Unlike Windows PCs, Apple uses a straightforward naming scheme with its Mac lineup. The product names remain unchanged, with the company differentiating them based on the year they launched.
But if you are not the tech-savvy type, it can become difficult to ascertain which Mac model you own and which macOS releases it supports.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, read the guide below to learn how to find out which macOS versions your Mac is compatible with.
How to Find Out Which Mac You Own and the macOS Version Installed on It
Before finding the macOS builds compatible with your Mac, you must know which Mac model you own and its current OS version. That will make it easier to determine the latest macOS version to which you can update the machine.
Now that you know which Mac you own, you need to find out the macOS versions compatible with it. You can find the newest macOS build for a particular OS release from Apple’s support page.
How to Check Your Mac’s Compatibility With a macOS Version
Apart from updating to the latest macOS release, you might also want to know the previous OS versions your Mac is compatible with if you are looking to downgrade for some reason.
Unlike Windows, Apple does not provide any macOS compatibility checker tool to simplify the entire process. So, you will have to manually go through the compatibility list of each macOS release to find out if your Mac is compatible with it.
Below is the compatibility list of the three recent macOS releases:
macOS Ventura-Compatible Macs
The macOS Monterey update came out in October 2021 and is compatible with the following Macs:
You can find a more detailed breakdown of macOS Monterey-compatible Macs on Apple’s support page.
Remember that newer Macs are not compatible with macOS builds released before their launch due to driver issues. You can only roll back your Mac to the macOS version it initially launched with—all older builds would be incompatible with it.
macOS Big Sur-Compatible Macs
Apple released macOS Big Sur in November 2020 for the following Macs:
If your Mac is running a newer macOS version, like macOS Monterey or macOS Ventura, and you want to install macOS Big Sur, check out the different ways you can downgrade your Mac to an older version of macOS.
Compatibility List of Older macOS Releases
You can find links to the compatibility page of previous macOS releases from Apple below to determine if your Mac supports them or not. However, we’ve listed them here to make it easier.
Your Mac Will Automatically Receive the Latest OS Updates
Remember that your Mac will receive updates as long as Apple supports it. So, if a new macOS version has been released but is not showing up on your Mac, it likely means your Mac has reached its end of life.
Without an official macOS compatibility checker tool, it is a bit difficult to determine Apple’s software releases that your Mac supports. But we hope this article sorted that issue for you.