macOS 12 Monterey

macOS 12 Monterey is an operating system that’s been designed and developed by Apple since 2021 alongside Apple’s personal computers. It’s been released on October 25, 2021, and has become available as a Free Update, or is preinstalled on currently sold computers. This software gets the latest update (12.6.3) on January 23, 2023.

macOS Monterey Features

Known from iOS 15 SharePlay is coming to macOS. SharePlay allows users to listen to music, watch movies, and share the screen with other users in a FaceTime call. Together with SharePlay, Apple introduces the new “Shared with you” feature, which stores the content shared via messages in a dedicated section in their native apps for later viewing (for instance, a news article shared via messages is shown in the News app). 

FaceTime now includes new audio and video features that make calls feel more natural and lifelike. Spatial acoustics make FaceTime calls sound as if the other person’s voice is coming from where they are on the screen, and Voice Separation uses machine learning to remove background noise while making your voice clearer. From now FaceTime is more open for other platforms, with newly added links and calendar events, allowing Windows and Android users to join calls.

Safari was completely redesigned with tab groups, allowing users to organize tabs and share entire groups of tabs. The desktop browser extensions are available for the first time on both iPhones and iPads.

Shortcuts are also coming to Mac. Shortcuts app is allowing users to automate their routine and achieve maximum work productivity. Just like on the iPhone and iPad, Shortcuts on the Mac allow users to get things done quickly with the apps they use most.

The new feature called Focus Mode known from iPadOS 15 can automatically hide notifications that aren’t relevant to what the user is doing at the moment. Users can set and display their status to let others know they’re focused. When a user turns on Focus Mode on one device, it is automatically set on the user’s other devices too, which can be customized for the task at hand.

Universal Control allows users to seamlessly switch between Mac and iPad with a single mouse and keyboard, with no setup required. Users can also move content between devices by dragging and dropping, sketching drawings with Apple Pencil on an iPad, and then inserting drawings into Keynote slides on a Mac.

With AirPlay to Mac, users can play, present, and share virtually any content from their iPhone or iPad to their Mac’s display. The Mac’s sound system can be also used as an AirPlay speaker, allowing users to play music or podcasts on their Mac, or use the Mac as a secondary speaker for a multi-room audio experience.

On top of that, macOS 12 is bringing more features like iCloud+, new accessibility features, Privacy features, Live Text, spatial acoustics, and more.

Today macOS 12 Monterey is 29 months old!

macOS 12 Monterey
Source: apple.com – macOS 12 Monterey

macOS 12 Monterey Release Date and Requirements

ReleasedOctober 25, 2021
Original PriceFree
System RequirementsiMac Late 2015 or newer
iMac Pro 2017
MacBook Early 2016 or newer
MacBook Pro Early 2015 or newer
MacBook Air Early 2015 or newer
Mac mini Late 2014 or newer
Mac Pro Late 2013 or newer
4 GB of memory
35.5 – 44.5 GB of available disk space
OS X 10.9 or later
DistributionMac App Store
Software Update

Versions

VersionsBuildRelease Date
macOS 12.021A344*1October 26, 2021*1
macOS 12.0.121A559October 25, 2021
macOS 12.121C52December 13, 2021
macOS 12.221D49January 26, 2022
macOS 12.2.121D62February 10, 2022
macOS 12.321E230March 14, 2022
macOS 12.3.121E258March 31, 2022
macOS 12.421F79
21F2092*2
May 16, 2022
June 16, 2022*2
macOS 12.521G72July 20, 2022
macOS 12.5.121G83August 17, 2022
macOS 12.621G115September 12, 2022
macOS 12.6.121G217October 24, 2022
macOS 12.6.221G320December 13, 2022
macOS 12.6.321G419January 23, 2023
*1 Preinstalled on MacBook Pro 14-inch 2021 and MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021
*2 Apple M2-based Macs only
Report an incorrect record in this product