At WWDC 2018, Apple took the name for its Mac operating system down from Northern California's majestic mountains and moved southward to the Golden State's famed desert. After a run of mountain themes -- Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra and High Sierra -- Apple has named the next version of MacOS (version 10.14) after California's Mojave Desert.
MacOS Mojave (version 10.14) is available now as a free update and offers a bunch of new features and enhancements, including Stacks, Dark Mode and an improved Finder among many more.
How to install MacOS Mojave
After preparing your Mac for Mojave, it's time to download and install the update. To do so, open the Mac App Store and click the Updates tab. MacOS Mojave should be listed at the top after it's released. Click the Update button to download the update. (You can also click the Apple icon in the top left of your display, click About This Mac, and then click the Software Update button, which will open the Mac App Store app and prompt it to check for the update.) You can track the progress of your download on the Purchased tab of the Mac App Store.
After Mojave finishes downloading, just follow the prompts of the installation wizard to install it. When it comes time for future updates to Mojave, however, you'll find that Mojave has moved system updates from the App Store to a new location.
Best new features
MacOS Mojave is not a "behind the scenes" update. The new software introduces features you'll notice immediately, from the option to enable a dark mode to the appearance of apps you might already be familiar with from iOS. We covered the 12 best new features, and here are some highlights:
- Dark mode: Turns everything, including the finder and menu bars, dark.
- New apps: Familiar iOS apps News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home come to MacOS
- Group FaceTime: Chat with up to 32 people on FaceTime
- Stacks: Mojave will automatically group (or "stack") file types to declutter your desktop
Mojave's security and privacy improvements
- MacOS Mojave and iOS 12 crack down on nosy websites
- Stop apps from accessing your Mac's camera and microphone with MacOS Mojave
Originally published on Sept. 24, 2018.
Update, Sept. 25: Added new information.