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macOS Support Status at UCSF
- Audience: Affiliate, Faculty, Non-UCSF, Staff, Student, Technical Partner, Volunteer
- Service Category: Desktop Support
- Owner Team: IT Desktop Engineering
Operating System (OS) | OS Version | Apple | UCSF IT | Start of | *End of |
macOS Sonoma | 14 | 9/26/2023 | Active (Current) | 2/16/2024 | 11/1/2026 |
macOS Ventura | 13 | 10/24/2022 | Active | 1/23/2023 | 11/1/2025 |
macOS Monterey | 12 | 10/25/2021 | Containment | 1/24/2022 | 11/1/2024 |
macOS Big Sur (M1) | 11 | 11/12/2020 | **End of Life | 8/2/2021 | 11/1/2023 |
macOS Big Sur (Intel) | 11 | 11/12/2020 | **End of Life | 5/24/2021 | 11/1/2023 |
macOS Catalina | 10.15 | 10/7/2019 | **End of Life | 2/18/2020 | 11/30/2022 |
macOS Mojave | 10.14 | 9/24/2018 | **End of Life | 1/15/2019 | 11/30/2021 |
macOS High Sierra | 10.13 | 9/25/2017 | **End of Life | 2/13/2018 | 12/1/2020 |
macOS Sierra | 10.12 | 9/20/2016 | **End of Life | 11/17/2016 | 2/18/2020 |
Mac OS X El Capitan | 10.11 | 9/30/2015 | **End of Life | 12/22/2015 | 1/15/2019 |
* Apple typically discontinues maintenance and support of macOS that are more than 2 versions old. For example, with the release of macOS Sonoma (14), Apple discontinued maintenance and support of macOS Big Sur (11) which requires UCSF IT to end support of it as well.
** More information under "Exception Requests Covering Legacy Systems" is available at https://it.ucsf.edu/standard-guideline/ucsf-minimum-security-standards-electronic-information-resources. Information for Security Exception process is available at https://wiki.library.ucsf.edu/display/ITSI/IT+Security+Exception+Request+Process (MyAccess login required)
Legend
Testing | This version is not yet supported by UCSF IT Field Services until further notice. | ||||
Active (Current) | This version is supported by UCSF IT Field Services and existing Mac computers will be re-imaged with this version by default. | ||||
Active | This version is supported by UCSF IT Field Services and compatible Mac computers can be re-imaged with this version on request as long as the computer's hardware is compatible. | ||||
Containment | This version is still supported by UCSF IT Field Services on existing Mac computers "as-is" but no Macs will be re-imaged with this version. MacOS versions in containment will receive security updates and patches from Apple, which UCSF IT Field Services will continue to test and distribute as required. UCSF IT Field Services may not provide software updates to newer software versions that no longer support macOS versions in containment. | ||||
Phasing Out | UCSF IT Field Services recommends Mac users to upgrade from macOS versions being phased out, which is generally the case as Apple and software manufacturers for the macOS platform will end support of macOS version in this status. | ||||
End of Life | This version is no longer supported by UCSF IT Field Services. MacOS versions generally reach End of Life after becoming three major versions behind from the current macOS release by Apple and software manufacturers will also drop their product support from macOS versions that reached end of life. A valid business justification will need to be filed with IT Security for their approval in order to maintain any Mac computers running this version past the End of UCSF IT Support date. All exceptions are required to be logged and periodically reviewed every 12 months. |