Apple today released macOS 13 Ventura, the latest version of its operating system designed to run on Macs. macOS Ventura comes after months of beta testing and enhancements.
Compatibility
macOS Ventura does not support Macs released between 2014 and 2016, it only supports Macs from 2017 and later. Here's the full list of Macs that can run macOS Ventura.
- iMac (2017 and newer)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- MacBook Air (2018 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2017 and newer)
- Mac Pro (2019 or newer)
- Mac Studio (2022)
- Mac mini (2018 and newer)
- Apple Computer (2017)
How to update to macOS Ventura
To update supported Macs to macOS Ventura, go to System Preferences - Software Update app.
Stage manager
Stage Manager, a new multitasking feature added to macOS Ventura, helps you organize your apps and windows into a single view, so you can focus on your main app while quickly switching between tasks.
The main application will be centered on the screen, and other windows will be collapsed to the left. You can click the application icons on the left to switch between applications.
You can also group apps together for specific jobs, such as combining the Photos app with Lightroom for photo editing. Grouped apps can be sorted, resized, and laid out for a more optimized workspace.
Continuity camera
With Continuity Camera, you can turn your iPhone XR or later into a webcam for your Mac, taking advantage of iPhone's incredible camera technology for clearer video calls. What's special is that the iPhone can be connected to your Mac wirelessly (or wired for you), and the iPhone's camera will automatically switch to webcam mode when the iPhone is brought close to the Mac.
In addition to being a camera, the iPhone also acts as a microphone for the Mac, with some special imaging capabilities.
- Portrait Mode - Portrait Mode will appear on any Mac with an iPhone connected, blurring the background behind you.
- Center Stage – Center Stage uses iPhone's ultra-wide-angle camera to adjust the frame to keep you centered as you move around during a video call. It's also useful if there are a lot of people on the call, as it keeps everyone in frame.
- Studio Light – This feature will blur the background and brighten the face to replace external light. Apple says it's ideal for difficult lighting situations, such as a backlit scene in front of a window.
- Desktop View - This mode will use your iPhone's ultra-wide camera to show what's on your desktop during a video call. It's designed to mimic an overhead camera where you can share your desk and your face at the same time.
Face Time
FaceTime in macOS Ventura now works with Handoff, so you can accept a FaceTime call on your iPhone, then switch to your Mac, or vice versa. FaceTime Handoff works seamlessly between your devices, and when the call ends, it also switches to the new device if you have a Bluetooth headset connected.
macOS Ventura supports new collaborations with others in apps like Files, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Notes, Reminders, and Safari. In these apps, you can start a FaceTime call with your collaborators so you can video chat about what you're doing.
On Macs with Apple Silicon, there is an option to automatically display subtitles on FaceTime video calls.
New App: Clock and Weather
The Watch app on iPhone and iPad is now available on Mac. It supports Siri integration to set timers, alarms and check the time in another city.
Local time can be viewed in different time zones around the world, with alert support for custom alerts.
Along with the Clock app, Apple is also bringing a Weather app to the Mac, and while it has the same design as the iPad and iPhone weather apps, the Mac version has been optimized to fit on the larger screen. It also features beautiful moving images, detailed maps and extensive clickable prediction modules.
System settings
System Preferences has been renamed System Settings in macOS Ventura, and it has the same design as the Settings app on iPadOS, divided into two columns rather than the multi-icon layout used in macOS Monterey.
With a sidebar, System Settings means easier navigation as you don't have to switch between different settings panels. The sidebar is organized into categories, similar to the previous apps, with categories including Appearance, Control Center, and Desktop.
Free form application
*Currently unavailable
Freeform is a virtual whiteboard-style app that Apple plans to launch in a macOS Ventura update later this year. Gives you a blank canvas for collaboration purposes, so you can work with others on projects that require brainstorming, drawing diagrams, and more.
Freeform apps are cross-platform and support real-time collaboration so you can see changes made by others as they add and edit. It integrates with the Messages and FaceTime apps, so you can chat with collaborators in FaceTime and see updates right in Messages.
Images, videos, audio, PDFs, documents and web links can all be added to frames and previewed without opening another application and leaving Freeform.
Spotlight
Apple has improved Spotlight search in macOS Ventura, adding support for Quick Look and Quick Actions. With Quick Look, you can press the space bar to preview any file, just like in Finder.
Quick Actions allow Spotlight to do things like start a timer, enable focus mode, Shazam a song title, run a shortcut, and more.
Spotlight now has a more iOS-like search function that provides rich results for Contacts, Actors, Musicians, Movies, TV Shows, Businesses, and Sports. It can search for images in Photos, Messages, Notes, and the Finder application using search parameters such as the image's location, scene, or content, including text, people and pets, and other image subjects.
There's also a built-in web search feature that allows you to perform image searches for people, animals, plants, landmarks, monuments, and more. Directly from the Spotlight interface.
Pass key
Apple plans to make Safari more secure with Passkeys, an alternative to traditional passwords. With Passkeys, passwords will now always be saved on your device and never on a web server, making them more secure than traditional passwords. Keys are easy to use, logins are authenticated via Touch ID or Face ID, plus they sync across devices via iCloud Keychain and can be used on authenticated non-Apple devices. A real iPhone.
Features not available on Mac Intel
Some features are limited to Macs with Apple chips and are not available on Macs with Intel chips.
- Live captioning of audio content, including FaceTime.
- Reference patterns in sidecar.
- Emoji support in dictation mode.
