Introduction

Since the publication of Take Control of Upgrading to Panther in 2003, I’ve written a book about upgrading to each new version of the Mac operating system—this book makes my twelfth one. Because the overall installation process changes relatively little from one version to the next, each book borrows heavily from the one before it. And, because Apple has made upgrading safer and simpler over the years, the need for detailed upgrading advice has, on the whole, diminished.

And yet, I continue writing these books because every year, people tell me that they’d never consider upgrading without following my step-by-step advice. Indeed, each new version of macOS changes something that makes the upgrade process trickier or more frustrating than one might expect. Things can and do go wrong. My goal in writing these books is to encounter those problems before you do, so that you don’t have to wonder, worry, or guess when upgrading your own Mac.

For example, Mojave goes further than its predecessors to protect your privacy and security. That’s fantastic, but it also means some software that worked previously may break, and you may encounter both compatibility issues and confusing extra steps as a result. The advice in this book, which includes making thorough backups before you upgrade, will enable you to avoid or solve most of the problems you may encounter.

I also explain why Apple’s minimum system requirements don’t tell the whole story about what you need to run Mojave successfully, offer advice on when and how to update third-party software, show you how to recover disk space if you don’t have enough to upgrade your system, and explore several other issues that can complicate the process.

If you’ve upgraded your Mac numerous times, keep excellent backups, have up-to-date hardware and software, and consider yourself technically proficient, then really…you don’t need this book. But if you count yourself among those feeling anxiety, confusion, or uncertainty about upgrading to Mojave, you’ve come to the right place.

Although I originally wrote this book while Mojave was in beta testing, I’ve updated it to reflect the best information I have now that Mojave is released. But other details could still come to light as time goes on. To check for news or updates to this book, click the link in Ebook Extras.