I was talking with the IT support people at my office about a problem on my iMac and was stymied when they asked about what version of MacOS I’m running. The latest! How can I get more information than that in the future so I sound more tech savvy?
Operating systems go through thousands of updates over many years, sometimes with big new base names and dramatic changes – think Windows 95 to Windows 11, or OS 9 on the early Macintosh systems to the latest macOS 13 on the newest hardware – and other times with tiny behind-the-scenes tweaks (often for security) that are invisible. For troubleshooting problems and ensuring you have the best device, it is pretty darn important to keep your systems updated. That’s why Mac systems, like so many modern operating systems, have automatic security updates that are applied without you having to download or approve anything.
Bigger updates that can change the user experience (think MacOS X to MacOS 11, for example) will typically pop up a notification that there’s an update available, allowing you decide when – or if! – to apply it. There are also superstitions about updates too, believe it or not. For example, some people only apply “dot” updates, figuring that those that end with a “0” are still likely buggy. My personal experience has not borne that out, but I still know many users who lag behind with updates.
Given that, how can you tell what version you’re running and what version is the latest? Let’s answer that in reverse order…
WHAT’S THE LATEST VERSION OF MACOS?
Apple names major Mac operating system versions after geographic points of interest in its home state of California. The very latest version of MacOS is “Ventura”, with “Monterey”, “Big Sur”, and “Catalina” before that. You don’t need to remember that, fortunately! Just go here: Latest Versions of MacOS. Here’s what it shows as I write this:
If you’re running the latest and greatest, then you should be on MacOS Ventura 13.4.1.
CHECK YOUR OS VERSION WITH “ABOUT THIS MAC”
The fastest and easiest way to check your OS version number is to choose “About this Mac” from the Apple menu on the top left of your screen. It brings up a narrow little window with key information shown:
This is also where you can identify your device serial number, something that can be very helpful, especially if your IT team also tracks computers and other devices for the boss. You can see my MacBook Pro is indeed running the latest: MacOS Ventura 13.4.1
But there are lots of other fun and interesting ways to learn more about both your operating system and other details of your hardware. These are particularly good to know if you’re checking out a used device for a potential purchase…
IDENTIFY MACOS VERSION THROUGH SETTINGS
Open up “System Settings…” from that same Apple menu, then choose General > About. You’ll see this information:
This view adds information about AppleCare+ and, a bit lower down, the version of MacOS running on the device. Scroll down just a bit further and there’s even more useful info:
This shows not just the display technology for the screen – Built-in Liquid Retina XDR Display – but the current resolution I’m using, a high-density 3456 x 2234 pixels. Below it, the storage device is shown, along with its usage info: I have a 1TB drive (it offers 994.66GB of available space) and have 358.58GB available. Not too bad!
What’s really helpful is to notice that you can get to your Display or Storage settings directly from this view, or jump to one of my favorite Mac admin programs: System Report…
IDENTIFY MAC INFO THROUGH SYSTEM REPORT
The System Report app offers an incredibly detailed view of your Mac system and can answer lots of questions from support, and more. You can see that the Hardware overview is chockablock with very detailed info:
Scroll down on the left side and you’ll find “Software”. That offers yet more information:
This time we can see that it’s MacOS 13.4.1 (22F82), but that the actual kernel, the heart of MacOS, is “Darwin 22.5.0” too. Probably far more information than you need to know, but if you’re curious about the underlying tech, it is interesting to learn more about the Darwin open-source kernel and its history.
AND THEN THERE’S THE COMMAND LINE
If we’re going all old school, it turns out you can identify both the MacOS version number and Kernel version information from the command line. Open up “Terminal” to follow along:
The first command, sw_vers, offers up that it’s MacOS 13.4.1 (22F82), while the second command, uname -a, includes the Darwin Kernel release number: 22.5.0.
Between all of these, you now know lots of ways to identify MacOS version number and a whole lot more!
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing tutorials for both the Apple iPhone and Mac since they was first released. Please check out my extensive Mac help area and iPhone help area for lots and lots of useful content.