Here’s how to upgrade your Mac to macOS Monterey

9to5Mac By Michael Potuck October 26, 2021

[{"selector":"#anim-1a0353ba-b3d4-4982-8c16-2ff7f1935ae1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] How to install macOS Monterey on your Mac macOS 12.0.1 is the first public Monterey release, comes in at about 12GB in size, and you’ll need a bit more disk space than that. Keep in mind it may take several hours or more to download depending on your Internet connection and Apple’s servers.

If you’re not sure, check if your Mac is compatible with macOS Monterey

[{"selector":"#anim-82c47cd3-7c20-456d-970a-847dfffcdfca","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-25e478f0-4091-4b9e-ba95-e08c6b86920d","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.5)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.95)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1450,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] 1

Create a fresh backup of your Mac in case you have issues and want to downgrade and need to restore

[{"selector":"#anim-1cd3b248-6a56-445f-98b8-ac061657190b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3c60cd2b-b80d-4fc8-b1ff-890f82ed65ee","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.5)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.95)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1450,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] 2

You can download macOS Monterey via OTA (System Preferences > Software Update) or use this link to get the OS in the Mac App Store

[{"selector":"#anim-79a64aca-b8ea-4638-bc48-e03bc02e80ef","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-931fb4f8-8944-4202-a3af-26329592169e","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.5)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.95)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1450,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] 3

Click the blue “Get” button in the App Store or “Upgrade Now” in System Preferences

[{"selector":"#anim-4a8ddd7b-0fc7-41a3-a243-cedebbb6fcb0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2ef194b1-6ae5-4cf2-bd6a-ad3713a1b716","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.5)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.95)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1450,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] 4

After the download is complete, the installer should automatically open

[{"selector":"#anim-c999113b-605f-4924-a11c-af80ca1c4c32","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-89d1c799-9ff3-422d-bc10-dbe29b64e5f4","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.5)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.95)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1450,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] 5

Click “Continue” and follow the instructions

[{"selector":"#anim-3cdf8db5-486e-42a8-b617-297acbfe678a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9b0e63a6-8232-4b42-bd08-678d7e26477f","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.5)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.95)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1450,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] 6

Don’t close your MacBook or put your Mac to sleep during the install process

[{"selector":"#anim-780e475a-2a5e-44d0-a63f-8b17d13c9bcf","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5bd1597e-dd1b-4170-94ef-9d4e96092ef9","keyframes":[{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":0},{"transform":"scale(1.5)","offset":0.33},{"transform":"scale(0.95)","offset":0.66},{"transform":"scale(1)","offset":1}],"delay":0,"duration":1450,"easing":"ease-in-out","fill":"both","iterations":1}] 7

Here’s how it looks to check for Monterey in System Preferences:

[{"selector":"#anim-7883b5e8-a1ec-4e05-9dd3-5c1e2d488acf","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Or you can head to the Mac App Store to download it:

[{"selector":"#anim-0667f01a-b732-46e0-b892-fc556f155554","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]