Having a bootable copy of macOS Sierra on hand can help. If you find out High Sierra is not to your liking, you will need an easy way to downgrade. So, you won’t be able to easily restore a Time Machine backup without formatting to the old HFS+ file system first.Ĭreate a Bootable Copy of macOS Sierra 10.12 There is no easy way to go back because earlier file systems are unrecognized by APFS. High Sierra will convert the file system your Mac currently uses called HFS+ to the new APFS. If your Mac is running macOS 10.12 (Sierra), 10.11 (El Capitan) or earlier, make sure you perform a full time machine backup.

For more details about features supported by model, check Apple’s website. Not all features in High Sierra are supported on older Macs, for example, the new HEVC video codec requires newer hardware such as the 20 MacBook Pro’s. Apple plans to add support in the future. Macs such as the iMac with fusion drives are currently not supported by APFS and will instead continue to use HFS+. It turns out the new file system has a high preference (no pun) for SSD based Macs. The first thing you should do is determine if your Mac is compatible with High Sierra. You might want to peruse first before taking the leap.īack Up Your Current Installation of macOS Now This Macrumors thread has a comprehensive list of compatible and incompatible apps. But for other apps like Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud, make sure you have updated versions installed so you are not in a chicken or the egg situation after reaching the desktop. Prepare Your Mac Before Installing macOS High Sierra 10.13Īpps will need to be modified to support High Sierra’s file system, especially disk tools. In this article, we cover some things you should do before you download and install High Sierra on your Mac. Apart from the under the hood improvements, High Sierra comes with new features that give its predecessor a lot of fit and finish. The desktop is more exposed, too, with a file manager and more free range to roam, unlike iOS where there are strict guidelines for app developers and behaviors for end users. Unlike iOS though, macOS is a more complex creature due partly to its need to support third-party applications that are not as curated and carefully managed as those found in the app store on iOS.

We detailed APFS earlier this year during our prep for the upgrade to iOS 10.3.

Upgrade mac os el capitan to sierra