Often times, third party software developers need time to catch up to the latest OS. Check to make sure any “mission critical” programs you use are compatible with it. Keep this in mind before upgrading your Mac to Mountain Lion. I had a few programs that weren’t compatible with the new version of OS X including Avast, Parallels and VirtualBox.

The software is moved into a folder called Incompatible Software on your drive. For example, here I’m running Parallels Desktop 6.0 and cannot run it on Mountain Lion. The incompatible software was also shown from icons on the Dock.

On my Mac Mini, the install took about an hour.Īfter Mountain Lion was installed, I found a message letting me know I had some incompatible software installed. Agree to the EULA and your system will restart automatically and complete the install process.Īfter the reboot, you’ll see an Install OS X screen with a progress bar at the bottom. I also recommend you plug in an Ethernet cable versus upgrading over WiFi. Mine took a couple of hours because I upgraded the same day it became available. When everything is up to date, back up your important data if you don’t already have a solid backup strategy.Īfter your OS and apps are up to date, launch the Mac App Store and download OS X Mountain Lion ($19.99 for Upgrade).Ī Mountain Lion icon will display on the Launchpad while it’s downloaded. This update will take several minutes to update because it’s over 1GB. The only app that has an update on my system is iPhoto. Then install any updates for your Mac’s software that are available.Īfter you’re OS is all up to date, open the Mac App Store and check for updates for the apps you have installed. While you’re on this screen, go ahead and click Check for Updates. Here you can see I have a Mac Mini Mid 2010 with an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 8GB of RAM and OS X Lion 10.7.4 (11E23). You’ll get a screen that lists the basic information about your system.Ĭlick More Info to get detailed information about your Mac. Get Your Mac Ready for Upgradeįirst, make sure you’re Mac is up to date and running OS X 10.7.4 Lion. You can find more details by checking out the OS X Mountain Lion Tech Specs. OS X 10.6.8 or later, 2GB RAM or higher, 8GB of Hard Drive Space or more, Apple ID and Internet connection.

MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer).

But if you’re not sure, here’s a list of models from that support Mountain Lion.

If you’re Mac is already running Lion, chances are it’s going to run Mountain Lion too.

Mac a1181 os upgrade