How Much Room Should You Have For Your El Capitan

/ Comments off

Lesson 1: OS X El Capitan: Frequently Asked Questions

  1. May 07, 2018  El Capitan Canyon: Hit or Miss Accomodations! - See 337 traveler reviews, 206 candid photos, and great deals for El Capitan Canyon at Tripadvisor.
  2. Jan 21, 2016  OS X El Capitan (10.11) MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and professionals interested in the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.

OS X El Capitan: Frequently asked questions

In September 2015, Apple launched OS X El Capitan. We'd like to offer you a brief overview of OS X El Capitan and try to answer some questions you may have at this time.

What is OS X El Capitan?

OS X El Capitan is the newest version (version 10.11) of the desktop operating system for Apple computers. It contains several new features and improvements that will make your computer more efficient and easier to use.

How much does it cost?

Jun 16, 2020  If you're using one of these computers with OS X Mavericks or later,. you can install macOS Catalina.Your Mac also needs at least 4GB of memory and 12.5GB of available storage space, or up to 18.5GB of storage space when upgrading from OS X Yosemite or earlier. MacBook introduced in 2015 or later MacBook Air introduced in 2012 or later MacBook Pro introduced in 2012 or later.

Nothing—OS X El Capitan is a free upgrade.

Who can get OS X El Capitan?

Anyone with an Apple computer using Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite can upgrade to OS X El Capitan. The system requirements for El Capitan are the same as those for Yosemite. For a full list of hardware requirements, view the OS X Technical Specifications.

If you have an earlier version of OS X (such as Leopard), you cannot upgrade to OS X El Capitan.

How do I get OS X El Capitan?

If you buy a new Apple computer, it will come pre-installed. You won't need to do anything to install it.

If you want to upgrade an existing computer, you can download and install OS X El Capitan by going to the App Store on your Mac (shown below) and clicking Updates.

Opening the App Store from the Dock
How Much Room Should You Have For Your El Capitan

OS X El Capitan is only available as an online download—you cannot purchase a physical copy at a retail store.

What's new in OS X El Capitan?

Each new version of OS X generally includes several new features, and El Capitan is no exception. Some of the most important changes include:

  • Improved window management: If you like to use multiple applications at the same time, the new Split View feature allows you to quickly split two windows between the entire screen. There have also been updates to Mission Control, which will make switching between programs easier and faster.
  • Spotlight improvements: In addition to finding apps and files on your computer, Spotlight can now give you quick results from the Web about weather, sports, and a whole lot more.
  • App updates and background security: As usual, there have been a number of smaller improvements to built-in apps like Safari, Notes, and Mail. El Capitan also includes some new security features to keep your computer safer, but since these mostly run in the background, they won't affect how you use your computer on daily basis.
Much

To learn even more about these features, check out this page from Apple.

Will my apps still be there after I upgrade?

Any apps you previously had installed on your computer will still be there once you upgrade. Some Apple apps, such as Safari and Calendar, will be updated automatically when you upgrade.

Will my apps still work after I upgrade?

Almost all apps installed on your computer should work correctly in OS X El Capitan. However, as with any new operating system some software may not be totally compatible. A simple Google search will often be enough to tell if an app will be compatible with OS X El Capitan.

A large number of Macs are able to upgrade to El Capitan, so chances are your Mac can too. But make things easy on yourself and read through this checklist before you do.

D.C. writes:

I have a late 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro and I'm wondering if I should upgrade.

Yes, you should. I wouldn't recommend rushing it, but if you back up your Mac first, your Mac is well within the supported model range and should handle El Capitan quite well.

How Much Room Should You Have For Your El Capitan Free

The system requirements for El Capitan are the same ones for Yosemite before it. In fact, Apple hasn't substantially changed the hardware system requirements in some time. Seven year old Macs can run El Capitan.

Macs that have more RAM (Memory, in Apple's 'About this Mac' parlance) can run newer Mac operating systems and apps better; 4 is now the minimum. And some features, like Handoff (introduced in Yosemite) will only work with the version of Bluetooth found in newer Macs.

Apple's focused on a lot of productivity enhancements with El Capitan: Split View, for example, which lets you split the screen between two open windows of two different apps; It's an iOS 9 exclusive for the iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro, but it works on the Mac, period. You can read a lot more about it here:

Here's are two things I encourage you to remember with any operating system upgrade: Make sure your data is safe before you make any changes, and make sure you're going to see a benefit before you do.

Back up!

Backing up your Mac with Time Machine is the fastest and most foolproof way to prep it for an upgrade to El Capitan. Once that's done you'll be able to restore your Mac back the way it was, if you have to. The easiest way to get started with Time Machine is to turn it on in System preferences, then connect an external USB hard drive. Time Machine will ask you if you want it to use the external hard drive. Say yes and then let it do its thing.

There are other backup apps too: I'm fond of SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner, which are great for creating 'clones' — exact duplicates of your hard drive — that you can restore from in a pinch, but I think Time Machine is what most people need.

Assess the risk

Unless you have a reason to, don't bother to upgrade on day one. Let other people fall on that sword, like us! Launch day inevitably brings in a lot of confusion, too.

It's good to keep an eye on the social media accounts of the vendors whose apps you use, so you can see if they've prepped any updates for El Capitan or plan any. In some cases they'll have important compatibility fixes; in others they may try to introduce new features. We've already gotten a flurry of El Capitan app updates leading up to the software's release this week, and we're reporting on them too, so keep your eyes on iMore, too.

If there are specific apps or tools you absolutely depend on to work, make sure they're going to work okay with El Capitan before you upgrade. That might mean hunting around the developer's web site, user forums and social media accounts to make sure.

Especially if your livelihood is linked to how well your Mac is working, I strongly encourage you to tread carefully: Make sure your stuff works first!

Finally, see if the changes in El Capitan - Split View, improved Mission Control, better Notes and Mail and more - are worth it to you. You may decide that you're happy with your current workflow, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it can be smart — change for change's sake can be really disruptive, and there's nothing that says you have to install El Capitan today. It's not going to diminish your Mac-using experience to stick with what you're familiar with.

I'm really excited about El Capitan — I've been using the betas for months, and I'm loving Split View and Spotlight, especially. So I'm all in. As long as you take good precautions like backing up your data before you upgrade, you should be in good shape to make the jump whenever you're ready.

How Much Room Should You Have For Your El Capitan Video

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

How Much Room Should You Have For Your El Capitan America

Get back to school

How Much Room Should You Have For Your El Capitan Download

Apple's Back to School promo is now live in Europe, Asia, and more

How Much Room Should You Have For Your El Capitan Movie

Following its launch in the United States, the Apple Back to School promotion is now live in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the Middle East with AirPods on offer.