1. Mac Os Versions
2. Mac Os Catalina

• The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2021 it is macOS Big Sur. However, for users that need to run 32-bit apps on Mac, the best macOS is Mojave. Also, older Macs would benefit if upgraded at least to macOS Sierra for which Apple still releases security patches.
• Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard was the first version that only supported Intel processors, and 10.7 requires a 64-bit Intel processor, excluding the earliest Core models.

Most of us are keen to update to a new version of macOS as soon as it is available. macOS Big Sur has been out since November 12, still, many users couldn't update their Macs straight away. It’s very frustrating if you see a message telling you that you don’t have enough space to install the new macOS. Don’t worry, though. There are lots of things you can do to fix it. We’ll show you what they are in this article.

How much space do you need for Big Sur?

Do Macs get viruses? Do Macs need antivirus software? The answer isn't as simple as it may seem. In this article, we look at the dangers faced by Mac users and the pros and cons of using Mac. Mar 30, 2021 For everyone else, 256GB is more than likely good enough to get by for years to come. If you can pick up the extra storage at 512GB, it definitely provides you with more than enough cushion for well into the future. Choosing the right storage size is never easy. On the plus side, all Mac models come with a base storage of 256GB.

While the installer for Big Sur takes up less than 16GB of space, you should make sure that you have at least 20GB of free space on your startup disk before you try to download and install it. The more free space, the better. Your Mac uses disk space to store temporary files and provide storage for active apps and tasks (which is what RAM does), so you should never be running with almost no disk space left.

CleanMyMac X makes it very easy to free up disk space on your Mac by identifying junk files and allowing you to get rid of them with a click. It can also detect large and old files and show you the files taking up most space and uninstall applications.

How to free up space for macOS Big Sur?

Complete the following steps to ensure your Mac is ready to update to Big Sur.

1. Backup your Mac

Back up all files and data that are stored on your Mac. Preferably twice to different locations. While upgrading to Big Sur is safe, you never know when something might go wrong. If you use Time Machine or another backup tool, run a manual backup just before you upgrade. And, if you can, clone your startup disk to an external drive, too.

2. Free up disk space using CleanMyMac X

If you don’t already have CleanMyMac X installed, download it for free here. This tool will help you clear some space and delete large and old files quickly.

1. Launch CleanMyMac X.
2. Choose System Junk in the sidebar and press Scan.
3. When it’s finished, press Clean to free up space, or Review Details to find out more.

3. Get rid of large and old files

Media files usually gobble up a large amount of disk space. And the worst thing is they are scattered around Mac’s folders, making it difficult to find and remove them. CleanMyMac X proves to be useful here:

• Choose Large & Old files in CleanMyMac X’s sidebar.
• Press Scan.
• When it’s finished, use the middle column to filter files by type.
• Check files that you want to delete.
• Press Remove.

4. Use Apple’s built-in storage management tool

Apple has provided a method for you to manage storage by showing you what is taking up disk space and making recommendations for deleting. It’s not as quick and easy as CleanMyMac X, but it can help you save disk space. Here’s how to use it.

1. Click on the Apple menu and choose About this Mac.
2. Select Storage and press Manage.
3. In the Recommendations section, review each section in turn.
4. Now go through each of the sections in the sidebar.
5. Delete files or take further action, depending on what you choose.

5. Delete local Time Machine snapshots

There is one other thing you can try if you keep getting a message telling you that you do not have enough space to install Big Sur. You should only try it if you are sure there is enough space on your startup disk and that the message is wrong. And it will only work if you use Time Machine to back up your Mac.

Time Machine stores local snapshots on your Mac. Your Mac is supposed to count the space used by snapshots as free space, which is why it looks like you have enough space for the installation.

However, it seems that the installer may not realize the space is free. The solution is to delete the snapshots. This won’t remove backups on your backup disk, just snapshots on your Mac.

Open Time Machine from System Preferences. Uncheck Back Up Automatically and wait some time till Time Machine deletes snapshots. Then you can turn Time Machine back on.

If you’re familiar with Terminal, you can try deleting local snapshots manually.

1. Go to Applications > Utilities and launch Terminal.
2. Type: tmutil listlocalsnapshots /
3. You will see a list of snapshots that look like this: com.apple.TimeMachine.2020-10–09-002010.local
4. To delete a snapshot, type: sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots
5. Then type the date part of the snapshot name. For example: sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2020-10–09-002010
6. Type Return and repeat for each snapshot you want to delete.

Hopefully, this helped you free up some space and update your Mac to the latest OS. If you're just preparing your Mac for the upgrade, don't forget to back up your data before you start clearing space. So you won't be afraid of losing anything important.

What’s the best version of the Mac OS for your Mac? It depends on the hardware.

DR writes:

I enjoyed reading How Can I Prepare for Mac OS X?, especially about the different Macs that you’ve owned. I got a Macintosh (yes, just plain Macintosh) in February 1985. Upgraded to a Mac 512K, a.k.a. Fat Mac. Upgraded to a 512Ke (with 128k ROM and a double-sided disk drive!). Got a Mac Classic 4/40. Got a Quadra 605 8/160. Got a used Quadra 630 8/250. Got a Power Computing PowerBase 180 32/1.2. Got a Power Computing PowerCenter Pro 240 64/2. And what a fun ride it has been. : )

While the “How Can I Prepare for Mac OS X?” author is looking forward to Mac OS X, my feelings toward system software, as they called it in the old days, is a bit different. Whichever Mac I’ve owned has been a non-networked computer. A lot of times a newer version of a Mac OS would just run a little slower and take up more hard drive space. The question I like to answer which helps me decide whether to upgrade or not is, “What do I want to do on my Mac that I could do with the new OS that I can’t do with the old OS?” If I can’t find anything, then I stick with what I’ve got. Reason’s I’ve upgraded in the past have been: 1) newer OS required for certain applications 2) hope that the newer OS doesn’t crash as often as the older one (shades of 7.6.1 and the PowerBase 180) and 3) to get HFS+.

There are two possible computers that I may upgrade. Please tell me what you think is the best version of Mac OS to run on each and why. First, my computer. I have a Power Computing PowerCenter Pro 240 with 64 MB RAM, 2 GB hard drive, CD-ROM, Zip drive, Personal LaserWriter 300, external speakers, 56k modem, mic, and a Color QuickCam. I’m running Mac OS 8.1 and thinking about upgrading to 8.5. “What would I want to do on my Mac that I could do with 8.5 that I can’t do with the 8.1?” Also the potential hard drive problem causes me to hesitate upgrading as well.

The second computer: my sister has inherited the Macs that I didn’t sell. Currently, she has a Quadra 630 with 20 MB of RAM, 250 MB hard drive, inkjet printer, external CD-ROM, and a 33.6 kbps modem. She is currently using version 7.5.5. She’s not a power user. She just uses the Internet a little and uses WriteNow a little. She’s had some difficulty keeping her Internet connection. This could be related to the noisy phone lines in her rural area, but different system software may help her also. What version of Mac OS do you think is best for her?

During the day, I support a network of 70-some Macs. The oldest, sold about two years ago, was a 2.5 MB Mac Plus with 20 MB GCC HyperDrive. The newest are a Power Mac G3/266 and a PowerBook G3/233. And there are probably two dozen different models between those extremes.

To maintain my sanity, I have done my best to keep as many Macs as possible on the same version of the Mac OS. With few exceptions, that means System 7.5.5. (Or 7.5.3 for a few Macs that are not compatible with 7.5.5.) I find it complete and stable. At this point, I see no reason to ever change most users to Mac OS 8 or newer. None.

The only Macs I would hesitate to run 7.5.5 on are the old 8 MHz 68000-based ones. While they can run System 7.5.5, they feel a lot more responsive with System 6.0.8.

Mac Os Versions

A couple machines need Mac OS 7.6, so that’s what they get. Just a few of us are using Mac OS 8.1 – some because it came with the computers, three others so we can be familiar with it (and we’re now testing 8.5.1). By choice, I don’t use HFS+, a choice I made before Norton Utilities 4, which has problems with HFS+.

Nice as HFS+ would be, the extra 100 MB it frees on my hard drive hasn’t been worth the struggles of getting it to work correctly. Twice I’ve invested over half-a-day in trying to make my system work with HFS+. Both times I’ve reverted to HFS. I’m sure I’ll go HFS+ soon, but I need to have the free time to troubleshoot any problems that may arise. (See HFS+ Nightmares and Beyond HFS+ Nightmares for the full story.)

Unless you work with a lot of small files on a large drive, I don’t see HFS+ as a compelling reason to upgrade. I’m happily using Mac OS 8.1 without it.

That said, I love the spring loaded folders, which really reduce desktop clutter. At home, I love the PPP stability – even better than FreePPP. Contextual menus are nice, but the main reason I switched at home was because I have 8.1 at work. It’s much easier to work on the same version of the OS than to go back and forth.

I haven’t run Mac OS 8.1 on a 68040-based Mac, but my son (who now uses my old Centris 610) did the upgrade and says it’s very stable – and faster than 7.5.5 was. I’ve heard similar reports from others. The ability to jettison pre-68040 code allowed Apple to make 8.1 more streamlined than earlier versions that had to support the 68000 and 68020 (through 7.5.5) and 68030 (through 7.6.1).

Update: Apple claimed they jettisoned pre-68040 code, but we have evidence from Scott Barber and the Born Again program that 68030-based Macs can run Mac OS 8.0 and 8.1. This is sort of like the way Mac OS X is “unsupported” on some Macs, yet XPostFacto allows it to install and run.

I’ve found Mac OS 8.1 stable enough and feature-laden enough to recommend it to anyone with a Quadra or Power Mac who is willing to spend $40 for the upgrade.

As for Mac OS 8.5, I must admit I’m a firm believer in Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong, it will. At work, we were approved to buy three copies and test it. The rare hard drive problem, estimated to trouble less than 1% of all systems, would almost certainly choose one of those three, trash a 1.2 GB to 4 GB hard drive beyond repair, and cost one or two days of down time.

Sure, we do daily backup. But if the drive is so seriously damaged that it must be replaced, even an overnight shipment means a day without a usable computer. It’s not a risk I’m prepared to take, especially since nobody seems to have pinned down the underlying cause of this problem. (Apple is collecting hard drives from the field.)

But Mac OS 8.5 was mostly a matter of when: After Apple discovered the cause of the problem and released a fix for it, we bought it and installed it on a few machines for testing purposes. I think it will be especially helpful in a networked environment (that includes using a modem to reach the Internet), since all the I/O drivers are now PowerPC native and Open Transport has been significantly upgraded.

So my vote is Mac OS 7.5.5 on pre-68040 models, 8.1 on 68040 and PowerPC machines, and either 8.1 or 8.5.1 on Power Macs and Mac clones.

Reader Feedback

Chik writes:

I had no problems installing Mac OS 8.5 on a Power Mac 6200. No hard drive corruption, etc. It was a clean clean install.

But it is so much slower than OS 8.1 that I can’t recommend anyone use it. I had to disable much of the OS to get it to speed up e.g. AppleScript, file sharing, etc.

Mac Os Catalina

Also have Speed Doubler 8.x.

BV writes:

Regarding problems in reformatting to HFS+: I wasn’t going to do it, because I didn’t think it was worth backing up and initializing my hard drive to save the space.

Surfing through Macworld I found a mention of an application called Plus Maker from Alsoft ($19.95; www.alsoft.com). I downloaded it and near-instantaneously reformatted the hard drive on my PowerMac 6500/250 (OS 8.1) without initializing, without backing up (I’m a home user – what have I got to back up a 4 GB hard drive with?), without losing data or any (more) stability problems than I had before. I saved over 1 GB of space on my drive.

If this sounds like an ad, I could damn sure write them a genuine, uncompensated endorsement (schmuck that I am).

Thanks for what you’re doing; I just bought Vimage’s PF G3/240-225 upgrade card on your say-so, since I’m apparently running the same system you are.

We used Plus Maker on all of our Mac OS 8.1 systems at work to convert the drives to HFS+. It was a bit risky, but only because at that time neither Norton nor any other hard drive utility could work with HFS+ drives. Mine was the only drive to have problems, which may have been due to file corruption or third-party software. As of last week, I am successfully using HFS+ on my hard drive at work.

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