#Mac os catalina vs monterey install#

The jump from Catalina or Big Sur to Monterey isn’t a big one, so most modern apps should have been updated to ensure compatibility with Monterey by now. When you are ready to upgrade, aim for when a little downtime will be convenient. The upgrade process will take a few hours, and it may take additional time to configure everything properly afterward. Earlier versions of macOS no longer receive security fixes, rendering them more vulnerable to attack. You can continue to delay as long as you’re running macOS 10.15 Catalina or macOS 11 Big Sur and are staying up to date with Apple’s security updates. After that, Monterey should be feature-complete and will likely receive only bug fixes and security updates.

The upcoming macOS 12.3 will add the long-promised Universal Control feature for controlling multiple Macs and iPads from one keyboard and mouse.

The macOS 12.2 maintenance release from January 2022 includes only unspecified bug fixes and some security updates. The macOS 12.1 feature release in December 2021 added support for SharePlay, the Apple Music Voice Plan, Memories improvements in Photos, and Legacy Contacts, along with bug fixes and security updates. Monterey has been quite stable and has needed only two updates since its initial release in October 2021. There’s no reason you must upgrade to macOS 12 Monterey right away, but if you want to, you should now be able to do so without undue interruptions. Upgrading is not an if question it’s a when question. On the other hand, waiting too long can cause problems-it’s important so you can stay in sight of the cutting edge for security reasons and take advantage of Apple’s advances.

#Mac os catalina vs monterey install#

(We often install even beta releases on secondary machines for testing purposes.) Upgrading is easy, but if you upgrade too soon, the new version of macOS could render favorite apps inoperable, create workflow interruptions, and have other negative consequences. When it comes to upgrading to a new version of macOS, we err on the side of caution, at least in our recommendations.