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macOS Sierra Q&A
Update Published September 20, 2016
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Which Macs are compatible with macOS Sierra (10.12)? What are the system requirements? Which Macs support which features?
On June 13, 2016, Apple previewed macOS Sierra. It was available as a "public beta" starting on July 7, 2016, and released in its final version on September 20, 2016. It is a free release and only available officially via Apple's own App Store.
The Many Names of Mac OS
"macOS" Sierra introduces a new naming convention that represents a full circle rebranding of the Mac operating system.
From Mac OS -- Mac OS 7.6 through Mac OS 9, (although Mac clones running System 7.5.x also would display Mac OS on the splash screen) -- to Mac OS X -- Mac OS X 10.0 "Cheetah" through Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" -- to OS X -- as the company started using with OS X Lion -- and now back to "macOS" but lower case and a single word to be more in sync with Apple's three other OS X-based operating systems -- iOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
macOS Sierra is the twelfth version of Mac OS X/OS X, so it is reasonable to refer to it as Mac OS X 10.12 or OS X 12, as well.
macOS Sierra (10.12) -- based on the desktop photo -- presumably is named after the Sierra Nevada mountain range in keeping with Apple's recent theme of naming its Mac operating systems after attractive locations in California -- Mavericks (10.9), Yosemite (10.10), and El Capitan (10.11).
New macOS Sierra Features
In the original press release, Apple boasted that macOS Sierra is "a major update to the world's most advanced desktop operating system" and more specifically noted:
Siri is now on the Mac with brand-new capabilities to help with the things users do every day on their desktop. With Siri, users can look up information, find documents, pin or drag and drop search results, and even adjust system preferences. Seamless integration with iCloud makes everything from your Desktop and Documents folder available on your iPhone and iPad so you always have access to the files you need. Universal Clipboard allows you to copy content, including text, images, photos and video from one Apple device and paste it in another. Apple Pay comes to the Mac in Sierra so it is even easier to shop securely and privately online. And Photos now helps you rediscover your meaningful memories, organize your library and perfect shots like a pro.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (MacBook Running macOS Sierra)
System Requirements
In Apple's WWDC 2016 presentation, the company noted that macOS Sierra runs on the following Mac categories:
- iMac (Late 2009 or later)
- MacBook (Late 2009 or later)
- MacBook Air (Late 2010 or later)
- MacBook Pro (Mid-2010 or later)
- Mac mini (Mid-2010 or later)
- Mac Pro (Mid-2010 or later)
As first noted by the well-respected hacker netkas, the macOS interface itself (the GUI) now runs "on top of" Apple's "Metal" graphics technology introduced by OS X El Capitan rather than OpenGL, as well.
It is worth noting that macOS Sierra does abandon a good number of systems that were supported by the previous version of the Mac operating system, OS X El Capitan. Specific feature support also varies.
In addition to being one of the categories of Mac listed above, it also needs to be running OS X 10.7.5 or higher prior to installation and have 2 GB of memory installed as well as 8.8 GB of available storage.
Identification Help
If you're not sure if your Mac will run macOS Sierra, all of the supported systems can be identified by the above "subfamily" designations as well as by the Model Identifier in software. More details about specific identifiers are provided in EveryMac.com's extensive Mac Identification section.
To locate the model identifier, select "About This Mac" under the Apple Menu on your computer and click the "More Info..." button. If the Mac is running OS X "Lion" (10.7) or later, click the "System Report" button after clicking "More Info..." as well.
EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature also can identify these models by their Serial Numbers.
macOS Sierra Supported Systems
Specifically, the following Macs are compatible with macOS Sierra. However, just because a Mac runs macOS Sierra does not mean that it is compatible with all features.
Supported Mac |
Subfamily |
Model ID |
Late 2009 |
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Late 2009 |
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Late 2009 |
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Late 2009 |
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Late 2009 |
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Late 2009 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Early 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Late 2014 |
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Late 2014 |
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Mid-2015 |
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Late 2015 |
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Late 2015 |
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Late 2015 |
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Late 2015 |
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Late 2015 |
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Late 2015 |
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Late 2015 |
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Late 2009 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2016 |
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Early 2016 |
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Early 2016 |
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Late 2010 |
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Late 2010 |
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Late 2010 |
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Late 2010 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2013 |
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Mid-2013 |
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Mid-2013 |
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Mid-2013 |
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Early 2014 |
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Early 2014 |
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Early 2014 |
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Early 2014 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2015 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Early 2011 |
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Early 2011 |
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Early 2011 |
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Early 2011 |
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Early 2011 |
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Early 2011 |
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Early 2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Late 2011 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Early 2013 |
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Early 2013 |
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Early 2013 |
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Early 2013 |
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Early 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Mid-2014 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2015 |
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Early 2015 |
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Mid-2015 |
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Mid-2015 |
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Mid-2015 |
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Mid-2015 |
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Mid-2015 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Mid-2011 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2012 |
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Late 2014 |
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Late 2014 |
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Late 2014 |
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Late 2014 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Mid-2010 |
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Server |
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Server |
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Server |
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Server |
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Server |
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Server |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Mid-2012 |
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Server |
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Server |
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Server |
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Server |
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Server |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
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Late 2013 |
If your Mac isn't listed above, and it wasn't released after September 20, 2016, it isn't compatible with macOS Sierra.
macOS Sierra Features Compatibility
All of the above Macs support the macOS Sierra operating system, but specific feature support varies. All of these Macs support Siri, desktop and document synchronization across devices, and optimized storage, as well as interface enhancements and new versions of Apple apps.
However, some new features like Universal Clipboard, Auto Unlock (which also requires an Apple Watch runnning watchOS 3 and an iPhone 5 or later), and Apple Pay on the Web do not work on all of these models.
These are the earliest models that support each of these features running macOS Sierra:
Universal |
Auto Unlock |
Apple Pay |
|
iMac |
Late 2012 |
Late 2013 |
Late 2012 |
MacBook |
Early 2015 |
Early 2015 |
Early 2015 |
MacBook Air |
Mid-2012 |
Mid-2013 |
Mid-2012 |
MacBook Pro |
Mid-2012 |
Late 2013 |
Mid-2012 |
Mac mini |
Late 2012 |
Late 2014 |
Late 2012 |
Mac Pro |
Late 2013 |
Late 2013 |
Late 2013 |
Support for other major features -- Metal, Handoff and Instant Hotspot, AirDrop to iOS, AirDrop Between Macs, AirPlay Mirroring, and Power Nap -- all of which were first introduced with earlier versions of OS X and carry over to macOS Sierra -- also are not supported by all models.
These are the earliest models that support each of these features running macOS Sierra:
Metal |
Handoff |
AirDrop to iOS |
AirDrop (Mac-to-Mac) |
AirPlay Mirroring |
Power Nap |
|
iMac |
Late 2012 |
Late 2012 |
Late 2012 |
Early 2009 |
Mid-2011 |
Late 2012 |
MacBook |
Early 2015 |
Early 2015 |
Early 2015 |
Late 2008 |
Early 2015 |
Early 2015 |
MacBook Air |
Mid-2012 |
Mid-2012 |
Mid-2012 |
Late 2010 |
Mid-2011 |
Late 2010 |
MacBook Pro |
Mid-2012 |
Mid-2012 |
Mid-2012 |
Late 2008 |
Early 2011 |
Mid-2012 Retina |
Mac mini |
Late 2012 |
Late 2012 |
Late 2012 |
Mid-2010 |
Mid-2011 |
Late 2012 |
Mac Pro |
Late 2013 |
Late 2013 |
Late 2013 |
Early 2009 |
Late 2013 |
Late 2013 |
Compatibility Summary
Ultimately, macOS Sierra brings some welcomed new features like Siri, iCloud integration, Universal Clipboard, and Apple Pay, but those without supported Macs can still do quite well with earlier versions of the operating system for a while longer.
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