We get hands-on with your Mac’s biggest update for 20 years!

When Apple showcased its successor to macOS 10.15 Catalina at June’s WWDC20 event, its name couldn’t have been more apt. Big Sur, the area in California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise from the Pacific Ocean to form one of the most beautiful stretches of undeveloped coastline in the world, was chosen as the moniker for macOS version 11.0 (the first time the primary version number has changed in two decades). And like its namesake with its scenic coastal road (leading over that iconic bridge we’ve all flown under in Grand Theft Auto V!), it’s simply stunning.

With Apple’s Big Sur announcement came talk of some major new updates to some of the most essential apps on the platform, along with an entirely new design - the biggest cosmetic overhaul since Mac OS X was introduced in 2000. In this feature we’ll guide you through exactly what you can expect to discover in macOS Big Sur when it is officially rolled out this Autumn.

Your big questions answered

WILL macOS BIG SUR RUN ON MY MAC?

It probably will, as long as you don’t own a 2012 Mac. The following Macs will be able to run Big Sur: MacBook 2015 or later; MacBook Air 2013 or later; MacBook Pro 2013 or later; Mac mini 2014 or later; iMac 2014 or later; iMac Pro 2017 or later and Mac Pro 2013 or later.

WHEN WILL macOS BIG SUR BE RELEASED?

The official word is that macOS 11.0 will be a free download coming this Autumn. Traditionally, new updates drop in late September following their announcement at WWDC the previous June. However, macOS Catalina arrived slightly later in October. So who knows?

HOW CAN I GET macOS BIG SUR RIGHT NOW?

Go to beta.apple.com and sign up to the beta program to download the latest public beta of macOS Big Sur. Make sure that you back up your Mac before installing and be aware that the betas may be slightly glitchy and generally a lot less stable than the finished builds.

Incredible new design

Apple wanted to make macOS Big Sur more iOS-like and it looks like its mission has been successful with a lighter, more unified design on display in the update.

Dynamic beauty

The new Big Sur Dynamic Desktop images look stunning from duck ’till dawn

DUSK

NIGHT

DAWN

Easier navigation in Maps

Maps is one of Apple’s core Mac apps that will undergo a significant overhaul in Big Sur. As well as a new design that makes it easier to find your way around using Apple’s detailed map, a new ‘Favourites’ section will be added to the top of the sidebar - so your home, work and favourite places to eat out will be only a single click away.