The macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 update improves the stability, performance, and security of your Mac and is recommended for all users. This update adds support for Messages in iCloud, which lets you. Reboot and your Mac will be back to normal. Our thanks to Mac Kung Fu for pointing this out to us! It should tide us over until maxOS Mojave comes out this fall. The macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Update improves the stability and security of your Mac and is recommended for all users. MacOS High Sierra may not offer many radical changes to the user experience, but there are plenty of quality of life changes, and its under-the-hood alterations should help future-proof your Mac.
These advanced steps are primarily for system administrators and others who are familiar with the command line. You don't need a bootable installer to upgrade macOS or reinstall macOS, but it can be useful when you want to install on multiple computers without downloading the installer each time.
What you need to create a bootable installer
- A USB flash drive or other secondary volume formatted as Mac OS Extended, with at least 14GB of available storage
- A downloaded installer for macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or El Capitan
Download macOS
- Download: macOS Big Sur, macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave, or macOS High Sierra
These download to your Applications folder as an app named Install macOS [version name]. If the installer opens after downloading, quit it without continuing installation. To get the correct installer, download from a Mac that is using macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. Enterprise administrators, please download from Apple, not a locally hosted software-update server. - Download: OS X El Capitan
This downloads as a disk image named InstallMacOSX.dmg. On a Mac that is compatible with El Capitan, open the disk image and run the installer within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. It installs an app named Install OS X El Capitan into your Applications folder. You will create the bootable installer from this app, not from the disk image or .pkg installer.
Use the 'createinstallmedia' command in Terminal
- Connect the USB flash drive or other volume that you're using for the bootable installer.
- Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
- Type or paste one of the following commands in Terminal. These assume that the installer is in your Applications folder, and MyVolume is the name of the USB flash drive or other volume you're using. If it has a different name, replace
MyVolume
in these commands with the name of your volume.
Big Sur:*
Catalina:*
Mojave:*
High Sierra:*
El Capitan:
* If your Mac is using macOS Sierra or earlier, include the --applicationpath
argument and installer path, similar to the way this is done in the command for El Capitan.
After typing the command:
- Press Return to enter the command.
- When prompted, type your administrator password and press Return again. Terminal doesn't show any characters as you type your password.
- When prompted, type
Y
to confirm that you want to erase the volume, then press Return. Terminal shows the progress as the volume is erased. - After the volume is erased, you may see an alert that Terminal would like to access files on a removable volume. Click OK to allow the copy to proceed.
- When Terminal says that it's done, the volume will have the same name as the installer you downloaded, such as Install macOS Big Sur. You can now quit Terminal and eject the volume.
Use the bootable installer
Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:
Apple silicon
- Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
- Turn on your Mac and continue to hold the power button until you see the startup options window, which shows your bootable volumes and a gear icon labled Options.
- Select the volume containing the bootable installer, then click Continue.
- When the macOS installer opens, follow the onscreen instructions.
Intel processor
- Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
- Press and hold the Option (Alt) ⌥ key immediately after turning on or restarting your Mac.
- Release the Option key when you see a dark screen showing your bootable volumes.
- Select the volume containing the bootable installer. Then click the up arrow or press Return.
If you can't start up from the bootable installer, make sure that the External Boot setting in Startup Security Utility is set to allow booting from external media. - Choose your language, if prompted.
- Select Install macOS (or Install OS X) from the Utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.
Learn more
Mac Os X High Sierra 10.13
For more information about the createinstallmedia
command and the arguments that you can use with it, make sure that the macOS installer is in your Applications folder, then enter the appropriate path in Terminal:
- Big Sur: /Applications/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- Catalina: /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- Mojave: /Applications/Install macOS Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- High Sierra: /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- El Capitan: /Applications/Install OS X El Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
A bootable installer doesn't download macOS from the internet, but it does require an internet connection to get firmware and other information specific to the Mac model.
Each time a new operating system arrives, there comes an ubiquitous head-to-head battle: is the new one any better than previous one? Is upgrading worth the effort?
Today we’re going to answer these questions (and a few more) in regards to the new macOS 10.13 High Sierra and its older twin, macOS Sierra. We’ll drill into new features that are worth upgrading as well as downsides if you decide to install macOS High Sierra Beta. At the same time, we’ll have a closer look at regular Sierra version, which may just be strong enough to stick to many Mac users’ preferences.
So, let’s put all cards on the table and go for an unbiased macOS High Sierra vs macOS Sierra comparison. After a bit of fact-checking, we’ll leave it to you whether or not to upgrade to macOS High Sierra Beta.
Reasons you should upgrade to macOS High Sierra Beta
The macOS 10.13 High Sierra packs a bunch of new features that promise more capabilities for gaming, virtual and augmented reality. Then, there’s a series of small refinements that capitalize on a better, faster and more powerful UI. Here’s why you should probably upgrade to macOS High Sierra.
A better file system
One of the main arguments for the macOS High Sierra is, undoubtedly, the improved file system, which has received a significant speed boost. The new APFS (Apple File System), as it is now called, completely reorganizes how data is stored and processed, making it easy for users to copy files faster. For instance, the new copying algorithm allows to send a file to a new location, without storing both copies on drive. The Time Machine has got more flexible and now requires less drive space to operate. From now on your files are better protected against accidental crashes, which is obviously a strong selling point.
Enhanced graphics, VR and AR in Metal 2
If you’re looking for just one reason to upgrade to macOS High Sierra Beta, this is it. Metal 2 is the improved technology wrapped around GPU settings and, basically, an accelerator for your apps. It’s really a game-changer in macOS High Sierra, leveraging powerful tools for developers that can now benefit from external GPU support.
New high-end editing tools in Photos
The Photos app has evolved with a set of new tools for easy, in-depth editing — Curves, Selective Colors — just to name a few. Amusingly enough, you can now launch external editing tools, like Photoshop, right inside Photos. More live effects and a new sidebar to organize your collections should make photo business more fun in macOS High Sierra.
HD videos that take less space
The new macOS High Sierra also introduces some great space-saving techniques, while maintaining the video quality as high as ever. High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is finally supported, which brings video compression to the next level. To put it short, your smaller size videos will look uber cool in Ultra HD.
Safari takes on speed
Download High Sierra Installer
When run on macOS High Sierra, Safari could be the fastest browser ever invented. Period. Not to mention it also got safer and a lot less annoying, by giving users more power to block their unwanted ads.
Siri gets smarter
Recently named the world’s most popular voice assistant, Siri has moved one grade up in macOS High Sierra. Compared to the previous OS, it speaks in a more natural voice and can even DJ at your parties. Well, at least create your favorite playlists and answer music-related questions.
Of course, these are just cherries on top of the new macOS 10.13 High Sierra. If you’re already converted by now and can’t wait to hit the Install button, here are some sobering points that may make you change your mind.
Reasons you should stick with macOS Sierra (for now)
When analyzing the new features of macOS High Sierra, everything sounds great in theory. However, keep in mind that, for now, the download is only available to Apple Developers and is in Beta Version, which says a lot of possible issues and bugs will inevitably pop up.
Swami charitra. What’s more, depending on how old your Mac is, it’s possible that it won’t be able to support all the improved capabilities that macOS High Sierra brings to the table. From this standpoint, if you’re not willing to risk your system to help Apple test High Sierra, you might be safer with regular macOS Sierra until the official version of macOS 10.13 High Sierra is released.
Most experts agree that the current update looks less of a breakthrough, but rather a scrupulous rework under the hood. That means if you aren’t a software developer or a gamer, you might not even notice the difference.
And the last reason, 32-bit apps will no longer be supported in macOS High Sierra. It concerns quite a few apps, really, (ones that don’t have a 64-bit version) but if some of your favorites are 32-bit, you are really out of luck.
Mac Os Sierra 10.12 Free Apple Download
Feature Comparison | macOS Sierra | macOS High Sierra |
Size on drive | 4.78 GB | about 3 GB |
Graphics | Metal (API) basic | Metal 2, perfect for gaming |
Video | H.264 compression | H.265, 40% Ultra HD |
Photos | Easy photo organization, face recognition | Built-in advanced editor, more effects added |
File System | HFS+, used for 20 years | APFS, faster file operation |
If you are not entirely convinced about switching and yet want your Mac to run better, you can look into some simpler solutions. After all, upgrading your Mac’s OS is a big move, a die-and-reborn type — you cannot predict all possible risks. At the same time, most Macs require cleaning and optimization after some months of use, like repairing disk permissions or re-indexing Spotlight search. This way you’ll boost the performance of your current OS.
How to speed up and optimize your Mac
Final tips before switching to macOS High Sierra
- Backup your most important data
- Remove junk from system folders — CleanMyMac X will do it in just minutes
- Update all your apps (by clicking Check for updates…)
- Delete large & old files to free up drive space
The latter can be done with CleanMyMac, the most popular Mac cleaning app in the world, that finds 74 GB of junk on an average Mac. Check it out — you can download it for free and clean 500 MB of system junk free of charge.
Thanks for getting to the bottom of this article. Hope it helps, folks. Stay tuned!