MAC OS Upgrade from Monteray 12.6.6 on MacBook Pro 2021 M1 64 GB RAM - 1 TB HD

[SandyM]

Hi Brian,

I have read through this forum trying to find an answer before asking what I'm sure has been asked before, but no luck.  

I have attached my MBP specs in screen shot.  I have a MacBook PRO 2021 M1 with 64 GB of Ram and 1 TB disk (about 600 GB free and I will free up more before upgrading).  I need to upgrade but I'm not sure if I should jump to the latest Sequoia 15.5 or go with Ventura 13 or Sonoma 14.  I use PS and have not gone to latest version .. still using PS 2024 or 2023, I want to begin using Final Cut Pro for video edits (it's not compatible with Monteray) and I also use Pixnub/SPA, PhotoMechanic, Evoto, LR Classic (cannot go higher due to compatibility with Monteray) - I'd say those are my most critical apps in my workflow.  I'm not in the market for a new MAC.  

What OS version would you recommend ?  If it's not Sequoia 15.5, I need to know how to upgrade to a different version .. my only choice seems to be "upgrade now" which doesn't let me choose a specific OS, only Sequoia 15.5.

Thank you in advance!

Sandy

[Brian]

Since you have a M1 MacBook Pro, upgrading to the latest version isn't a huge deal. That said, there are known problems with Sequoia and Photoshop.

Personally, I'd upgrade to macOS Sonoma, which is the minimum that Final Cut Pro requires. The latest version of Sonoma is 14.7.5. The cool part is when macOS versions get to xx.6.xx or xx.7.xx, they are mature and have very little bugs with them. The good news is you can upgrade from Monterey to Sonoma and skip upgrading to Sequoia altogether. It's really easy.

1. FIRST!! YOU WILL NEED TO COPY AND PASTE THIS LINK INTO SAFARI! The links to the older macOS' will only work in the Safari Web Browser. Chrome Firefox, Edge, no bueno for this.
   
   https://support.apple.com/en-us/102662
   
    
2. That link should take you to the following web page:
   
   
    
3. From there, scroll down, click on the link next to Sequoia:
   
   
    
4. That should open the App Store and you will see the "GET" Button for Sequoia:
   
   
    
5.  IF by some chance clicking on the Sequoia doesn't work, copy and paste the following link into a Safari Browser and hit enter:
   
   macappstores://apps.apple.com/app/macos-sequoia/id6596773750?mt=12
    
6. Then click "Get" in the App Store. The macOS should download the latest version of Sequoia. 
    
7. Then download and install Final Cut Pro. You might be able to update Photoshop to more current versions if you prefer, or stay where you are if things are working fine. That's up to you. PS 2023 / 2024 are fairly stable...2025..."Meh."

Let me know how things work out for you.