Did you know that every time you install new software, files, and apps on your Mac, they come with junk files? Those files can even remain hidden, even if you uninstall that software, no matter what your macOS version is. Enlist the help of MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller to safely removes all apps and junk files, leaving nothing behind.
Curious about macOS names? Want to know what came after each macOS and their release dates? Let’s take a walk down memory lane together as we recap the macOS version history, tracking macOS versions by year, from the first software ever released by Apple for Mac through to the latest.
macOS version history
macOS, Mac OS X, and OS X—all of these names refer to the same Mac operating system responsible for keeping you up and running. Currently, the latest macOS version is macOS 15 Sequoia, which was released in September 2024 and is called after Sequoia National Park.
Below we provide the macOS versions along with their code names and release dates, beginning with the earliest versions and progressing to the latest. Here’s the full chronological list of Mac operating systems in order:
macOS 10.0 Cheetah, March 24, 2001
macOS 10.1 Puma, September 25, 2001
macOS 10.2 Jaguar, August 23, 2002
macOS 10.3 Panther, October 24, 2003
macOS 10.4 Tiger, April 29, 2005
macOS 10.5 Leopard, October 26, 2007
macOS 10.6 Snow Leopard, August 29, 2009
macOS 10.7 Lion, July 20, 2011
macOS 10.8 Mountain Lion, July 25, 2012
macOS 10.9 Mavericks, October 22, 2013
macOS 10.10 Yosemite, October 16, 2014
macOS 10.11 El Capitan, September 30, 2015
macOS 10.12 Sierra, September 20, 2016
macOS 10.13 High Sierra, September 25, 2017
macOS 10.14 Mojave, September 24, 2018
macOS 10.15 Catalina, October 7, 2019
macOS 11 Big Sur, November 12, 2020
macOS 12 Monterey, October 25, 2021
macOS 13 Ventura, October 24, 2022
macOS 14 Sonoma, September 26, 2023
macOS 15 Sequoia, September 16, 2024
Each of the macOS version names was used exclusively by Apple at a specific point in the macOS timeline. The first was Mac OS X, which Apple used for version 10.7 between 2001 and 2011.
This was followed by the use of the name OS X until 2015. Finally, the term we use today, macOS, was introduced with High Sierra in 2016. The format filtered through to software names for Apple’s ecosystem—including the iPhone (iOS), iPad (iPadOS), Apple TV (tvOS), etc.
A note from our experts:
If you want to upgrade your Mac to the next macOS version, ensure you have enough storage. MacKeeper’s Smart Uninstaller is ready to help you.
The first ever macOS software was launched in 1984, nearly four decades ago. So, you can imagine how many generations of those have been released since.
Let’s check out Mac’s operating systems in order below. If you want to downgrade your macOS versions, you can download them on your Mac.
Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah)
Rolled out on March 24, 2001, this was the first major software release for Mac. Cheetah featured the Aqua user interface and came at a hefty price tag of $129. It required 128 MB of RAM.
However, it had its challenges. For instance, users complained about computers that surpassed the system requirements running slowly.
Mac OS X 10.1 (Puma)
This was Apple’s second major release of Mac OS X. Mac OS X Puma was launched on September 25, 2001. It featured the Aqua user interface and supported hardware like printers and DVD players.
Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)
Mac OS X Jaguar was released in August 2002. It featured a larger number of features and apps than the software released that preceded it—150, to be precise. They included:
Mail
iChat
Address Book
iCal
And more. A noteworthy update was the changing of the Mac logo that appeared upon startup from color to gray. Jaguar cost users $129 in the US. It required at least 128 MB of memory to run on a Mac.
Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)
Panther was rolled out on October 24, 2003. Just like Jaguar, it came with at least 150 new features. The most notable of these included the following:
Updated Finder interface
Fax support
FileVault
Safari
Faster user switching
Built-in fax support
Built-in X11 support
Support for TextEdit for Microsoft Word and .doc documents
Xcode developer tools
iChat AV video-conferencing software
PDF rendering speed increases
File labels
Besides, system requirements for this software included:
Integrated USB (indicative of New World ROM)
128 MB RAM minimum (although 512 MB was recommended)
No less than 1.5 GB of free disk space
CD-ROM
Internet access
Mac devices with a PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor (233 MHz minimum)
Released on April 29, 2005, Mac OS X Tiger delivered more than 200 new features and was described by Apple as “the world’s most advanced operating system.”
Additions and improvements included:
Dashboard
Grapher
Spotlight
Enhanced Japanese fonts
Dictionary and thesaurus
iChat AV support for four participants on video calls and 10 participants on audio calls
Improved .Mac syncing features
RSS and atom web syndication feeds reader (built into Safari)
Automator
VoiceOver
Xcode 2.0
Core Image
In addition, Mac OS X Jaguar and Mac OS X Panther users could simply upgrade to Mac OS X Tiger. Users of older versions, however, had to do a full installation of the software.
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
This was the sixth major release of Mac’s operating system, released on October 26, 2007.
Mac OS X Leopard came in two editions—a desktop (or personal computer) version, which cost $129, and a server version (Mac OS X Server), which cost $499.
Some of Mac OS X Leopard’s features included:
Alexa
Improved Automator
Japanese dictionary
18 languages
Improved 3D dock
Safari 3
Time Machine
Quick look for document viewing
Objective-C 2.0 runtime
Stack feature for grouping files
The requirements to install Mac OS X Leopard included:
Intel processor or PowerPC of G5 or G4 (867 MHz and faster)
DVD drive
Minimum of 512 MB of RAM and 1 GB for development purposes
Minimum of 9 GB disc space
It was also the last version of Mac OS X that supported the PowerPC structure. Mac OS X Snow Leopard is only supported by Intel-based Macs.
Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Mac OS X Snow Leopard was released on August 29, 2009, as Apple’s seventh major release of its operating software and as Apple’s answer to Windows XP.
Snow Leopard was sold for the low price of $29, which attracted more sales than previous Mac OS X versions upon release.
Like Mac OS X Leopard, it features 18 languages and the utilities and apps included in Mac OS X Leopard. It also comes with the Stickies, Preview, and Chess apps.
In order to install Snow Leopard, users needed the following:
A Mac with an Intel processor
1 GB of memory
5 GB of free disk space
A DVD drive
Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
This was Apple’s eighth major release of macOS happened on July 20, 2011 at $19.99. Apple sold $1 million in sales on the first day this version was released.
Its focus was on synchronizing users’ content across Apple devices to make life easier.
Below are some of its key features:
More nuanced multi-touch gestures
Full-screen view
Launchpad icon added to dock to open apps on full-screen
Swipe trackpad to access Mission Control
Airdrop
Resume function
AutoSave
Versions
Standalone Mail and Calendar apps
Other features included a new iCal interface and additions to the Mail app. Lion also came with Gatekeeper, a malware blocking tool for Macintosh computers.
OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
Released on July 25, 2012, Mountain Lion was the last operating system to be sold by Apple (future software was made available for free).
Although it cost $19.99 upon release, it was later made available to users of older Macs for free on June 23, 2021.
So, what were its features and updates? Let’s have a look below:
iMessage
iCloud to sync content in apps like iMessage, Mail, and more
Notification Center
Share Sheets
Enhanced Twitter capability
Address book becomes “Contacts”
iCal becomes "Calendar"
iChat becomes "Messages"
Some other changes included RSS support in the Mail and Safari apps being removed and Software Update being moved to the Mac App Store.
OS X 10.9 (Mavericks)
Mavericks was the tenth major release of OS X. Rolled out on October 22, 2013, it was also the first free update available on the Mac App Store.
With this release, Apple continued its efforts from previous versions to bring OS X in line with iOS—this time by bringing more iOS apps to Mac.
New and updated features included:
Additions to Finder, including document tags, tabs, and full-screen support
iBooks
Maps
App Nap
Some system alerts moved to Notification Center
Memory compression
Improved Mission Control
Updated multiple display support
OS X 10.10 (Yosemite)
Yosemite was Apple’s eleventh major release of its operating system. It was released for free on October 16, 2014.
Notable features included:
Ability to make iPhone calls from desktop
Widgets
Instant hotspot
“Today View” in Notification Center
Safari additions like private browsing mode and Google as default search browser
Darker night theme
Handoff
OS X 10.11 (El Capitan)
El Capitan was Apple’s twelfth major release of its desktop and server operating system. El Capitan was released on September 30, 2015, and users could get it by upgrading their system free of charge on Apple’s Mac App Store.
El Capitan was focused on simplifying everyday activities. This was achieved through quicker response times when opening your emails, for instance, or launching apps.
Improvements:
Notes app: drag and drop files, add files from other apps, and create checklists
Spotlight search delivers more results, allows you to resize the window and move it elsewhere on the desktop
San Francisco introduced as new system font
Simpler Mission Control design
Split View allowed users to work on two apps alongside each other in full-screen
Ability to create a new Space by dragging a window to the top of the screen
Improved language support
macOS 10.12 (Sierra)
Sierra was the thirteenth major release of Apple’s desktop and server operating system, arriving on September 20, 2016.
macOS Sierra’s features included some noteworthy improvements and additions. Below is a list of some of those features:
Apple Pay
Siri integration
Picture-in-Picture (PiP) support for Safari and iTunes
Apple Music rebranding
Rich media integration in Messages
Optimized storage
Safari-inspired tags
macOS 10.13 (High Sierra)
High Sierra was released by Apple on September 25, 2017. It focused on the basics, mainly video, data, and graphics. Below are some of its improvements:
Apple File System (APFS) becomes the new default
New High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC or H.265)
Metal 2 with support for machine learning, among other things
Photos app gets new editing tools, a side view, improved recognition, and more
Safari allowed auto-play blocking for videos and adds an always-on option for Safari Reader
iCloud added storage family plans and file sharing
Improved search function for Mail
macOS 10.14 (Mojave)
Introduced on September 24, 2018, Mojave was Apple’s fifteenth major release of its desktop and server operating system.
Its most notable feature was system-wide dark mode. Previously, it only applied to the dock and menu bar. Other features included:
iOS-inspired screenshots
Dynamic Desktop with changing wallpapers
Desktop Stacks to organize the files on your desktop by category
Quick Actions and a Quick Look view in Finder
macOS 10.15 (Catalina)
Apple released Catalina on October 7, 2019. Overall, macOS Catalina added new apps, improved old ones, and enhanced performance and user-friendliness.
Below is a quick run-down of some of its additions and changes:
Media platforms broke away from iTunes, including Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV
Apple Mail added features to unsubscribe from mails, block senders, and mute threads
A re-imagined Reminders app
Addition of Find My app, which consolidated features from Find My iPhone and Find My Friends
Screen Time
Voice Control
Enhancements to Photos and Notes apps
Sharing of folders in iCloud drive
macOS 11 (Big Sur)
This was the seventeenth major release of Apple’s desktop and server operating system. Big Sur was launched on November 12, 2020. Here’s what it came with:
Enhanced user interface
Improved search in Messages and conversation pinning (up to nine)
Improved Speed in Safari, 50% faster than Google Chrome
Privacy toolbar button to view web trackers and a full privacy report
Safari’s password monitoring feature to determine if your passwords were compromised in a data breach
Safari added language translation tools
More editing tools in Photos
Favorites feature added to Maps
Guides to provide you with information on the places you search for
macOS 12 (Monterey)
Launched on October 25, 2021, Monterey came after Big Sur and was Apple’s eighteenth major desktop and server operating system.
Although a smaller update compared to Big Sur, it came with significant features, including the following:
Shortcuts app
Focus
Quick Note feature in Notes
SharePlay
FaceTime support for spatial audio
Universal Control update
Live Text
Safari group tabs and a new tab bar design, which was optional
macOS Ventura was Apple’s nineteenth major desktop and server operating system, launched on October 24, 2022. Ventura’s key features incorporated:
Improved Mail search and the addition of suggestions
Improved image search in Spotlight
Revamped search results design
Share Safari tabs, bookmarks, and more with friends
Edit or unsend recent messages, and mark messages as unread
SharePlay in Messages
iCloud Shared Photo Library
Continuity camera
Desk view
macOS 14 (Sonoma)
macOS Sonoma, named after a Californian wine region, was Apple’s 20th major macOS release, after Ventura. Rolled out on September 26, 2023, OS X Sonoma’s wide range of features includes:
New emojis
Adaptable desktop widgets
Shazam Music Recognition
Messages for Business updates
Presenter Overlay for video calls
3D reactions or effects for video calls
New Favorite Songs Playlist in Apple Music
Game Mode to enhance gaming performance
Fully readable and clickable podcast episode text
Separate Safari profiles for work and personal use
Auto-fill one-time verification codes from Mail in Safari
Safari Favorites Bar adds an option to show only icons for websites
Dynamic screensavers of global locations, which can be set as desktop wallpapers
macOS 15 (Sequoia)
OS X Sequoia is macOS Sonoma’s successor and Apple’s 21st operating system, released on September 16, 2024. Here are its major features:
Passwords app
iPhone mirroring
Safari Summaries
Virtual backgrounds for video calls
Math calculations in the Notes app
Third-party app QuickLook previews
Reminders integration in the Calendar app
Apple Maps Saved Places and trail walking
Text formatting and effects in the Messages app, including shake, nod, and ripple
Windows Tiling to drop and snap windows into place, and divide the screen into four quarters using the Move & Resize item
Is there any difference between Mac OS X and macOS?
Mac OS X and macOS are the same thing. Mac OS X was the official name of Apple’s desktop and server operating system from 2001 until 2011. Apple started using the name macOS in 2016 with the release of High Sierra.
What's the latest macOS?
macOS Sequoia 15.2 is the latest macOS version or operating system available at the time of writing. You can update your Mac operating system if you have an older version installed. More on that below.
Which versions of macOS are still updated?
Apple updates more recent macOS versions—mainly the ones listed below:
macOS Sequoia (version 15)
macOS Sonoma (version 14)
macOS Ventura (version 13)
How to check the latest macOS on your Mac
Checking the current macOS version on your Mac is a quick process, which can be done in just a few clicks. Follow the steps below to get started:
Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
Now click on About This Mac.
The name and information of the macOS should now be displayed on your screen.
Step 1. Apple icon > About This Mac Step 2. The name and information of the macOS
How to update to the latest version of macOS
If a new version of macOS is available, you can upgrade to it easily.
Simply follow the steps below to update to the latest macOS version available for your Mac:
Click on the Apple Store icon in the dock.
Enter the word “sequoia” in the search bar in the top-left corner.
Find macOS Sequoia and click the View button.
Now click on the Get button at the top of the screen to start downloading.
Step 1. Apple Store icon > enter the word “sequoia” > macOS Sequoia > ViewStep 2. Click on the Get button to start downloading
The file itself is 12.2GB, so make sure you have enough space on your Mac. Also, mind that the version you want to download is compatible with your device.
We respect your privacy and
use cookies
for the best site experience.
Privacy Preferences Center
We use cookies along with other tools to give you the best possible experience while using the
MacKeeper website. Cookies are small text files that help the website load faster. The cookies we
use don’t contain any type of personal data meaning they never store information such as your
location, email address, or IP address.
Help us improve how you interact with our website by accepting the use of cookies. You can change
your privacy settings whenever you like.
Manage consent
All cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary for enabling basic website functionality (including page
navigation, form submission, language detection, post commenting), downloading and purchasing
software. The website might malfunction without these cookies.