Mavericks will automatically check to make sure that your apps are compatible. Apps that do not work with Mavericks will be moved to an Incompatible Software folder. It’s possible some preference settings will need to be reconfigured or modified in the setup process. When you use the upgrade install method, macOS Mavericks is installed over your existing system. This process replaces most system files with new ones from Mavericks, but it leaves your personal files and most preferences and apps alone. Aside from these minor inconveniences, performing an upgrade install of macOS Mavericks is fairly easy.
Upgrade From Any Previous Version of macOS
With an upgrade install, you can skip over outdated versions of macOS, jumping from any older version to a newer one. That’s because upgrades since macOS Lion (10.7) have included all of the core files needed since macOS Snow Leopard (10.6). The installer can determine the version of the OS that is being upgraded and which files are needed to update it. This also holds true for later versions of the operating system. So long as you have macOS Snow Leopard or later running on your Mac, you can upgrade to the most recent version of the operating system. Of course, your device must also meet the minimum system requirements.
Back up Your Data Before Upgrading Your OS
Whenever you make a major change to your Mac, it’s a good idea to back up your system first. That way, if anything goes wrong, you can return your Mac to the state it was in before you performed the upgrade. You may discover after upgrading that some of your apps are not compatible with the new OS. With a backup, you can either return your Mac to the previous OS or create a partition that will allow you to boot into the older OS when needed. We highly recommend having both a Time Machine or other conventional backup of your Mac, as well as a clone of your startup drive. Some may consider this a bit overkill, but it is a reliable safety net.
What You Need to Upgrade to macOS Mavericks
A copy of the macOS Mavericks installer, which you can obtain from the Mac App Store. Remember, in order to access the store, you must be running macOS Snow Leopard or later. A startup drive with sufficient space for the Mavericks installation. Because you’re performing an upgrade install, the target destination for the upgrade will be your startup drive. The drive must have enough free space to perform the installation as well as enough free space for your OS and apps to work well after the installation is complete. Our general guideline is to keep a minimum of 15% of the drive available as free space; a larger percentage of free space is better. 650 MB additional free space on the startup drive for the Recovery HD partition that will be created during the installation process.
Upgrade Install for macOS Mavericks
If you’ve downloaded a copy of macOS Mavericks, the installer will likely be located in the Applications folder. The download may also auto-start the installation process, but in this guide we will assume that the installer did not launch on its own.
Configure Your Mac After Installing macOS Mavericks
At this point, your Mac has restarted for the second time in the install process. Once the housekeeping is complete, your Mac will either display a login screen or your Desktop, depending on how you had your Mac configured previously. The macOS Mavericks installation is complete. Take some time to explore the new features, then get back to work (or play)!
