Here you will find information and instructions to use your Mac efficiently in KTH's IT environment. It is for you who use a Mac at KTH, both the KTH Mac version and your own.
KTH Mac
KTH Mac is the Mac variant of the IT Workplace. This service provides easy access to software, backup, automated updates, and other services.
We constantly inventory the Macs in our systems and make sure they are running updated operating systems that meet today's security requirements.
Apple supports the latest macOS versions– macOS 14 Sonoma– and the previous two– macOS 13 Ventura and macOS 12 Monterey– with security updates. We follow Apple in this for the computers in our care. If your computer is running an older macOS, you will therefore receive notifications from us about updating your operating system.
If your computer is running an older version, you must therefore update your OS, according to our instructions for
Updating Mac from older macOS
.
If your computer is too old to support these versions, it may be time to consider a hardware upgrade. A modern Mac not only improves security but also the work experience with access to the latest programs, features and software updates.
If you need help or have questions about updating, please contact
it-support@kth.se
.
Current Apple information
Current versions:
KTH Mac support the 3 latest macOS versions: macOS 12 (Monterey), 13 (Ventura) and 14 (Sonoma).
The following are the latest OS versions from Apple:
macOS 14.5 , macOS 13.6.7, macOS 12.7.5
iOS 17.5
ipadOS 17.5
watchOS 10.5
All users are encouraged to keep their devices updated to latest possible version.
macOS Sonoma
As of September 2023, Sonoma is the latest current macOS, and the one we run at KTH.
Sonoma is officially supported by all Intel Macs with a T2 chip, all Apple silicon Macs, and only one Intel Mac without a T2 chip, namely the iMac 2019 (iMac19,x):
Mac mini: 2018 and later Mac Pro: 2019 and later Mac Studio: 2022 and later
iMac: 2019 and later iMac Pro: 2017
MacBook: not compatible MacBook Air: 2018 and later MacBook Pro: 2018 and later
The fact that a computer is compatible does not mean that all new features can be used- more and more features requires the functionality and capabilities of the more modern Apple processor.
Preparations
Your data
Make sure the computer has a current backup (TimeMachine or Crashplan) of the computer so you can get back your data if you run into problems.
Make sure OneDrive has synced everything you put in the OneDrive directory.
Hard drive
Check your SSD before upgrading the system so that it is healthy and has enough space (at least 40 GB left).
If you upgrade from a macOS version before 10.13, the upgrade will convert the file system and file structure of your Mac to APFS.
Applications
Update all applications BEFORE you upgrade. The actual updating binaries for many programs may be incompatible with macOS 12.0. See point 4.
Check that the programs are compatible with the system - 32-bit programs will not work. Check with > "About this computer"> System report> Software> Programs, column "64-bit yes / no". Additional incompatibilities may occur, check the manufacturer's website. This also applies to plugins for various software.
Uninstall old programs BEFORE upgrading. See point 2.
Time to upgrade
To upgrade takes time, often an hour or more. Make the upgrade when you have time to be without the computer for a while.
macOS Sequoia
Apple's annual major macOS system upgrade, most recently called Sequoia, was unveiled on June 10, 2024 at the WWDC developer conference. With a strong focus on AI, macOS increasingly requires the power of Apple's own processors. macOS Sequoia will most likely be released in early October.
We recommend that you do not run the preview version of macOS Sequoia on your work computer, but wait until it is officially released this fall.
Changes and news
A lot of the focus in the presentation of Sequoia was about user experience, with additional widgets on the desktop, features in notes, features for collaboration and such. The big change, however, is Apple Intelligence, where AI contributes in many apps and functions with text and images. It runs only on the device and not in the cloud.
Apple Intelligence and Siri:
Apple Intelligence in macOS Sequoia provides personalized and context-aware assistance
Siri gains richer language understanding and greater personal context awareness
Continuity:
iPhone Mirroring allows viewing and controlling an iPhone from a Mac, even when it is in your pocket.
You can drag-and-drop between iPhone and Mac, and get iPhone notifications on Mac
Productivity and communication tools:
Easy window management and presenter preview in video calls
Enhanced writing tools, background replacements for video calls, and new Safari Highlights of web pages
Passwords app for secure credential management
Other enhancements:
live audio transcription in Notes
Updates in Calculator, Calendar, Freeform and Photos
macOS 15 Sequoia tightens the hardware requirements moderately compared to last year - only the Macbook Air needs to be newer. As always, many new functions require a powerful processor to be used.
Mac mini: 2018 and later
Mac Pro: 2019 and later
Mac Studio: 2022 and later
iMac: 2019 and later
iMac Pro: 2017
MacBook: not compatible
MacBook Air: 2020 and later
MacBook Pro: 2018 and later
The fact that a computer is compatible does not mean that all new functions can be used - more and more functions require the functionality and capacity of the more modern Apple processor.
The computer labs run macOS 13 Sonoma
All Mac computer rooms in building 43:3 (Turkos, Violett, Konst and Musik) run macOS 14.x with local home directory and access to AFS and Windows home directories. Read more here:
Your home directory in the Mac labs
The iMacs in the computer labs have USB-C ports only. If you need to use USB-A port for a computer lab session or for personal data storage, you therefore need an adapter.
