Announced back in June during WWDC 2021, the much anticipated Monterey update for macOS is finally here. In general, it comes with slight visual updates and a lot of improvements focused on the Apple ecosystem.

We already got a taste of some of Monterey’s new features when iOS 15 came out, as a lot of them are coming to macOS, iOS, and even iPadOS. Frustratingly, some of the previously announced features expected to be released alongside Monterey, such as SharePlay and Universal Control, are still not out yet, with Apple saying that they will only be available later this fall.

Apple macOS Monterey focus mode — [Photo: Apple]

The Monterey update is available for a lot of Macs, going all the way back to the 2013 Mac Pro. If your Mac is relatively new, you’re most likely able to get the update but if you want to make sure, you can check out Apple’s list of compatible devices.

You can find the update by clicking on the Apple logo on the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen and then choose About This Mac. From there, pick Software Update under the Overview tab. Alternatively, you can also go to System Preferences and click Software Update.

Those already using macOS Sierra or higher only need 26GB of available storage for the update while those on earlier versions will need at least 44GB. The update itself is over 12GB in size and might take a while, so having a fast WiFi connection would be helpful.

In our experience updating the 2018 MacBook Air from Big Sur to Monterey, it took the laptop about 40 minutes “preparing” the update in the background after we had downloaded it. Hence, you can carry on with whatever your tasks while you wait for the update to actually begin. Unlike previous major updates, Monterey only took about 20 minutes to finish updating on our 2018 MacBook Air, though your time may vary depending on your model.

(Source: Apple.)