macOS 14, better known as Sonoma, has been a welcome upgrade for most Mac users since it launched in September 2023. With a whole host of notable improvements over macOS 13 Ventura, Sonoma also introduces some brand new features to Mac, including Game Mode.
Are you wondering if it’s finally time to install macOS 14 on your MacBook? Is Sonoma the best fit for your Apple computer? Let’s find out by diving into macOS Sonoma compatibility and system requirements, its supported device list, new features, and more.
Before we begin:
If you need more storage to download a macOS update, or you just want to optimize your system before installing, use MacKeeper Safe Cleanup. This powerful tool removes all junk and clutter from your Mac startup disk, clearing space and improving performance. Here’s how to get started:
- Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
- When MacKeeper opens, select Safe Cleanup in the sidebar.
- Click the Start Scan button.
- Once Safe Cleanup has finished identifying all the junk on your Mac, select the files you want to remove, then click Clean Junk Files to delete them.
In this article you will find the following:
macOS Sonoma system requirements
When it comes to macOS 14 compatibility, there are things to note before you upgrade. Firstly, Sonoma will work on most of the iMac, Mac mini, MacBook, and Mac Pro models that Ventura supports, but it won't run on all of them. That’s because its system requirements are different:
1. Storage requirements
You’ll need at least 12GB of free space on your Mac to download the macOS Sonoma installer. You should bear in mind, however, that you need more space to actually unpack and install the update. It’s recommended that you have at least 25GB of storage to work with.
If you’ve already begun the upgrade process and you’re wondering why your Mac won’t update to Sonoma, a lack of free space is a common roadblock. Fortunately, it’s a fairly simple problem to fix. Simply use MacKeeper Safe Cleanup to remove junk from your Mac:
- Open MacKeeper and select Safe Cleanup in the sidebar.
- Click Start Scan to find all the unnecessary junk on your system.
- Select the files you want to remove from your Mac.
- Click Clean Junk Files to delete the data and free up storage space.
MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup lets you clear old log and cache files, unused language packs, undeleted trash files, old Mail attachments, and more. It’s perfectly safe to use and won’t delete any important files that macOS relies on to run properly. It’s also a lot faster than clearing junk files manually.
Even if you have plenty of free storage space available, we still recommend running Safe Cleanup before you update macOS to clear waste files from your machine. It’s not only great for basic maintenance, but it can also help improve performance and stability.
2. RAM requirements
To ensure full compatibility with macOS Sonoma, you’ll need at least 8GB of RAM in your Mac. Fortunately, Apple has been shipping 8GB of memory as a baseline with its laptops and desktops for many years now, so if you have a modern Mac, you should be fine.
For the smoothest possible experience, especially for those who need to carry out intensive tasks like video editing and 3D rendering, at least 16GB of RAM is recommended for macOS 14. However, for most computing tasks, you will enjoy a perfectly good experience with 8GB.
3. Processor requirements
Fortunately, Apple hasn’t abandoned Intel Mac models with macOS Sonoma. However, older chips just won’t cut it. As a result, the minimum processor requirements for macOS 14 are an eighth-generation Intel chip, the Intel Xeon-W, or an Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) processor.
The most notable omission from this list is the seventh-generation Intel Kaby Lake family of CPUs. Apple first began shipping these in 2017; they continued to be available in various Mac models until the Kaby Lake iMac was finally discontinued in late 2021.
macOS Sonoma minimum requirements
If you’re still not quite sure whether your Mac meets the minimum system requirements of macOS 14 Sonoma, here’s the complete list of hardware you’ll need:
- An eighth-generation Intel Amber Lake or Coffee Lake CPU, an Intel Xeon-W CPU, or an Apple M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip
- At least 8GB of RAM
- At least 25GB of free storage space
Important:
If you’re trying to download macOS Sonoma and find Software Update on Mac not working, it’s usually because your system is already running the latest version of macOS that supports it. Sonoma simply won’t appear in Software Update if your Mac isn’t compatible.
macOS Sonoma supported devices list
Apple makes it incredibly easy to find out if your Mac is compatible with its software by providing a complete list of macOS Sonoma-supported devices, which is as follows:
- Mac mini (2018 and later)
- Mac Studio (all models)
- iMac (2019 and later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- MacBook Air (2018 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2018 and later)
- Mac Pro (2019 and later)
An extra hint from our team:
If you’re wondering how the Ventura vs Sonoma compatibility list compares, the older macOS 13 release supported all of the above machines, plus the iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models from 2017 with seventh-generation Intel Kaby Lake chips.
What accessories does macOS Sonoma support?
One of the great things about macOS Sonoma is that it doesn’t complicate things when it comes to accessory support. In fact, any accessory you’ve been using with macOS Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, and earlier releases should work perfectly fine.
This includes all keyboards and mice, Mac-compatible Bluetooth peripherals, wired and wireless headphones and headsets, specialized audio and video equipment, external displays, webcams, and storage devices—plus a lot more.
macOS 14 features compatibility
Sonoma ships with a long list of new features and improvements that weren’t available in Ventura, including revamped widgets, a Game Mode, AV1 encoding, and big enhancements to Safari and Messages. However, not every feature is available on all Sonoma-supported Macs.
The following macOS 14 features are only available on Apple Silicon (not Intel) Mac models:
- Presenter Overlay
- React with your Hands using the built-in camera
- Game Mode
- High-performance mode for Screen Sharing
- Faster Siri
In addition, made for iPhone hearing devices, which can now be paired with a Mac, only work if your computer has an M1 Pro, M1 Max, M2, M3, or M4 chip (the regular M1 isn’t supported).
macOS Sonoma compatibility apps list
Sonoma should play nicely with all 64-bit Mac software, including things like:
- Microsoft Office
- Adobe Photoshop
- Final Cut Pro
Our pro advice: You should also enjoy full compatibility with other professional software, such as DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Blender, Logic Pro, Audacity, Visual Studio, Xcode, and more. Anything that you were able to run on Ventura should be just fine on Sonoma, too.
How to get macOS Sonoma
Like any recent macOS update, you can get Sonoma through the Software Update section of System Settings on your Mac. Here’s how:
- Open System Settings, then click General in the sidebar.
- Select Software Update.
- Your Mac will look for new versions of macOS automatically. When Sonoma appears, click Update Now to install it.
A quick heads-up from us: If your Mac is still running macOS Monterey or earlier, you’ll have the System Preferences app, rather than the redesigned System Settings application. However, the process is almost identical: Open System Preferences, select Software Update and install the latest macOS release.
Conclusion
macOS 14 Sonoma is a fairly significant upgrade over Ventura, with welcome improvements and new features for all supported Mac models. As long as you have a modern Mac with an Apple silicon chip or an eighth-generation Intel CPU, you won’t have any problems using Sonoma.
Before you upgrade, however, you may need to free up storage on your Mac. Use MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup to quickly and safely wipe junk files from your machine. It won’t just give you more space, but it’ll also help make your Mac faster and more stable.
