What you need to run macOS Monterey

AppleInsider · June 7, 2021 7:30PM

Apple's macOS Monterey was announced, and several Macs won't be able to run the operating system when it is released in the fall of 2021. Here are the compatible Macs.

Run macOS 12 on these Macs

Mac compatibility for macOS doesn't have as easy a through-line as iOS due to the variety of processors available. Apple is amidst a chipset transition to its custom Apple Silicon, so compatibility is more in question than ever.

Macs compatible with macOS Monterey

Mac Desktops:

iMac Pro (2017)
M1 iMac (Retina 4.5K, 24-inch, 2021)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017)
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)
iMac (21.5-inch, 2017)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015)
Mac mini (M1, 2020)
Mac mini (2018)
Mac mini (Late 2014)
Mac Pro (2019)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)

MacBook Pro:

MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

MacBook Air:

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)

MacBook (12-inch):

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)

Macs removed from compatibility with macOS Monterey

Mac Desktops:

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)

MacBook Pro:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)

MacBook Air:

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2013)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2013)

MacBook (12-inch):

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)

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outdoorappdeveloper · June 7, 2021 7:53PM

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

multimedia · June 7, 2021 8:02PM

You forgot to list the new 2021 24” iMacs

georgi0 · June 7, 2021 8:03PM

He does not force you to retire. You still have the previous version to consider.

Fro. My experience it’s better to have something stable to run than a crawling new version on old machine.

mauimac5341 · June 7, 2021 8:11PM

Can you point to an apple Web page? the only reference I can find to your list is in a footnote for specific support for a feature, not the entire OS. Many thanks

xed · June 7, 2021 9:13PM

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

Apple's decision is clearly based on what is technically possible. 6 years of getting the latest version of macOS is more than acceptable and 12 years is a ridiculous expectation. Just look at the HW available in 2009—you really think the world of Mac users needs to be hamstrung by paltry macOS updates because you don't think upgrading your Mac more than once every 12 years is worthwhile?

crowley · June 7, 2021 10:05PM

Seems odd that iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015) is out while MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015) is in.

skippingrock · June 8, 2021 1:39AM

Dang. I guess it’s the end of the line for yet another one of my Macs.

skippingrock · June 8, 2021 1:41AM

Probably the new Notes.app is going to require yet another upgrade to my Notes data that I can do due to older hardware I still use.

dewme · June 8, 2021 4:41AM

Very surprised to see my 2014 Mac mini still on the supported list. Sure glad I added a 500 GB M.2 SSD to the 1 TB HD-only mini to make a very respectable 1.5 GB Fusion drive. Unfortunately my 2013 MacBook Pro 13” got voted off the island and will stay stuck at Big Sur.

Oh well, sounds like a good time to pick up a new Mac … once the successor to M1 arrives. I hope the wait will not be long but I’m not holding my breath.

tobian · June 8, 2021 9:31AM

So I’m compatible with my old MBA early 2015, when Apples transitioning to different CPU technology? Their support is simply outstanding! Great job Apple, thank you!

ionicle · June 9, 2021 9:22AM

Well, time to upgrade, im still running a 2010 macbook pro 13” with a 2.4ghz core2duo with 4gb of ram everyday, and at home i have a late 2010 27” imac with a core i3 3.2ghz dual core and a radeon 5670, my wife has a 2011 corei5 macbook peo with 4gb of ram, guess thats old now too, feels like only yesterday when i got them, still running smooth and strong though 🤷🏻‍♂️

nicholfd · June 9, 2021 1:28PM

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

Why do you have to recycle it just because it isn't capable of running the latest major OS version? Apple still provides security updates for two years on previous major versions. And even after that, assuming it doesn't physically break, it will continue to run/work just like it did before the major OS update!

cortomaltese · June 10, 2021 9:48PM

Xed said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

Apple's decision is clearly based on what is technically possible. 6 years of getting the latest version of macOS is more than acceptable and 12 years is a ridiculous expectation. Just look at the HW available in 2009—you really think the world of Mac users needs to be hamstrung by paltry macOS updates because you don't think upgrading your Mac more than once every 12 years is worthwhile?

I personnaly own two 'old' Macbook (Unibody mid 2010 and Macbook Air 2011), and they run perfectly with Catalina. Just put the max of memory and a good SSD on the Unibody... For mail and surfing on Internet, Office Mac 2016 and using Airplay on my AppleTV, all works fine. And with good performamces ...

roundaboutnow · June 11, 2021 2:13AM

CortoMaltese said:

Xed said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

Apple's decision is clearly based on what is technically possible. 6 years of getting the latest version of macOS is more than acceptable and 12 years is a ridiculous expectation. Just look at the HW available in 2009—you really think the world of Mac users needs to be hamstrung by paltry macOS updates because you don't think upgrading your Mac more than once every 12 years is worthwhile?

I personnaly own two 'old' Macbook (Unibody mid 2010 and Macbook Air 2011), and they run perfectly with Catalina. Just put the max of memory and a good SSD on the Unibody... For mail and surfing on Internet, Office Mac 2016 and using Airplay on my AppleTV, all works fine. And with good performamces ...

Wait, what? I have an early 2011 13" MacBook Pro (i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) and it tops out at High Sierra. (It actually works well too, but some things like Apple Music/Apple TV instead of iTunes and the more advanced Notes and Reminders are not supported in High Sierra).

I've read that there are ways to run later macOS on older Macs, but it hardly seems worth the effort. How did you get Catalina on your old Macs?

xed · June 11, 2021 2:25AM

roundaboutnow said:

CortoMaltese said:

Xed said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

Apple's decision is clearly based on what is technically possible. 6 years of getting the latest version of macOS is more than acceptable and 12 years is a ridiculous expectation. Just look at the HW available in 2009—you really think the world of Mac users needs to be hamstrung by paltry macOS updates because you don't think upgrading your Mac more than once every 12 years is worthwhile?

I personnaly own two 'old' Macbook (Unibody mid 2010 and Macbook Air 2011), and they run perfectly with Catalina. Just put the max of memory and a good SSD on the Unibody... For mail and surfing on Internet, Office Mac 2016 and using Airplay on my AppleTV, all works fine. And with good performamces ...

Wait, what? I have an early 2011 13" MacBook Pro (i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) and it tops out at High Sierra. (It actually works well too, but some things like Apple Music/Apple TV instead of iTunes and the more advanced Notes and Reminders are not supported in High Sierra).

I've read that there are ways to run later macOS on older Macs, but it hardly seems worth the effort. How did you get Catalina on your old Macs?

http://dosdude1.com/catalina/

But be sure to read up on it as there are certain things that simply won't work that the OS and apps running on Catalina assume you have with this demarcation point. For example, if you use Zoom you'll also have to do a bit of a dance because your Mac doesn't support Metal.

edited June 2021

cortomaltese · June 11, 2021 3:11AM

Xed said:

roundaboutnow said:

CortoMaltese said:

Xed said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

Apple's decision is clearly based on what is technically possible. 6 years of getting the latest version of macOS is more than acceptable and 12 years is a ridiculous expectation. Just look at the HW available in 2009—you really think the world of Mac users needs to be hamstrung by paltry macOS updates because you don't think upgrading your Mac more than once every 12 years is worthwhile?

I personnaly own two 'old' Macbook (Unibody mid 2010 and Macbook Air 2011), and they run perfectly with Catalina. Just put the max of memory and a good SSD on the Unibody... For mail and surfing on Internet, Office Mac 2016 and using Airplay on my AppleTV, all works fine. And with good performamces ...

Wait, what? I have an early 2011 13" MacBook Pro (i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) and it tops out at High Sierra. (It actually works well too, but some things like Apple Music/Apple TV instead of iTunes and the more advanced Notes and Reminders are not supported in High Sierra).

I've read that there are ways to run later macOS on older Macs, but it hardly seems worth the effort. How did you get Catalina on your old Macs?

http://dosdude1.com/catalina/

But be sure to read up on it as there are certain things that simply won't work that the OS and apps running on Catalina assume you have with this demarcation point. For example, if you use Zoom you'll also have to do a bit of a dance because your Mac doesn't support Metal.

Yes, the link is OK. You jaut have to be careful at the video card you have.. As you are on High Sierra yet, no need to apply the fisrt firmware patch.. The SSD need to be formatted in APFS. take a look at the video, it is very well explain, step by step, at the end of the procees, you have an USB Key ready to install Catalina on every Mac you want. 'Et voilà'.... as we said in France ... Regards

roundaboutnow · June 11, 2021 4:03AM

CortoMaltese said:

Xed said:

roundaboutnow said:

CortoMaltese said:

Xed said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

I wish Apple considered that support of older Macs, when technically possible, would make people more likely to buy a new Mac not less. If I know that the brand new Mac I buy will still be getting new versions of MacOS in 12 years, I am far more likely to plonk down my cash for one. As it stands, there are computers removed from support that are only six years old! I don't remember anyone at Apple saying "Hey, buy this new MacBook and get just six years of use out of it before you have to recycle it."

Apple's decision is clearly based on what is technically possible. 6 years of getting the latest version of macOS is more than acceptable and 12 years is a ridiculous expectation. Just look at the HW available in 2009—you really think the world of Mac users needs to be hamstrung by paltry macOS updates because you don't think upgrading your Mac more than once every 12 years is worthwhile?

I personnaly own two 'old' Macbook (Unibody mid 2010 and Macbook Air 2011), and they run perfectly with Catalina. Just put the max of memory and a good SSD on the Unibody... For mail and surfing on Internet, Office Mac 2016 and using Airplay on my AppleTV, all works fine. And with good performamces ...

Wait, what? I have an early 2011 13" MacBook Pro (i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) and it tops out at High Sierra. (It actually works well too, but some things like Apple Music/Apple TV instead of iTunes and the more advanced Notes and Reminders are not supported in High Sierra).

I've read that there are ways to run later macOS on older Macs, but it hardly seems worth the effort. How did you get Catalina on your old Macs?

http://dosdude1.com/catalina/

But be sure to read up on it as there are certain things that simply won't work that the OS and apps running on Catalina assume you have with this demarcation point. For example, if you use Zoom you'll also have to do a bit of a dance because your Mac doesn't support Metal.

Yes, the link is OK. You jaut have to be careful at the video card you have.. As you are on High Sierra yet, no need to apply the fisrt firmware patch.. The SSD need to be formatted in APFS. take a look at the video, it is very well explain, step by step, at the end of the procees, you have an USB Key ready to install Catalina on every Mac you want. 'Et voilà'.... as we said in France ... Regards

Right, dosdude is what I recall reading about. You should have said this in your first post that it is a workaround that enables newer macOS support on older Macs, and that it is not Apple that supports this.

While I find dosdudes solution intriguing, I am not willing to deal with compromises and qualifiers regarding what works and what doesn't work. At least with High Sierra, I know where I stand, and it is 100% reliable as far as it goes.

dt17 · June 11, 2021 8:59AM

Why Support for Mac mini (Late 2014) is available but not MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)???

The MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.5 15-Inch (Dual Graphics - Mid-2014 Retina Display) features a 22 nm "Haswell/Crystalwell" 2.5 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (4870HQ), with four independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, a 6 MB shared level 3 cache, 16 GB of onboard 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM

The Apple Mac mini "Core i5" 2.8 (Late 2014/Aluminum Unibody) features a 22 nm "Haswell" 2.8 GHz Intel "Core i5" (4308U) processor with two independent processor "cores" on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 8 GB of onboard 1600 MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM

edited June 2021

nicholfd · June 11, 2021 12:56PM

dt17 said:

Why Support for Mac mini (Late 2014) is available but not MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)???

The MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.5 15-Inch (Dual Graphics - Mid-2014 Retina Display) features a 22 nm "Haswell/Crystalwell" 2.5 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (4870HQ), with four independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, a 6 MB shared level 3 cache, 16 GB of onboard 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM

The Apple Mac mini "Core i5" 2.8 (Late 2014/Aluminum Unibody) features a 22 nm "Haswell" 2.8 GHz Intel "Core i5" (4308U) processor with two independent processor "cores" on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 8 GB of onboard 1600 MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM

NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics.

aieronimo · June 19, 2021 6:37PM

I’m really pleased that my late-2015, 27” iMac is covered by the Monterey upgrade. So I get another year out of this computer for which I paid top dollar on a high-spec configuration (i.e., everything maxed out except the user-upgradeable RAM and the SSD). On the other hand, I’m a bit bummed that Universal Control won’t work with the late-2015 iMac, at least from what I’ve read elsewhere. Maybe that is writing on the wall for this iMac with respect to whatever operating system will come after Monterey.

What you need to run macOS Monterey

Macs compatible with macOS Monterey

Macs removed from compatibility with macOS Monterey

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