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macOS Ventura (macOS 13) Q&A
Update Published December 16, 2022
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Which Macs are compatible with macOS Ventura (macOS 13)? What are the system requirements? What are the major new features? Do all features work with all supported Macs?
Apple first introduced macOS Ventura -- also referred to as macOS 13 -- on June 6, 2022. A public beta was released on July 11, 2022 and the "final" consumer version shipped on October 24, 2022.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (macOS Ventura)
As has been the case for many years now, macOS Ventura is free of charge and only officially available to install via Apple's own App Store.
New macOS Ventura Features
Apple's company press release proclaims that macOS Ventura centers around features to "help Mac users stay focused and get more done." This is quite similar to the promotion for the previous version of the macOS, macOS Monterey (macOS 12).
More precisely, Apple promises that macOS Ventura:
[T]akes the Mac experience to a whole new level. Stage Manager gives Mac users an all-new way to stay focused on the task in front of them while seamlessly switching between apps and windows. Continuity Camera uses iPhone as the webcam on Mac to do things that were never possible before, and with Handoff coming to FaceTime, users can start a FaceTime call on their iPhone or iPad and fluidly pass it over to their Mac. Mail and Messages come with great new features that make the apps better than ever, while Safari -- the world's fastest browser on Mac -- ushers in a passwordless future with passkeys.
Most of the new features are minor tweaks, but some users may greatly appreciate the new Stage Manager as an option to quickly switch between apps and tasks. Even minor improvements that streamline functionality or harden security always are worthwhile, too.
Tucked away in details elsewhere, though, is that Apple does not support a significant number of fairly recent Macs. Some new features only are supported by the very latest Macs, as well.
System Requirements
In marketing copy and technical documentation, Apple specifies that macOS Ventura runs on these Macs:
- MacBook (2017 and later)
- MacBook Air (2018 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2017 and later)
- iMac (2017 and later)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Mac Pro (2019 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022)
- Mac mini (2018 and later)
Accordingly, compared to the previous version of the macOS -- macOS Monterey (macOS 12) -- macOS Ventura (macOS 13) drops support for the:
- MacBook (Early 2016)
- MacBook Air (Early 2015 and 2017)
- MacBook Pro (Early 2015, Mid-2015, and Late 2016)
- iMac (Late 2015)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
- Mac mini (Late 2014)
Identification Help
If you're not sure if your Mac will run macOS Ventura (macOS 13), all of the supported computers can be identified by the above "subfamily" designations as well as by the Model Identifier in software. More details about specific identifiers are provided in EveryMac.com's exhaustive Mac Identification section.
To locate the Model Identifier, select "About This Mac" under the Apple Menu on your computer and click the "More Info..." button. Then, click the "System Report" button.
EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature also can identify these models by a variety of other identifiers.
macOS Ventura (macOS 13) Supported Systems
Specifically, the following Macs, available at the time the operating system shipped, are compatible with macOS Ventura:
Ventura Supported Mac |
Subfamily |
Model ID |
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
M1, 2021 |
||
M1, 2021 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
Late 2017 |
||
Late 2017 |
||
Late 2017 |
||
Late 2017 |
||
2018 |
||
2018 |
||
2018 |
||
M1, 2020 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
M1 Max, 2022 |
||
M1 Max, 2022 |
||
M1 Ultra, 2022 |
||
M1 Ultra, 2022 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Late 2018 |
||
2019 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
M1 |
||
M1 |
||
M2, 2022 |
||
M2, 2022 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2018 |
||
Mid-2018 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
2020 |
||
M1 |
||
M2, 2022 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2017 |
||
Mid-2018 |
||
Mid-2018 |
||
Mid-2018 |
||
Mid-2018 |
||
Mid-2018 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
2019 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
If your Mac isn't listed above, it isn't compatible.
macOS Ventura (macOS 13) Features Compatibility
All of the above Macs support macOS Ventura, but in tiny print, Apple notes that only Apple Silicon models support Live Captions in FaceTime, Emoji Dictation, and Reference Mode with Sidecar.
Accordingly, only the following Macs support these three features:
Ventura Supported Mac |
Subfamily |
Model ID |
M1, 2021 |
||
M1, 2021 |
||
M1, 2020 |
||
M1 Max, 2022 |
||
M1 Max, 2022 |
||
M1 Ultra, 2022 |
||
M1 Ultra, 2022 |
||
M1 |
||
M1 |
||
M2, 2022 |
||
M2, 2022 |
||
M1 |
||
M2, 2022 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
||
M1 Pro, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
||
M1 Max, 2021 |
If your Mac doesn't have an Apple processor -- from the M1 or M2 family -- you're out of luck.
macOS Ventura Summary
Ultimately, macOS Ventura brings a variety of worthwhile additions and refinements to the macOS. Although some of the more advanced features are limited to the very latest Macs, those with supported Intel-based systems likely will find some of the changes to be welcomed, too.
As always, EveryMac.com recommends that for those with "mission critical" computers, it is wise to skip any public beta entirely and wait for at least two or three "bug fix" releases after the "final" version before upgrading to any new operating system.
Now that Apple has shipped multiple bug fix updates, it should be safe and stable to upgrade to macOS Ventura. Remember to always back up your Mac not only before and after macOS updates, but on a day-to-day basis, too.
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