When Does macOS Sonoma Launch, and Which Macs Are Eligible?

Apple announced macOS 14 “Sonoma” this week during its WWDC developer conference alongside iOS 17 and its new Vision Pro XR headset. And while Sonoma has several exciting new features, like better and movable widgets, the update won’t work on select older Macs.

The macOS Sonoma beta preview is available today for those interested but doesn’t officially arrive until later this fall. It’s a significant update with widgets, screensavers, a new game mode, multiple video conferencing features, a faster Safari, and much more.

While you can access the preview and test new features today, we only recommend that if you’re a developer or can handle bugs and potential problems. After all, this is an “early access beta,” and things won’t be perfect. Furthermore, this release drops support for MacBooks from 2017 and older.

Mac Models that support macOS Sonoma:

MacBook Pro (2018 and newer)
MacBook Air (2018 and newer)
iMac (2019 and newer)
iMac Pro (2017)
Mac mini (2018 and newer)
Mac Pro (2019 and newer)
Mac Studio (2022 and newer)

If you own a 2017 or older MacBook 12-inch, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro, it isn’t compatible with macOS 14 Sonoma. The last major OS update is the current Ventura release.

You can sign up for Apple’s developer program here, which gives you access to the macOS Sonoma preview. Again, we recommend waiting for the official public release later this fall. Sonoma will likely arrive in September or October, similar to macOS Ventura and previous generations.

If you have an older machine losing support, now might be a good time to get that new 15-inch MacBook Air.

Source: Apple