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 Sonoma:
   
   
    
4. That should open the App Store and you will see the "GET" Button for Sonoma:
   
   
    
5.  IF by some chance clicking on the Sonoma doesn't work, copy and paste the following link into a Safari Browser and hit enter:
   
   macappstores://apps.apple.com/app/macos-sonoma/id6450717509?mt=12
    
6. Then click "Get" in the App Store. The macOS should download the latest version of Sonoma, which is 14.7.5 at the time of this writing. 
    
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.

[SandyM]

Hi Brian,

Thank you for the wonderfully detailed directions to upgrade to Sonoma .. I have done so successfully / without issues!  I just want to ensure anyone reading above knows you meant "Sonoma" and not "Sequoia" in your instructions (Steps 3, 4, 5 & 6)  .. I knew you meant Sonoma .. so I went with that based on your second paragraph in your reply. 

Truly appreciate your help and giving me confidence in doing this upgrade without worry.

Sandy

[Brian]

Oops. Too many "S" macOS version offerings. It also didn't help that Apple's links / Safari were being stupid when I wrote the above comment. I edited things, thanks for the head's up.

 

[SandyM]

Hi Brian, I hope it's okay to reply to an older thread, if not, I can create a new one.  It's essentially the same type of issue.

As noted above, I upgraded based on your advice and am on Sonoma 14.7.6 w/out any issues, however, when I downloaded Final Cut Pro a few months back, I went with the Trail version to see if I liked it.  Now I want to buy Final Cut Pro but it says I cannot download unless I'm on Mac Version 15.6 or later.  I have Creative Cloud subscription and generally use PS 2023/2024 (not against using later versions), I use PixNub/SPA, LR Classic, Photomechanic, Evoto and a few others native to my Mac).  

In order to download Final Cut, looks like I have to upgrade my OS as I have not purchased it before and I cannot get to a prior version of FCP. I don't really want to go to the latest and greatest OS (e.g. Tahoe) due to bugs.  I recall you said there was an issue with Sequoia and PS.  Do you know if those issues are resolved if I must upgrade to Sequoia?  

Thank you and sorry to bother you again on the same type of issue .. I should have just bought FCP and then I could have stayed with an older version from what I have read on other forums.

Sandy

[SandyM]

Hi Brian,

Not sure if you saw this yet or not.  I think my only choice here is to upgrade to Sequoia as I do not want to go to the latest Tahoe .. I do see PS 25.12 is compatible as per the Adobe compatibility list .. unless you see a major concern, I need to get upgraded so that I can use Final Cut Pro on a project.

Sandy