

(If you’re reading this months after its release, scroll down the page and look under the Free heading along the right side of the window. For the first several days that Yosemite is available, Apple will display a banner promoting it. To get your copy select App Store from the Apple menu. Downloading YosemiteĪs were the last few versions of OS X, Yosemite is available from the Mac App Store. If you like what you see, go right ahead and install it on your regular startup volume. If you aren’t satisfied with it, it’s a simple matter to boot back into your Mavericks volume. By installing Yosemite on an external drive or a partition on your startup volume you have the option to experience it before making a complete commitment. It may be Yosemite’s new “flatter” look that puts them off or that Yosemite’s performance on their Mac isn’t everything they’d hoped it would be. Use Time Machine or another backup method to back up all your data.Ĭonsider a clean installation on a separate volume or partition: With every OS update-mobile or desktop-there are people who make the switch and then regret doing so.

Developers have been busy making their apps compatible with Yosemite and updating them before you proceed will make for a happier experience when you finally jump to OS X 10.10.īack up your Mac: Mac OS upgrades generally go very smoothly these days, but if you were born under a bad sign, you could be one of the unfortunate few whose installation goes awry. Update your apps: From the Apple menu choose App Store and in the resulting window click on the Updates tab and install all appropriate updates for your existing apps. Again, Yosemite is free so you won’t see a mysterious charge appear on your credit card after the download, but you still need the ID to get a copy. And it is because you can’t download Yosemite from the Mac App Store without such an ID. But if you’re That Person, it’s time to get one. Get an Apple ID: If you own any hunk of Apple hardware made in the last decade it’s hard to imagine that you don’t also have an Apple ID. Your Mac will run better with more RAM, so if you’ve been nursing yours along with just 2GB, it might be time to consider adding more. Yosemite is compatible with the same Macs as Mavericks.Īpple tells us that, like Mavericks, Yosemite will need 2GB of RAM and 8GB of free storage space for the installation.
