If you’re feeling left out with the release of the new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros equipped with M1 Pro and M1 Max, the next best thing is here and it’s free. macOS Monterey, the OS that comes with the aforementioned MacBooks, is now available as a free update for selected Mac models.

If you’re wondering which Macs are compatible, then we got you covered. This way, you know if you’re really already due for an upgrade.

• iMac — Late 2015 and later
• Mac Pro — Late 2013 and later
• iMac Pro — 2017 and later
• MacBook Air — Early 2015 and later
• Mac mini — Late 2014 and later
• MacBook — Early 2016 and later
• MacBook Pro — Early 2015 and later

To find out if your Mac still qualifies, simply click on the Apple logo on the top-left corner of your device, and select ‘About This Mac’. From there you’ll know what kind and what year your Mac falls on. There are also other ways to check which you can look at here.

As for what exactly you’re getting with macOS Monterey, watch this video for the best features!

Can’t watch? Here’s a quick rundown.

Shortcuts

Initially introduced on iOS, Shortcuts is essentially a way to cut down the time you spend to execute tasks you repeat regularly. There’s a rich gallery of pre-built actions designed just for Mac like being able to instantly share files, make animated GIFs, and more.

Shortcuts is integrated throughout macOS, including the menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, and even hands-free with Siri. What happens to automator now? Users can easily import existing Automator workflows into Shortcuts and be up and running right away.

Universal Control

For Apple users with multiple devices, Universal Control will be a godsend. This lets users work with a single mouse and keyboard and move between Mac and iPad for a seamless experience, with no setup required. Users can drag and drop content back and forth between devices like it’s nothing.

New Safari

Safari adds a new tab design, including a redesigned tab bar and Tab Groups, so users can browse the web in new ways.

A new tab bar takes on the color of the webpage and combines tabs, the tool bar, and the search field into a single compact design.

Tab Groups offer a new way to easily save and manage tabs. They also sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad, so users can continue their project from anywhere and easily share tabs with other Apple users.

Other improvements and features

SharePlay — Works similarly to the one on iOS where you can have a listening or watch party via Apple Music and Apple TV with people you’re in a FaceTime call with.

Shared with You — Makes it easy to locate and enjoy all the great content that’s shared through Messages, including photos, videos, articles, and more, right from a Shared with You tab within various Apple apps.

Live Text — Uses on-device machine learning to detect text in photos, including phone numbers, websites, addresses, and tracking numbers, so users can copy and paste, make a phone call, open a website, and easily find more information

Privacy — Mail Privacy Protection let users choose whether emails can collect information about their Mail activity, and the Mac recording indicator now shows which app is accessing the Mac’s microphone.

Accessibility — Lets anyone add alternative image descriptions right from Markup, and improved Full Keyboard Access and new cursor customization options provide more flexibility when navigating Mac.