Will Updating To Mojave Delete My Files

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How to Fix Your Mac to Upgrade to macOS Mojave

Posted on July 27th, 2018 by

For the latest version of this article, see How to Prepare Your Mac to Upgrade to macOS Big Sur.

How to Set up Your Mac to Upgrade to macOS Big Sur: the Ultimate Guide

It'southward that time over again: some other version of macOS is just around the corner. In less than two months, you'll be able to upgrade your Mac to macOS Mojave. The latest version of Apple's desktop operating system is light on big, new features, but strong on under-the-hood enhancements.

Should you upgrade your Mac to Mojave? Tin can your Mac fifty-fifty be upgraded to Mojave? And how should y'all prepare for this big change? In this article, I'll answer all those questions, and then you lot tin can be gear up to upgrade your Mac to macOS Mojave when Apple officially releases its new operating system.

Compatibility

The beginning affair to check is whether your Mac is compatible with Mojave. Any Mac released in mid 2012 or later will be able to run Mojave, and some older Mac Pros will likewise be able to run it.

MacBook Pro (mid 2012 and later)
MacBook Air (mid 2012 and later)
MacBook (early 2015 and later)
iMac (late 2012 and later)
iMac Pro (2017 and later)
Mac Mini (late 2012 and afterward)

The Mac Pro is an special instance. All Mac Pros from belatedly 2013 and afterwards (that'due south the trashcan Mac Pro) will run Mojave, but earlier models, from mid 2010 and mid 2012, will also run Mojave if they have a Metal capable graphics card. This means that you tin run Mojave on a "cheese grater" Mac Pro if it has the appropriate graphics carte; y'all can too upgrade that graphics carte du jour, if you want to be able to run Mojave. This article from the Production Expert web log explains which graphics cards are Metal compatible.

If you're not sure of the vintage of your Mac, go to the Apple menu, and choose Virtually This Mac. Yous'll see its model and twelvemonth.

Cheque Software Compatibility

All of Apple's software will be compatible with Mojave from twenty-four hours ane, and many major apps will also. But there's a possibility that i or more apps that you depend on won't exist. App developers have plenty of time to ensure the compatibility of their products, but, in some cases, they don't work speedily enough, or it'south not possible to make their apps compatible.

Information technology is essential that you lot cheque to make sure that your apps are uniform. Imagine if you lot don't, and you lot find that 1 app yous use to perform in important task for your clients doesn't work? You'll have to use your backup (see beneath) to revert to High Sierra.

Apple does non maintain a list of compatible apps, but you tin find lists in various places, such equally this Reddit thread; and, here'south a listing of incompatible apps, also on Reddit. Each app developer should say on their websites, or in Mac App Store information, whether they are compatible.

It'due south especially important that y'all check whatever hardware drivers for compatibility. For example, if you use a RAID storage device, and its driver isn't updated, you lot won't be able to access your files on that device, and if you have a graphics card whose drivers are not part of macOS, you'll need to make sure they have been updated to utilise your Mac correctly.

You lot may notice—and you may already have—that some apps, when launched, engender a dialog proverb that they are not optimized for your Mac. These apps run in 32-bit fashion, and Apple is soon requiring that all apps exist 64-bit. 32-bit apps volition still run under Mojave, simply the next version of the operating arrangement will nix them permanently. It's up to the developers to update the apps, and, in some cases, this won't be done, so be prepared to find replacements for some older apps side by side year.

Clean Your Mac

Information technology's a good idea to update as much of your software as possible before upgrading to Mojave. Virtually apps these days offer updates automatically, or, if yous've purchased them from the Mac App Shop, via the App Store app. Don't worry virtually small apps being updated, but for things like Microsoft Office, or Adobe'south Creative Deject apps, and other apps yous depend on for your work, it'south a adept idea to check for updates before upgrading to ensure that you won't have any issues.

Another thing you tin do is clean out some of the gunk that has been on your Mac for a while. You can start by choosing the Apple menu > Virtually this Mac, then clicking on Storage. (RELATED: How to Employ Optimized Storage to Increase Deejay Space.)

Y'all can too use Intego Washing Motorcar to clean up and delete files you no longer demand, such equally cache files, downloads, duplicates, and more than.

Check Your Drive

Apple's Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities) is a tool designed to manage disks, but also to check them for errors. Before upgrading, it'southward a practiced idea to run Deejay Utility's Outset Help tool on your startup book, also every bit on the disk(s) you will use to back upwards your Mac (see below).

Launch Deejay Utility, select your startup volume, then click Start Aid in the toolbar. This volition take a few minutes, and during the process your disk will exist locked so Deejay Utility can make repairs, if necessary. When this is completed, information technology will tell you if all is well, and if it has fabricated repairs.

Back up Your Mac

If your Mac is compatible, and you lot're set to upgrade, the first thing you should do is back up your Mac. Y'all can utilise Time Car if you have an external hard bulldoze, but the safest mode to practice this is to clone your drive. A clone, or bootable backup, is an exact copy of everything on your Mac's drive: arrangement files and personal data. Yous can do this with Intego Personal Backup. (Related: Intego Personal Fill-in Compared with Apple's Fourth dimension Machine)

If anything goes wrong during the upgrade process, you tin kicking from the external drive, and, if necessary, recopy all its files to your Mac.

Cull Upgrade Method: Migration or Clean Installation

There are two ways to upgrade a Mac. The simplest is to run the macOS Mojave installer, which will install the new files over your existing operating system. It won't change your data, only merely those files that are part of the organisation, likewise equally bundled Apple apps.

The other is to utilise Apple'southward Migration Assistant. This app is designed to move your data from an old Mac to a new one, but you tin can also use it for an upgrade. To practise this, you lot should clone your Mac, on at least 2 drives (1 to use for the upgrade, and another as a backup). Offset upwardly your Mac, then press the Selection key immediately and then y'all can select that bulldoze as the startup drive. Launch Disk Utility (in /Applications/Utilities) and erase the drive on your Mac. (You did make two backups, right?)

Download the macOS Mojave installer and launch it. It volition inquire which drive you want to install the software on; select the at present erased drive in your Mac. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.

When you've finished, you'll have a virgin operating system on your Mac, and you'll still be working from your external bulldoze. Y'all tin now copy all the files in your domicile folder, as well as personal apps. (RELATED: Setting Upwardly a New Mac: Should Y'all Migrate or Do a Clean Installation?)

A make clean installation is time consuming, merely it tin weed out old files from apps you no longer utilise, and it'southward a good way to start with a make clean slate. Some people do this for every major operating system upgrade; I but do information technology every few years, considering information technology does take a long time. If you do a make clean installation, make certain to keep both of your clones for some time, but in case at that place's something you forgot to cop over.

How to Install macOS Mojave

Okay, it'due south taken a while, only now y'all're ready. If you're installing macOS Mojave on a laptop, make certain it's charged, or connect it to a ability supply; you don't desire information technology running out of battery during the installation process.

Go to the Mac App Store and download the Mojave installer. This is about 5-6 GB, and may take some time depending on your bandwidth. When the download is complete, the installer will launch; follow its instructions. The upgrade process can accept a while – a half hour or so – and this is a good fourth dimension to become a loving cup of tea or coffee, walk the dog, or practise something else instead of sitting in front end of your Mac watching its progress bar.

But outset… In general, later on macOS is installed, the installer is deleted. If y'all look in /Applications, you'll see the installer, called Install macOS Mojave. It'south a skilful idea to copy it to some other location, an external drive, or, perhaps, your Downloads folder. This way you'll have some other copy in example something goes wrong and you need to run it once again. If your bandwidth is fast enough, this may non be necessary, but for many people information technology can relieve a lot of time to keep the installer rubber. This is also useful if you lot have more than one Mac; yous tin can just copy the installer to another Mac and run information technology.

Once the installation is completed, you'll need to go through a few screens, such as 1 to sign into your iCloud account. At this indicate, you may see an Incompatible Software screen telling you lot of apps that have been moved because they are known to exist incompatible. You'll find them in an Incompatible Software folder at the top level of your drive.

What to Practice if Something Goes Wrong

Many things tin can go wrong with an operating organization upgrade. If yous accept a trouble, you can kicking your Mac from the clone you fabricated earlier, then run the installer again. In a worst-case scenario, yous may need to wipe your Mac'due south startup drive, the follow the clean installation method I discussed above.

Fifty-fifty if all is well, keep those clones for a while, merely in case something goes incorrect in the offset few days of using Mojave. Just now, you can beginning checking out the new features in this new operating system and program for your upgrade. Enjoy!

How can I acquire more?

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Virtually Kirk McElhearn

Kirk McElhearn writes virtually Apple tree products and more on his blog Kirkville. He is co-host of the Intego Mac Podcast, as well as several other podcasts, and is a regular contributor to The Mac Security Web log, TidBITS, and several other websites and publications. Kirk has written more than than two dozen books, including Take Command books nigh Apple's media apps, Scrivener, and LaunchBar. Follow him on Twitter at @mcelhearn. View all posts by Kirk McElhearn →