macOS Big Sur icon

macOS Big Sur

Description

macOS Big Sur elevates the Mac to an entirely new level of performance and visual refinement. Experience the stunning design overhaul that makes working on your Mac more intuitive and enjoyable than ever before. Discover the most significant Safari update in years. Explore the new capabilities in Maps and Messages. And learn even more about the enhanced ways your personal data stays protected when you download macOS Big Sur.

Design

• Working with content across apps is now more comfortable and efficient, thanks to streamlined toolbars and full-height sidebars that provide better navigation.

• The menu bar is now taller and more translucent. It blends seamlessly into the background until you need it, keeping your focus on the task at hand.

• System sounds have been completely reimagined: fresh audio cues notify you about downloads, file transfers, items moved to the Trash, unlocking actions, and many other system events.

Control Center

• Control Center on Mac puts essential controls right at your fingertips. Open it directly from the menu bar to quickly adjust your most-used settings with ease.

• Expand any individual control to reveal additional options and fine-tune your preferences without opening System Preferences.

• Drag your favorite items from Control Center directly into the menu bar for instant, one-click access to the controls you use most.

Notification Center

• The redesigned Notification Center in big sur macos brings together all of your notifications and widgets into a single, unified view.

• Expanding interactive notifications reveals available actions and displays additional contextual information for faster responses.

• Informative widgets are available for Calendar, Clock, Notes, Photos, Podcasts, Reminders, Screen Time, Stocks, and Weather — all at a glance.

• In edit mode, you can customize which widgets appear and choose between small, medium, and large sizes to suit your workflow.

• Full support for third-party developer widgets, allowing your favorite apps to provide glanceable information right in Notification Center.

Safari

• A blazing-fast browser engineered for outstanding performance and exceptional energy efficiency on your Mac.*

• Customize your start page with your preferred background image and sections such as Reading List, iCloud Tabs, Privacy Report, and more.

• More extensions are now available, along with a dedicated new category in the App Store to help you discover and install them.

• Redesigned tab appearance with website favicons. Hover your pointer over any tab to see a quick preview of the web page.

• The Translation beta feature supports English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese for seamless multilingual browsing.

• The Privacy Report details exactly how Safari protects you online and shows which cross-site trackers have been blocked during your browsing sessions.

• Safari securely monitors your saved passwords and alerts you if any of them have appeared in known data breaches.

• Safari asks for your permission before allowing an extension to operate on a specific website, giving you complete control over your browsing experience.

Messages

• Pin up to 9 of your most important conversations to the top of your list for quick and easy access to the people you contact most.

• Mentions: direct a message to a specific person within a busy group conversation to get their attention immediately.

• Inline replies: respond to a particular message in a conversation to create an organized thread and keep discussions clear.

• Send messages with fun, expressive full-screen effects like balloons, confetti, lasers, and more to celebrate special moments.

• Use the #images hashtag to quickly search for trending GIF animations and seamlessly add them to any conversation.

• With Memoji, you can easily create a personalized character that looks just like you and send expressive stickers that reflect your unique personality and current mood.

Maps

• Curated Guides from your favorite trusted brands help you discover the best places to visit, eat, shop, and explore in cities around the world.

• The Look Around feature offers immersive, street-level virtual walks through supported cities with smooth, fluid transitions between locations.

• Indoor maps help you navigate complex multi-level buildings such as major airports and large shopping centers with detailed floor plans.

• Cycling directions are perfect for planning bike-friendly routes, showing elevation changes, busy roads, and stairs along the way.

• Electric vehicle routing helps you plan trips for supported electric vehicles added on your iPhone, including charging stops along your route.

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. To get started, you can macos big sur download from a trusted source.

* Performance may vary depending on system configuration, network connectivity, and other factors.


Frequently Asked Questions

Is macOS Big Sur free?
Please check the developer's website for current pricing information.
The download seems damaged or won't open?
If the disk image won't mount, right-click the .dmg and choose Open — macOS Gatekeeper will then offer an override.
How do I install the app after downloading?
Mount the .dmg by double-clicking it, drag the application bundle into /Applications, then eject the disk image. For .pkg installers, double-click and follow the prompts.
Will this run on Apple Silicon (M1-M4)?
Check the Architecture line in the Specifications panel on this page. Universal binaries run natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel. Intel-only builds run through Rosetta 2 on M-series Macs.
How do I update the app later?
Re-download the latest version from the catalogue, mount the new disk image, and drag-replace the application bundle in /Applications.
Can I request an app that isn't in the catalogue?
The catalogue is curated by a small editorial team. Request lists are accepted by community comment threads on each macOS release roundup.


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