Apple hasreleased Mavericks ( OS X 10.9 ) , but before you rush out and instal the new operating system , you ’ll want to get your Macreadyfor the rise .
As with Mountain Lion ( OS X 10.8 ) last year , and Lion ( OS X 10.7 ) before that , Apple is advertising Mavericks as a major upgrade that ’s nevertheless dim-witted to install . But as with every big upgrade to OS X , there are a few things you could do beforeupgradingto ensure that your Mac is ready to go .
What you need
The new interlingual rendition of OS X supports any Mac that work with Mountain Lion and is already running OS ten 10.6.8 or by and by . Here ’s the leaning of compatible models :
( Note that while all of the above computers caninstallMavericks , some features , such as Power Nap , AirPlay mirroring and extended desktop , and AirDrop , have stricter requirements . )
Apple also says you need at least 2 GB of RAM ( memory ) , but in my experience , you ’ll love better results with at least 4 GB . If you have only 2 GB installed — and especially if you have only 1GB — you should weigh a hardware upgrade , if that ’s potential with your special Mac example , before installing Mavericks . A word of advice here : If you do n’t buy your Aries directly from Apple , be sure you get RAM that ’s specifically guaranteed for consumption in Macs . Some third - party RAM that ’s not up to Apple ’s specs will cause problems when you elevate your OS . Most reputable vendors will make it clear which RAM they offer is compatible with Macs .
Similarly , Apple states that you should have at least 8 GB of innocent space on your Mac ’s drive to install a major OS X update , but I recommend playing it safe by aiming for 15 GB to 20GB — the Mavericks installer itself is 5.3 GB in size of it , and you ’ll need some room for temporary file . ( You may also find , especially if you ’re upgrading from Snow Leopard , that some of Maverick ’s lineament need more “ everyday ” barren space , as was the case with Lion and Mountain Lion . ) If you need to free up space on your drive , you’re able to use a utility such as WhatSize or GrandPerspective to help you find bounteous Indian file you’re able to get rid of . We ’ve alsocovered some specific proposition for freeing up driving force outer space .
In Lion and Mountain Lion , you may gibe your Mac ’s specs using the About This Mac window ( left ) ; Snow Leopard users can habituate Mactracker to place their Mac model ( right ) .
Not sure which Mac you own or how much tup or free drive space it has ? pick out About This Mac from the Apple Menu , and then click More Info . In Mountain Lion and Lion , the resulting windowpane displays , by nonpayment , your computer model and twelvemonth / adaptation . Click the Storage tab to view your private road ’s free outer space , and click Memory to check the amount of Aries the Ram . In Snow Leopard , you get a System Profiler windowpane — select remembering to see the random-access memory amount : Select Serial - ATA , and then select your campaign ’s name on the right , to see your free drive space .
Unfortunately , Snow Leopard ’s System Profiler windowpane does n’t display your Mac ’s actual model yr / version . However , the excellentMactracker(Mac App Store liaison ) makes it comfortable to find this information . Just launch MacTracker and select This Mac on the left , and your Mac ’s MacTracker entree — complete with its official model year / version — is displayed to the right .
Apple ’s necessary that your Mac be run OS ex 10.6.8 or later ( including any version of 10.7 or 10.8 ) is also important . The main understanding for this restriction is that , like Lion and Mountain Lion before it , Mavericks is available only via the Mac App Store ; and though the Mac App Store requires Mac OS X 10.6.6 , Apple commend OS X 10.6.8 because enhancements in that version make upgrades to later versions of OS X go more swimmingly .
In accession , Apple commend — as I do — that you set up thevery latestupdates to Snow Leopard , Lion , or Mountain Lion ( whichever you ’re presently runnning ) before upgrading to Mavericks , so be sure to check for any useable updates . ( See “ Preinstall undertaking , ” below . )
What if you have a Mavericks - compatible Mac that ’s still running Leopard ( OS X 10.5 ) ? Your leisurely choice is topurchase Snow Leopardfor $ 20 and install it first , then promote to Mavericks when useable . You ’ll still be paying a reasonable Leontyne Price for a vast o upgrade . If that is n’t an selection for you , for whatever grounds , find out out our instructions for put in OS X 10.9 over Leopard , assuming you have the right wing to do so . ( If you have one of the two Mac models that originally shipped with OS X 10.4 Tigerandthat support Mavericks — the Mid 2007 iMac and the Mid / Late 2007 MacBook Pro — and you ’re still operate Tiger , you ’ll by all odds want to go the Snow Leopard - to - Mavericks route . )
in the end , I ’ll echo a good word I ’ve made every yr since Lion was released : If you have a desktop Mac , I highly recommend picking up Apple ’s Magic Trackpad ( ) if you do n’t already have one . The systemwide gesture introduced in Lion , and expanded in Mountain Lion , bear on to become more pervasive as OS ex evolves , and you wo n’t enjoy the full benefits of Mavericks without a trackpad . ( MacBook users , of course , all have a trackpad already . ) I personally still prefer a mouse or with child trackball for general “ mousing around , ” but I keep a Magic Trackpad within reach , as well , just to take reward of OS X ’s motion - based features . It ’s my Magic Gesturepad .
Preinstall tasks
While Appledescribes the process of upgrading to Mavericksas a simple download and install , those of us who ’ve been doing this for a while know that a major OS update is never that unsubdivided . If you do the watch tasksbeforethe ascent , you ’ll have a much better chance of actually enjoying a pain - free experience .
verify your Mac ’s startup thrust is in good healthTo do so , opened Disk Utility ( in / Applications / Utilities ) , take your startup drive in the list on the leftfield , cluck the First financial aid chit to the right , and then click Verify . If Disk Utility finds problems , you ’ll require to bring up from a unlike loudness to do the actual haunt using the Repair Disk release . If you ’re kick upstairs from Lion or Mountain Lion and your Mac can useOS XTC Recovery(known in Lion as Lion Recovery ) , you could boot into recovery mode ( by holding down Command+R at startup ) and use Disk Utility from there to perform the mend .
Alternatively , if you antecedently make abootable Mavericks - install drive , abootable Mountain Lion - install drive , abootable Lion - install ride for old Macsorfor newer Macs , ora separate Recovery cause , you’re able to boot from that driving and habituate Disk Utility . If you ’re upgrade from Snow Leopard , you may also use Disk Utility when you boot from either your Snow Leopard Install DVD or the OS X Install DVD or thumb drive that shipped with your Mac .
If you ’re feeling especially conservative , you could also prefer to run eitherApple ironware Test(for Macs released before June 2013 ) orApple Diagnostics(for Macs released in June 2013 or afterward ) . Both check over your Mac for other ironware proceeds , such as bad RAM .
Back up your Mac , and test that backupLet me say that again : Back up your Mac , and test that patronage — beforeinstalling Mavericks . ( Seeour article on Mac backup plansfor more info on game up your Mac . ) I personally recommend creating a bootable clone backup usingSuperDuperorCarbon Copy Cloner , although a Time Machine musical accompaniment will do , as well . ( The reward of a clone backup is that you may get back up and run at once if something goes wrong — a clone is a pure , bootable copy of your driving . The vantage of a Time Machine accompaniment is that it keeps the most - recentandolder version of your written document . I personally back up using both methods . )
To essay a clone or other bootable fill-in , use the Startup Disk panelling of System Preferences to reboot from the backup driving and swear that everything works just as if you had bring up from your Mac ’s main drive . To test a Time Machine or other nonbootable computer backup , try restoring several files — both honest-to-god ones and new ones — to ensure you’re able to convalesce your data should calamity happen upon .
Snow Leopard exploiter only : Disable FileVaultIf you ’re upgrading from Snow Leopard ( OS X 10.6 ) and you ’re using FileVault , OS X ’s build up - in report - encryption lineament , on any of your Mac ’s accounts , I recommenddisablingFileVault before upgrade to Mountain Lion . Mavericks , like Mountain Lion and Lion before it , utilise a different ( and much - improved ) approach shot to encoding , called FileVault 2 . Apple says that you could keep using the Snow Leopard implementation for antecedently cipher user accounts , but FileVault 2 is a much respectable agency to go , so now ’s as ripe a prison term as any to switch . ( As I notice in my former upgrade guides , I also prefer to not try Murphy ’s Law by risk any mutual exclusiveness between the two interpretation of FileVault . ) Once you ’ve successfully installed Mavericks , you may enable FileVault 2 in the Security & Privacy Lucy in the sky with diamonds of System Preferences .
Disable third - party disk encryptionSimilarly , if you ’re using third - company full - disk - encoding software , you may want to temporarily disable that encoding before raise your Mac ’s OS . Most of these products interact with your effort and the group O at a scummy storey , and an incompatibility with Mavericks could leave you unable to boot your Mac or , worse , ineffective to get at your data at all . Once Mavericks is up and running and you ’ve control ( with the developer ) that your encryption software program is compatible with OS X 10.9 , you may re - enable encoding . However , given that FileVault 2 code your entire drive , this is a expert opportunity to migrate to OS X ’s built - in encryption feature instead .
Under Mountain Lion ( OS X 10.8 ) , you’re able to turn back for available atomic number 76 updates using the Mac App Store app .
Check for organisation update and updates to other Apple softwareYou’ll want to be certain you ’ve instal both the latest updates to your currently installed interlingual rendition of OS X — those update may admit change that are command for upgrading to Mavericks — and the latest versions of any other Apple software that might be affected by the upgrade . To do this in Mountain Lion , you spread the Mac App Store app and check the Updates concealment ; any usable update to Mountain Lion and Apple software will seem at the top of the window . In Lion and Snow Leopard , you should run Software Update ( accessible from the Apple carte du jour ) . Regardless of your version of OS X , you should alsocheck for updated firmware for your particular Mac example .
Check for Mavericks - compatible update to third - party softwareAs with any major upgrade to OS X , you ’ll belike find that some of your third - party package need to be updated to work with Mavericks . If you take some metre to arrest compatibilitybeforeinstalling OS X 10.9 , you ’ll in all likelihood avoid the foiling of your favourite apps and add - ons not working .
To check compatibility , you may visit the web site for each single app and system minimal brain damage - on , but I commend first check RoaringApps’list of Mac software compatibility . ( The inclination includes columns for various version of OS X — be sure to look at the Mavericks column . ) The lean is n’t yet anywhere close to being exhaustive , but it will originate to take in quickly as more and more people set up and use Mavericks .
However you check for compatibility , if an app has an update useable , you ’ll require to download and install that update . For apps you ’ve obtained via the Mac App Store , this is as simple-minded as launching the App Store app , penetrate the Updates push in the toolbar , clicking Update All , and providing your Apple ID and password when prompted . This will download and installallavailable update to Mac App Store - purchase computer software at once .
For non - Mac App Store apps , you ’ll ask to manually install updates . Some apps provide a built - in update feature ( often accessed by choosing hinderance For Updates from the app’sApplication Namemenu or its Help fare ) ; for apps that do n’t pop the question an update feature , you ’ll need to chatter the developer ’s web site , download the latest edition , and put in it yourself .
RoaringApps.com ’s drug user - contributed list of Mac computer software compatibility can help you determine if your favorite apps are ready for Mavericks .
When it come to software that ’s mismated with the new version of OS X , the self-aggrandizing wrongdoer will probably be programs and organization add - ons that integrate with ( or hack ) the O at a blue level . Kernel extension phone , for example , are notorious for being discrepant with major new versions of OS X , but you may also line up that service program that pick off the Finder , add - ons that ameliorate Mail , and other plug - In and “ enhancers ” that go fine under your current O initiation wo n’t work under Mavericks . ( This will be especially likely for people upgrading from Snow Leopard . ) Since most of these types of apps and add - ons are n’t allowed on the Mac App Store , be sure to check up on vendor websites for OS X 10.9 - compatible updatesbeforeupgrading . ( Do n’t forget to see third - party System Preferences panes , Mail attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ons , fare - bar apps , and connection - browser app sparking plug - Hoosier State . ) If it sour out that a particular bit of software is incompatible with Mavericks and does n’t have an update available , uninstall or disable that package until a compatible reading is secrete .
Snow Leopard drug user only : check up on for really old softwareIf you ’re still running Snow Leopard ( OS X 10.6 ) , you may have a few PowerPC programs — software that was never updated to pass natively on Macs with Intel processor — on your drive . Under Snow Leopard and early versions of OS X , Apple provided computer software call Rosetta that allowed PowerPC code to run on Intel Macs . In Snow Leopard ( OS X 10.6 ) , Rosetta was no longer install by default , but the OS would offer to download and install Rosetta if you tried to run a PowerPC program . However , Apple kill Rosetta totally when Lion ( 10.7 ) was released , and it remain unavailable in Mavericks .
This signify that any PowerPC apps you ’ve been using under Snow Leopard wo n’t work at all in Mavericks . If you have important PowerPC programs ( for good example , elderly versions of Quicken for Mac are still astonishingly pop ) , you ’ll need to update those program to Intel - central processor rendering , if useable , before advance to Mavericks . If such updates are n’t available , you ’ll require to feel satisfactory choice , whether those are modern Mac choice or , if need be , Windows versions that you may run under Boot Camp or virtualization software such as Parallels or Fusion . ( Christopher Breen’sseriesofarticleson Lion and PowerPC software remains useful if you ’re still running Snow Leopard . ) Alternatively , you could keep an sure-enough Mac on deal to die hard those apps when require .
How can you tell which of your applications are PowerPC computer programme ? The easiest style is to launch Snow Leopard ’s System Profiler service program ( in / Applications / Utilities ) , select Applications ( under Software in the sidebar ) , and then click the Kind column head , which sorts the list of applications by central processing unit type . Any programs listed asPowerPCwill not do work under Mavericks , Mountain Lion , or Lion . ( If you have any listed asClassic , that ship sailed long ago . )
Set up your iCloud accountApple ’s swarm - sync serving , iCloud , is heavily mix into many apps and system of rules religious service . ( This consolidation started in Lion , but it has become increasingly more prevalent with each major OS tenner update . ) To debar being hassled about iCloud synchronise when you first lumber in to your new Mavericks installation , make certain that you ’re logged in to your iCloud account , and that you ’ve enable syncing for the various type of put up information , beforeupgrading — you’ll but call for to leave your iCloud countersign once you reboot into Mavericks . ( If you ’re upgrading from Snow Leopard and you do n’t yet have an iCloud write up , you ’ll be move to create one once you boot into Mavericks for the first time . )
Suggestion : Have an redundant drive handyWhile most people will only instal Mavericks over Mountain Lion , Lion , or Snow Leopard , there are situation in which you might want to install onto an empty drive . For example , if you need to install Mavericks on a second drive to test the operating system before upgrading your main driving force , or if you require to erase your Mac ’s startup drive and start anew . ( The latter might be a good melodic theme if your Mac has been having government issue , or if your drive is nearly full or in pauperism of haunt . ) As I ’ll cover in an coming article on instal Mavericks , installing it onto a petty drive is simple . However , erasing your Mac ’s inauguration thrust and go fresh requires that you have a good , tested backup ( see above ) as well as a bootable Mavericks install drive , so now ’s the sentence to start develop .
Ready to go
Thanks to the Mac App Store , the process of obtaining and put in major updates to OS X is easy and relatively nimble — call up the days of optical platter and postal - ring armor delivery ? But the right shape your Mac is in before you establish OS X 10.9 , the better your experience will be during and after the upgrade . Now that your Mac is in good order prepped , you ’re ready for ourcomplete guide to perform the upgrade . We ’ll be publishing a flock of articles on using and pick off Mavericks , so remain tuned to Macworld.com .
Updated 10/22/2013 , 3:45pm , for the release of Mavericks and our full install scout .
