Upgrade from MacOS Monterey to....?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Upgrade from MacOS Monterey to....?

I'm running the latest version of MacOS Monterey (12.7.6) on my MacBook Air (M1, 2020).

Which OS upgrade would be best for me - Venture, Sonoma, Sequioa - considering my need for stability and reliability, no need for fancy bells and whistles? I'd like to go the most conservative route while staying relatively up to date.

I travel frequently and primarily use the internet for basic searches, with occasional videos or video conferencing and minimal design work in Canva, Figma etc. so no special programs or intensive use.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Jul 16, 2025 12:42 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 16, 2025 01:13 PM in response to Elizabella7

Personally, I would upgrade to the current macOS version (Sequoia 15.5). I have run Sequoia on my 2021 M1 iMac and I would do the same if I had a MacBook Air. I don't need any "fancy bells and whistles" either but I do keep current for security reasons.

Also see: How to upgrade to macOS Sequoia - Apple Support

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Answer 2

tbirdvet

Level 6

16,703 points

Jul 16, 2025 04:36 PM in response to Elizabella7

Just go with Sequoia. The only big change is the user interface is all new from Monterey but otherwise should work fine. I have a 2019 27" iMac that runs Monterey and Sequoia on an external drive. I keep Monterey on the internal as I have seem apps that will not run with Sequoia.

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Answer 3

Jul 16, 2025 05:19 PM in response to Elizabella7

If you upgrade to Sequoia, you may want to go into System Settings > Desktop & Dock, and

Turn OFF the "Drag windows to menu bar to fill screen" switch.
Change the "Click wallpaper to reveal desktop" setting to "Only in Stage Manager" (which will effectively turn the "disappearing Desktop icon" behavior off if you are not using Stage Manager).

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