Upgrade to macOS Big Sur

Before installing this upgrade, make sure that your Mac is ready.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6) is the seventh major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Snow Leopard was publicly unveiled on June 8, 2009 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. All-new Interface. MacOS Big Sur brings a new design that’s been finely tuned for the powerful features that make a Mac a Mac. Core features, such as the menu bar and Dock, take advantage of the large Mac display, with translucent backings and spacious pull-down menus. If you’re using an earlier macOS, use the App Store instead. Learn how to download and install macOS Big Sur Go to the App Store. Get to know macOS Big Sur. Third Party Trademark Legal Notice: Mac, iMac, Macbook, OSX, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, Snow Leopard, Leopard, Tiger are trademarks of Apple Inc.

Check compatibility

macOS Big Sur supports most Mac models introduced in 2013 and later.

Make a backup

Before you upgrade, make a complete backup with Time Machine, or store your files in iCloud.

Free up space

If the installer needs more storage space to upgrade, you can free up space using tools that come with your Mac.

Apple Snow Leopard App Store

Download macOS Big Sur

If you’re using macOS Mojave or later, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update. If you’re using an earlier macOS, use the App Store instead.

Get to know macOS Big Sur

Learn about some of the new features of macOS Big Sur.

Control Center

Control Center brings favorite controls such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Do Not Disturb, and Sound together in a single place—so you can easily adjust them at any time.

Notification Center

Notification Center puts notifications and>

Safari

Customize your start page, navigate with ease using the new tab bar, and access a new privacy report to see just how Safari protects your privacy as you browse.

Maps

Discover great places around the world and navigate easier with guides, cycling directions, indoor maps, Look Around, electric vehicle routing, and more.

Messages

Send messages to friends and family using new tools that make it easier to keep track of group conversations and give you fun, engaging ways to express yourself.

Photos

Use the expanded editing capabilities in Photos to easily make simple changes and more advanced adjustments to your photos.

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macOS Big Sur takes the most advanced operating system in the world to a whole new level of power and beauty, and makes your apps look better than ever. Widgets and the widget gallery help you deliver more value to your users. Adding intelligence to your apps with machine learning is simple with extensive tools, models, training capabilities, and APIs. You can create more powerful Mac versions of your iPad apps with Mac Catalyst. And you can easily bring your extensions to Safari — and to the App Store.

All-new Interface

macOS Big Sur brings a new design that’s been finely tuned for the powerful features that make a Mac a Mac. Core features, such as the menu bar and Dock, take advantage of the large Mac display, with translucent backings and spacious pull-down menus. The new Control Center, designed just for Mac, provides quick access to controls while keeping the menu bar clutter-free. Notification Center puts recent notifications and powerful new widgets together in a single view for at-a-glance information as you work. And a streamlined new design for apps features full-height sidebars and integrated toolbar buttons.

Widgets

Easily build widgets using the WidgetKit framework and the new widget API for SwiftUI. Widgets now come in multiple sizes, and users can visit the new widget gallery to search, preview sizes, and add them to Notification Center to access important details at a glance.

Safari Extensions

Snow Leopard App Store Update

With support for the popular WebExtension API, it’s even easier to bring powerful extensions to Safari. Xcode 12 even includes a porting tool to streamline the process.

The new Extensions category on the Mac App Store showcases Safari extensions, with editorial spotlights and top charts to help users discover and download great extensions from the developer community.

Machine Learning

With macOS Big Sur, creating apps that leverage the power of machine learning is even easier and more extensive with additional tools in Core ML for model deployment, new models and training capabilities in Create ML, more APIs for vision and natural language, and improved resources for training on Mac and converting models to Core ML format.

Mac Catalyst

Create even more powerful Mac versions of your iPad apps. Apps built with Mac Catalyst now take on the new look of macOS Big Sur and help you better define the look and behavior of your apps. You can choose to turn off automatic scaling of iPad controls and layout, allowing you to precisely place every pixel on the screen. Provide full control of your app using just the keyboard, take advantage of the updated Photos picker, access more iOS frameworks, and more.

User privacy on the App Store

The Mac App Store helps users better understand apps’ privacy practices. You’ll need to enter your privacy practice details into App Store Connect for display on your product page.

Tools and resources

Snow Leopard App Store Update

Use Xcode 12 and these resources to build apps for macOS Big Sur.