What's New in macOS Sonoma and How to Get It

macOS Sonoma is version 14 of Apple's Mac operating system, released in September 2023. If you have been putting off updating your Mac, this guide walks you through what is new, whether your Mac can run it, and how to install it safely.

First, check whether your Mac is compatible. Sonoma runs on the iMac from 2019 or later, MacBook Pro from 2018 or later, MacBook Air from 2018 or later, Mac mini from 2018 or later, Mac Pro from 2019 or later, and Mac Studio (all models). To find your Mac's year, click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and choose "About This Mac." You will see the model name and year.

To see which version of macOS you currently have, use that same "About This Mac" screen. If it shows anything older than macOS 14 Sonoma, you are eligible to update for free.

Before updating, do a Time Machine backup. Connect an external hard drive, open Time Machine in System Settings, and run a backup. This ensures you can roll back if anything goes wrong.

To install Sonoma, go to System Settings (formerly System Preferences), click General, then Software Update. If Sonoma is available for your Mac, it will appear there. Click "Update Now" and follow the prompts. The download is several gigabytes, so it may take 30 minutes to an hour depending on your internet connection, and installation adds another 20 to 30 minutes.

What is new in Sonoma? Desktop widgets are the biggest visible change — you can drag widgets from the Notification Center and place them directly on your desktop background. Safari now supports Profiles, which keep your bookmarks, history, and cookies separate between work and personal browsing — very useful. During video calls, a feature called Presenter Overlay lets your image float over a shared screen naturally instead of taking up a separate box. Game Mode improves gaming performance by prioritizing the game for CPU and GPU resources. Passwords, a new app previewing what will become a standalone tool in later versions, gives better access to your saved passwords. Autocorrect is improved and finally stops making embarrassing wrong corrections as often.