Whether you welcome change or prefer to avoid it, change is inevitable- especially when it comes to updating your MacOS. The fact is that updates are important to your operating system. They fix bugs, provide new features, and improve the productivity of a Mac.
In this post, we want to tell you a bit about the macOS 10.15 Catalina, including how to prepare your Mac for the operating system update and how to install the new macOS Catalina.
The new version of macOS 10.15 has a beautiful name, taken from the island of Santa Catalina in the Pacific Ocean. We await its upcoming release in fall 2019, which promises new changes related to iTunes, Photos, Safari and other standard macOS apps. iPad will be better configured to work with Mac, including the ability to use the iPad as a second display. Additionally, you will be able to improve your daily Mac usage by controlling the on-screen time or using Voice Control.
First, we want to highlight the main points of the new software update:
macOS Catalina Compatibility
Some Mac users will not be able to install macOS Catalina due to potential incompatibility with existing hardware. Macintosh computers that meet the macOS compatibility requirements include:
– Mac mini (2012 and later)
– Mac Pro (2013 and later)
– MacBook Pro (2012 and later)
– MacBook Air (2012 and later)
– MacBook (2015 and later)
– iMac (2012 and later)
– iMac Pro (2017 and later)
macOS Catalina Requirements
The macOS Mojave installation requires at least 12.5 GB of available storage and 2 GB of memory. Currently, the beta version of the macOS Catalina installation file alone requires an additional 6.5 GB. Before you begin updating to macOS Catalina, make sure that you have nearly 20 GB of free space on your Mac.
macOS Catalina Features
If you are a person who does not like change, we want to preview some new features in preparation for the update:
✓ Instead of the iTunes app, there will be three new apps: Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. This separation allows you to work with these applications on all your Apple devices. For example, you can choose where you left off on your iPad and continue on your Mac.
✓ Developers can transform your most-liked iPad apps to run on macOS Catalina. Additionally, you will be able to share content between apps on both devices. So, follow the news of your favorite iPad apps.
✓ The Photos, Notes, and Reminders applications refreshed their interfaces and improved productivity. The Safari browser will become faster.
✓Using the new Sidecar feature, you can use your iPad as a second display for your Mac. In this case, an Apple Pencil can be your new favorite tool. It is possible for iPadOS 13 and macOS 10.15.
✓ Screen Time will help you to control the time you and your children spend using applications on a Mac. It helps to manage your time productively and set limits for apps and communication.
✓ You can start doing more on macOS with spoken commands via Voice Control.
✓ Gatekeeper, data control, and mandatory third-party app notarization helps macOS 10.15 to protect your data. Now apps will need your permission to use your data. It relates to the Desktop, Documents, and Downloads folders, external drives, network drives and cloud storage on your Mac.
Whether to update to macOS Catalina or not
We want to point out a few changes so you can decide whether to install macOS Catalina or not.
Pros
✓ Better security
✓ iPad as a second display
✓ iPadOS apps for macOS
Cons
𐄂 Incompatibility with old 32-bit apps
𐄂 Difficulty running certain apps downloaded from the net
The macOS Catalina will support only 64-bit apps. To see if the most important apps on your disk are 64-bit or not, do as follows:
Click the Apple menu → press and hold the Option key → select System Information.
On the left side of the window, click Software and select Applications.
On the right side of the window, you will see your app’s name, version, developer, last day modified, and whether it is 64-bit version or not.
For instance, you won’t be able to launch the TextWrangler app on macOS 10.15. So, if you need to use some 32-bit apps, do not upgrade your Mac to macOS Catalina.
Before the Software Update
If you decide to install macOS Catalina on your computer, we advise using these five helpful tips:
Backup your Mac. Launch the Time Machine app and follow the onscreen instructions to save your data to an external drive. In case you have no external drives, you can use iCloud to save your photos, calendars, contacts, notes, and passwords.
Uninstall apps on a Mac. Get rid of all 32-bit and other unused apps to free up the storage space on your Mac. Use the free App Cleaner & Uninstaller software tool to completely and correctly delete programs from your disk.
Delete duplicate files. Identical files, like duplicate photos, take gigabytes of storage space on your Mac. Preparing your Mac for a new update is a convenient time to clean up your computer from unneeded equal files. Just download the free Duplicate File Finder app from the App Store to easily and quickly remove duplicates.
Clear cache and other unneeded files. You can delete temporary files, like caches, logs, and downloads from your disk. To remove these junk files, you can use the MacCleaner Pro application for Mac.
Delete media files. It’s likely that you have lots of old and large files stored on your Mac. Generally the largest portion of them are media files. You can easily find, review and remove unneeded large files from your Mac via Disk Space Analyzer. Also, you can move them to external or cloud storage, for example.
We highly recommend correctly cleaning up your Mac using these helpful apps by Nektony. They completely remove unneeded programs, as well as old and junk files, from your disk. As a result, this proper clearing of your Mac’s storage will help prevent problems with your transition to the new macOS Catalina. You can get all these handy apps together in the MacCleaner Pro bundle. Using them regularly optimizes and streamlines your Mac for better performance.
If you want to learn more about how to improve the performance of your Mac, check out our 15 tips in this post.
If you have doubts about installing the new macOS 10.15, you can use the native macOS Disk Utility app. It serves to partition your physical disk on several volumes. This way you can keep your current macOS while testing macOS Catalina.
Install macOS Catalina
After you have created a backup of your data, you can freely update your macOS. For this, take the following steps:
If you are using a Mac laptop, plug it into AC power.
Make sure that you have a stable internet connection.
On macOS Mojave, click the Apple menu → System Preferences → Software Update.
Click on the Update Now button next to the macOS 10.15 Update.
In the next moment, the installer automatically opens. Click Continue to proceed and follow the onscreen instructions. Do not put your Mac to sleep or close its lid so that the computer can complete the macOS update.
Conclusion
If you want continued access to technical developments, upgrade your Mac. The macOS Catalina update will give you the following benefits:
Increased security. This benefit allows you to stop worrying about malicious programs and uncontrolled access to data on your Mac.
Extended desktop. Whether you are a 5-year old budding artist or a fashion designer, you will enjoy the Apple Pencil with an iPad as a second display.
iPadOS apps. Find enjoyment in using your favorite iPad apps on a Mac with better performance.
Please feel free to share your experience using the new macOS Catalina in the comments.
Svitlana is a freelance tech-writer. She writes in-depth guides and apps comparative reviews for Mac and iPhone users. You can find Svitlana trying out new recipes and spending time with her friends in her free time.
