How to Update Your Mac from macOS High Sierra (10.13) to Catalina (10.15)

Upgrading your Mac from macOS High Sierra (10.13) to Catalina (10.15) is a significant process that requires careful planning and execution. Before you start, it's essential to be aware of the potential issues and incompatibilities that may arise during the upgrade.

One of the most critical considerations is the compatibility of your installed applications with macOS Catalina. Unfortunately, Apple Java 6 was end-of-life in February 2013 and has not been updated since October 2013, which poses a significant security risk.

Several popular applications, including Adobe Creative Suite (CS) 6 and Adobe Acrobat X (10), may require Apple Java v6 to function properly. However, both of these applications are no longer supported by Apple and should be upgraded or replaced as soon as possible.

Another important consideration is the dedicated system volume in Catalina. Third-party backup, cloning, and disk repair software may need to be updated or upgraded to work with this version of macOS.

Additionally, Catalina does not support Dashboard applications/widgets, legacy media formats, or 32-bit applications. If you have any 32-bit applications installed on your Mac, they will not function after the upgrade.

Catalina has also deprecated support for legacy System/Kernel Extensions (KEXTs), which may affect certain software and hardware configurations.

To ensure a smooth upgrade process, we recommend checking the compatibility of your installed applications with macOS Catalina. The following software have been verified to work with Catalina:

* Cisco Anconnect VPN Client v4.8 or later

* Some newer models of Mac

Before upgrading, it's essential to perform a backup of your system and check which installed applications are 32-bit. We strongly recommend that you back up your system before proceeding.

To upgrade to macOS Catalina, you will need:

* Storage Space: at least 15 GB of available disk space

* A restart may be required after manually approving any Anconnect extension

By carefully following these guidelines and being aware of the potential issues and incompatibilities, you can ensure a successful upgrade from macOS High Sierra (10.13) to Catalina (10.15).

How to update mac from 10.13 to 10.15