Apple has officially revealed the next version of macOS, dubbed Big Sur, one of the most important updates to date. The most notable changes are found in notifications, new themes, a much faster Safari experience and a complete update of Messages. Do you find it exciting? The same thing happens to us. Therefore, we tell you how to download macOS Big Sur.
The public version of Big Sur will not be available until later in 2020, but as usual Apple offers a developer beta, which allows app builders to work with compatibility. If you’re still curious and willing to take on the thrills of a beta, you can preview Big Sur right now and we’ll show you exactly how.
Note : Do not install this developer beta if you are not willing to take risks. Given its potential instability, this version is more suitable for a Mac that you don’t use as a primary (a spare MacBook, for example). If you want to try Big Sur on a Mac that you use every day, we recommend that you wait until the public beta version.
Step 1: check if your Mac is compatible
This should be your first priority. As with all macOS updates, some Macs will fall behind with new software, and we suspect you don’t want to go through the process of acquiring the developer beta if your Mac isn’t even supported.
These are the cut points for Macs so you can know if your current machine can run Big Sur or not:
- MacBook (12-inch) : from 2015 models.
- MacBook Air : from 2013 models.
- MacBook Pro : from late 2013 models.
- Mac mini : from 2014 models.
- iMac : from 2014 models.
- iMac Pro : All models.
- Mac Pro : from 2013 models.
If you are ready for adventure, go on to the next step. If not, it’s still time to buy a new Mac.
Step 2: Make sure you are part of the Apple Developer Program
The beta program is strictly intended for application developers, so not everyone can download and use it. To request the preview, you must be part of the Apple Developer Program. If you already are, go to the next step.
If you are not registered as a developer you cannot continue without this step. The process begins by going to the Apple developer website and selecting the blue enrollment button at the top. You will need to register as an individual and provide your Apple ID, name, and email address.
Select Start enrollment , sign in, and confirm two-factor authentication.
Subsequently, you accept the terms and conditions of Apple and configure the information for payment; Apple requires an annual fee of $ 100 to stay in the Developer Program and you must pay in advance to access.
When your developer account is set up, you’re ready to go.
Step 3: protect your data
By nature, beta versions are unstable and developer beta versions are even more so. There is a chance that serious errors will corrupt your data and you should be prepared in case that happens.
We recommend that you make a complete backup of all your data using an external hard drive and Time Machine. You can find Time Machine in System Preferences on your Mac; just make sure it is enabled, select the disk to backup and choose the external hard drive as the backup destination.
There is another option if you don’t have an external drive and still want to try the beta: You can partition the Mac drive and isolate a space to experiment with Big Sur. This is a bit more complicated and you will need enough local storage to manage two operating systems. If you are interested, we have a guide where you can get more information.
Step 4: Sign up and download the beta version
Now you are ready for the beta, start by visiting the Apple page for the developer beta and select the blue Download button in the upper right corner.
Then log in to your Apple developer account; Once the developer page opens, scroll down until you see the Install Profile option. Press this button to download the macOS Big Sur Developer Beta Access Utility.
Step 5: install Big Sur
Go to Finder or Dock > Recent Downloads to locate the Access Utility file which should be labeled macOSDeveloperBetaAccessUtility.pkg. Select it to download Big Sur.
Once the downloader has finished, it should automatically notify you that an update is available for the Big Sur developer preview. If you don’t see any notification, restart your Mac and check for updates again using Software Update in System Preferences .
Now update what is available to install the beta version of Big Sur. This process may take some time, but be sure to review it regularly to see if Apple needs you to make a decision. If you partitioned the drive, this is the time when you should be absolutely sure that you are downloading into the correct partition. You will also likely have to agree to a few steps to join the Apple beta program and associated terms and conditions.
Finally, your Mac should start to reboot and install Big Sur completely. When the whole process is done, the Mac should boot into Big Sur and allow you to use the developer’s new beta version; We remind you once again that you may run into problems since this is not a public release, so be careful.
Have you decided to wait for the public beta version? Great. Apple allows you to sign up for the latest on all of its public versions of Big Sur, iOS 14 and more on this page .