List: Mac OS, OS X and macOS operating systems with name and version number at a glance

The Apple Mac has seen many operating systems; from Macintosh system software to Mac OS and OS X to macOS. In order to keep an overview of the Mac operating systems with names and version numbers, you need a good memory - or just this blog post with the appropriate list. Because in the following I have listed the past and current systems of the previous Apple computers and garnished with some background information. So you can quickly find out when which OS was released for this or that Mac, iMac, Mac mini or MacBook;)

Earlier: Macintosh System Software

The name "Mac OS" was already in use from System 0.97 in the early 1980s. With version 4.0 in 1987 the name "Macintosh System Software" came up, which was mostly abbreviated to "System". This was retained until the 1990s, up to version System 7.5.5. From version 7.6, the operating system for Apple computers was again called Mac OS - up to version 9.2.2, which was pre-installed as the standard system on new Macs until January 2002. This is a brief outline of the history of the Mac operating systems. After Mac OS 9.2.2, the “Mac OS X” versions continued, which I will now go into in more detail.

Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.0" is called "Cheetah", which means cheetah. And something was actually paired (haha), because this OS emerged from the combination of Mac OS 9 and the OPENSTEP or Rhapsody system from the Steve Jobs company NeXT, which was merged with Apple in 1996. Current version: 10.0.4 from June 21, 2001.

Mac OS X 10.1 Cougar

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.1" is called "Puma". It was published in September 2001 and brought among other things an increase in speed that users had longed for. In addition, the ability to burn CDs and DVDs has been improved. OpenGL became 20% faster, so 3D graphics could be displayed better, and, and, and. The current version is 10.1.5 from June 6, 2002.

Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.2" bears the name "Jaguar". This system for Mac computers appeared in August 2002 and also brought some innovations and improvements with it. So there was now an address book as a contact directory, the Finder got a search field in every window, handwriting recognition was implemented with Inkwell and more. The current version is 10.2.8 from October 3, 2003.

Mac OS X 10.3 Panthers

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.3" is called "Panther". From this version on, the big cat name was sometimes placed in front of the version number, so that Mac OS X Panther 10.3 is also a correct name. Here, too, there were innovations - for Finder, zip files, doc compatibility of TextEdit, Xcode and more. The current version is 10.3.9 from April 15, 2005.

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.4" bears the name "Tiger". The nomenclature in a different order of version name and number is also correct for the 2005 system. Tiger introduced the system-wide Spotlight search on the Apple computer. Added to this was the dashboard, Safari 2.0 with RSS support, H.264 as a codec in QuickTime 7 and more. From 10.4.4 there was Intel and 64-bit support. The current version is 10.4.11 from November 14, 2007.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.5" is called "Leopard". In October 2007, this computer software from Apple introduced Boot Camp, with which Windows could now also be used on the Mac. There was also the animated 3D dock, Safari 3, Time Machine for backups and much more. The current version number is 10.5.8 from August 5, 2008.

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.6" is called "Snow Leopard". The snow leopard followed the leopard in August 2009. The 64-bit supporting system used 6 GB less memory and less RAM than its predecessor. In addition, iCal was now supported, the new QuickTime player "X" was introduced, up to 16 TB of storage could be used and Mail 4 was ready. The current version is 10.6.8 v1.1 from July 25, 2011.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion

The Mac operating system "Mac OS X 10.7" is called "Lion". The lion was unleashed on Apple users in July 2011. It was characterized by a newly designed surface of the system and apps such as Finder, Address Book, iCal, Mail, etc. Of course, there were also new functions and options - such as full-screen mode. The current version is 10.7.5 from October 4, 2012.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

The Mac operating system "OS X 10.8" is called "Mountain Lion". So Apple stayed with the lion in 2012, albeit with the mountain lion - but the “Mac” was removed from the system name. In addition to the shortened name, iCloud also heralded a new era. There was also system-wide support for AirPlay, the Game Center, messages, reminders, notes, the power nap function and other innovations. The current version is 10.8.5 from August 13, 2015.

OS X Mavericks 10.9

The Mac operating system "OS X 10.9" is called "Mavericks". In 2013, Apple passed the big cats and introduced California landmarks into system names; Mavericks is a US state surfing spot. New features in this system included iBooks, the compressed memory, restricted iTunes synchronization via USB, and more. The current version is 10.9.5 from September 18, 2014.

OS X Yosemite 10.10

The Mac operating system "OS X 10.10" is called "Yosemite". The 2014 software for Apple computers and laptops is named after a national park. In addition to the revised user interface, the Spotlight search has been expanded to include content from maps, Wikipedia and the like. The coupling with the iPhone brought SMS and telephony to the computer, photos replaced iPhoto, and more. The current version is 10.10.5 from July 19, 2017.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

The Mac operating system "OS X 10.11" is called "El Capitan". The name of the 2015 system is derived from a monolith in the aforementioned US National Park. In addition to improving performance, this system brought z. B. improved work with windows, new Safari and Notes functions, introduction of the graphics API from iOS 8 and more. The current version is 10.11.6 from July 9, 2018.

macOS 10.12 Sierra

The Mac operating system "macOS 10.12" is called "Sierra". The name of the system published in 2016 alludes to the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range in California. As you can see, the new name heralded a new era. Below is that APFS file system, which has not yet become the standard per se. In addition, was Siri on the Apple computer available; along with other changes. The current version is 10.12.6 from July 9, 2018.

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

The Mac operating system "macOS 10.13"Is called" High Sierra ". The name reference in 2017 was the same as in the previous year. As with Snow Leopard or Mountain Lion, one can speak of an extended intermediate level here. For Macs with SSD, e.g. B. the APFS file system as standard. HEVC was also introduced for encoding and decoding videos. With HEIF there was a new image format - and a lot more. The current version is 10.13.6 from July 24, 2018.

macOS 10.14 Mojave

The Mac operating system "macOS 10.14"Is called" Mojave ". The system name from 2018 is modeled on a desert; with him the dynamic desk backgrounds were introduced by means of the photo of a dune. There was also Dark Mode, machine learning with Create ML, metal adjustments, etc. APFS was expanded to include Fusion Drives, new editing options were added to QuickLook, Finder and Preview, and much more. The current version is 10.14.6 from August 26, 2019.

macOS 10.15 Catalina

The Mac operating system "macOS 10.15"Is called" Catalina ". The name is that of an island off the California coast; this adorns the standard desk background. As of Catalina from 2019, only 64-bit apps on Apple computers will be supported. Partitions are omitted for macOS versions installed in parallel; there are now APFS volumes. iTunes is no longer part of the system after 18 years. Sidecar enables the iPad to be linked as a (second) screen, and, and, and. The current version is 10.15.5 from May 26, 2020 (status: June 24.06.2019, XNUMX).

macOS 11 BigSur

The operating system "macOS 11.0”For the Apple Mac, which bears the name“ Big Sur ”, heralds an era after OS X. After the many, many 10-series versions of the Mac OS and the version numbers with 10.x, the 11-series, which is based on the new hardware (the "Apple Silicon" SoC, which replaces the Intel processors) is designed. After a 64-bit exclusivity has been created with Mojave and Catalina and APFS has been used to the full, it is time to start with the hardware. The system has also been optically refined, the notifications can be grouped, Messages becomes a messenger with group chats and other improvements, Siri becomes more extensive, Safari more functional and more secure, and so on. More in the WWDC20 summary. (As of: June 24.06.2020th, XNUMX)

macOS 12 Monterey

With the Mac operating system "macOS 12“ Apple introduced the second system for M1 Macs. This happened as part of WWDC21 Keynote on June 7, 2021. One of the innovations is that the "shortcuts" coming to the Mac will replace the "automator" previously used for similar tasks. Furthermore, Universal Control enables the use of a mouse and keyboard across multiple Mac and iPad models, wirelessly. Safari gets a sleeker, smarter design, and AirPlay has landed on the Mac too. Just like iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, there will also be SharePlay, which allows multimedia content to be enjoyed simultaneously with others via FaceTime. More information here: WWDC21 Keynote Summary. (As of: June 29.06.2021th, XNUMX)

macOS 13 Adventure

The operating system "macOS 13” for Mac, iMac and MacBook was presented alongside the M2 chip as the second generation of the “Apple Silicon” SoC during the WWDC22 keynote on June 6, 2022. Important innovations in macOS Ventura are "Stage Manager" for better multitasking on the Mac, the expansion of the functionality of Spotlight, the cancel option when sending e-mails and reminders for certain messages in the Mail app, sharing tab Groups in Safari, the use of pass keys instead of passwords, the implementation of Metal 3 and MetalFX upscaling for better gaming experiences, Handoff for FaceTime, the feature called "Continuity Camera" for using the iPhone as a webcam, and a few more. As in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, photo subjects can also be cut out and reused. More information here: WWDC22 Keynote Summary. (As of: June 10.06.2022th, XNUMX)

Note: In addition to the linked blog posts, the information on the pages of was used as sources for the details, content and data shown Wikipedia. There you will find a separate entry for each of the Apple systems shown.

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.