, and you\u2019ll need to settle for one with less storage. For example, my iMac and MacBook both have 256 GB SSDs, but I use an external drive connected to my iMac to hold my media files. Having the operating system on an SSD is important; the media files, which aren\u2019t read often, don\u2019t need to be on a disk as fast.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"shouldibackupmymacbeforeupgrading\">Should I back up my Mac before upgrading?<\/h3>\n<p>You probably already know the answer. I\u2019ve always been a belt-and-suspenders guy as far as backups are concerned, and I recommend using at least two types of backup. You can use both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/intego-personal-backup-compared-with-apples-time-machine\/\">Time Machine, which is part of OS X, and Intego Personal Backup<\/a>. They back up your files in slightly different ways, and it never hurts to have more than one backup in case one of them becomes corrupted.<\/p>\n<p>While macOS Sierra isn\u2019t ready to launch at the time of this writing, if you don\u2019t have a backup of both your startup disk and any external drives you use, you should certainly get into the habit now. And, when you\u2019re preparing to upgrade to macOS Sierra, you should clone your Mac\u2019s drive right beforehand, in case something goes wrong.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"shouldicheckmydrivebeforeupgrading\">Should I check my drive before upgrading?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, that\u2019s a good idea. Open Disk Utility, which is in the Utilities folder of your Mac\u2019s Applications folder. Select your drive and click First Aid. The app will run a check on the drive, its catalog information, and your files. If there are any repairs to be made, it will be able to carry out most of them.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/disk-repair.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-55408\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/disk-repair-1024x570.png\" alt=\"disk-repair\" width=\"500\" height=\"278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/disk-repair-1024x570.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/disk-repair-150x83.png 150w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/disk-repair-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/disk-repair-657x365.png 657w, https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/disk-repair.png 1634w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you do have more serious errors, then you\u2019ll need a specialized disk repair app. I\u2019m a big fan of DiskWarrior; you can read <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macworld.com\/article\/2884315\/diskwarrior-5-review-the-most-essential-drive-maintenance-and-repair-tool-gets-even-better.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">my review of the latest version from early 2015<\/a>. (<strong>NOTE: <\/strong>As of DiskWarrior 5.2, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsoft.com\/diskwarrior5apfs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">does not support APFS formatted drives<\/a>. APFS was introduced in macOS High Sierra, a year after this article was published.)<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"shouldimigratemydataordoacleaninstallation\">Should I migrate my data or do a clean installation?<\/h3>\n<p>In most cases, simply running the macOS Sierra installer will be sufficient. This installs the new operating system over your existing files, and doesn\u2019t touch any files that aren\u2019t part of the operating system.<\/p>\n<p>That said, there are good reasons to do a clean installation (I\u2019ve written about them in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/setting-up-a-new-mac-should-you-migrate-or-do-a-clean-installation\/\">this article<\/a>). If you do want to do a clean installation for macOS Sierra, you\u2019ll need to clone your startup drive to an external disk, and boot your Mac from the clone, erase the drive, then run the installer.<\/p>\n<p>If you do this, make sure to have <strong>two backups of your startup volume<\/strong>. Since you\u2019ll be erasing the drive in your Mac, if something goes wrong with the clone, then you\u2019ll be in a lot of trouble.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"iuseandisimplycan\u2019tworkwithoutit.isitsafetoupgrade\">I use [App Name] and I simply can\u2019t work without it. Is it safe to upgrade?<\/h3>\n<p>This can be a problem. If you have an app you simply must use, check with the developer to make sure it\u2019s compatible with macOS Sierra. Developers have had access to beta versions of the new operating system since June, but there are often cases of apps that aren\u2019t ready on release date. Check any essential apps before upgrading.<\/p>\n<p>You may also have helper apps or drivers\u2014such as for storage devices, printers, scanners, and\u00a0others\u00a0that you relay on\u2014that might not be updated. Run an inventory of your most important apps, and don\u2019t forget hardware that needs its own software. If everything is compatible, make sure to upgrade all that software first, then move on to macOS Sierra.<\/p>\n<p>macOS Sierra will be an excellent upgrade, but you should make sure to prepare your Mac so you don\u2019t have any surprises. And if something does go wrong, you\u2019ll have backups to be able to recover all your files. Just plan ahead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did we cover all your concerns about upgrading to\u00a0macOS Sierra? Have other questions about\u00a0preparing your Mac for macOS Sierra? Leave a comment below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The next version of Apple\u2019s desktop operating system, macOS Sierra, is soon to be released. This guide explains how you can prepare your Mac for macOS Sierra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":55840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[7,10],"tags":[174,3175,3058],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The next version of Apple\u2019s desktop operating system, macOS Sierra, is soon to be released. 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This guide explains how you can prepare your Mac for macOS Sierra.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-macos-sierra\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Mac Security Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-25T17:17:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-13T21:58:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/macos-sierra-upgrade.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"260\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kirk McElhearn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Intego\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/intego-organization-logo-for-google-knowledge-graph-875x875-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/intego-organization-logo-for-google-knowledge-graph-875x875-1.png\",\"width\":875,\"height\":875,\"caption\":\"Intego\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/\",\"name\":\"The Mac Security Blog\",\"description\":\"Keep Macs safe from the dangers of the Internet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-macos-sierra\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/macos-sierra-upgrade.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/macos-sierra-upgrade.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":260,\"caption\":\"Prepare Mac for macOS Sierra\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-macos-sierra\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-macos-sierra\/\",\"name\":\"How to Prepare Your Mac for macOS Sierra - The Mac Security Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-macos-sierra\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-25T17:17:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-13T21:58:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"The next version of Apple\\u2019s desktop operating system, macOS Sierra, is soon to be released. 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