macOS High Sierra
Version of the macOS operating system
macOS High Sierra desktop with the default wallpaper
DeveloperApple Inc.
OS family
Source modelClosed, with open source components
General
availability		September 25, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-09-25)
Latest release10.13.6 Security Update 2020-006[1] (17G14042) (November 12, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-11-12)) [±]
Update methodMac App Store
Platformsx86-64
Kernel typeHybrid (XNU)
LicenseAPSL and Apple EULA
Preceded bymacOS Sierra
Succeeded bymacOS Mojave
Official websitemacOS High Sierra at the Wayback Machine (archived September 11, 2018)
TaglineYour Mac. Elevated.
Support status
Unsupported as of November 12, 2020.[2] iTunes is no longer being updated, but is able to download driver updates to sync to newer devices.[3]
Part of a series on
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Features
Versions
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macOS High Sierra (version 10.13) is the fourteenth major release of macOS, Apple Inc.'s desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. macOS High Sierra was announced at the WWDC 2017 on June 5, 2017[4] and was released on September 25, 2017. The name "High Sierra" refers to the High Sierra region in California. Its name signified its goal to be a refinement of the previous macOS version, macOS Sierra, focused on performance improvements and technical updates rather than features.[5] This makes it similar to previous macOS releases Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion and El Capitan. Among the apps with notable changes are Photos and Safari.[4][6][7]

macOS High Sierra is the final version of macOS to support the Unibody iMac and the Polycarbonate Unibody MacBook, as its successor, macOS Mojave, drops support for the late 2009 and final models.

System requirements

All Macs that supported macOS Sierra support macOS High Sierra.[8]

macOS High Sierra requires at least 2 GB of RAM and 20.12 GB of available disk space.

It is possible to install High Sierra on many older Macintosh computers that are not officially supported by Apple. This requires using a patch to modify the install image.[9]

Changes

Default wallpaper

The default desktop picture is an image of North Lake in the High Sierra region.

System

Apple File System

Apple File System (APFS) replaces HFS Plus as the default file system in macOS for the first time with High Sierra.[4] It supports 64‑bit inode numbers, is designed for flash memory, and is designed to speed up common tasks like duplicating a file and finding the size of a folder's contents. It also has built‑in encryption, crash‑safe protections, and simplified data backup on the go.[10]

Metal 2

Metal, Apple's low-level graphics API, has been updated to Metal 2. It includes virtual reality and machine-learning features, as well as support for external GPUs.[4] The system's windowing system, Quartz Compositor, supports Metal 2.

Media

macOS High Sierra adds support for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), with hardware acceleration where available, as well as support for High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF). Macs with the Intel Kaby Lake processor offer hardware support for Main 10 profile 10-bit hardware decoding, those with the Intel Skylake processor support Main profile 8-bit hardware decoding, and those with AMD Radeon 400 series graphics also support full HEVC decoding.[4] However, whenever an Intel IGP is present, the frameworks will only direct requests to Intel IGP. In addition, audio codecs FLAC and Opus are also supported, but not in iTunes.[11][12]

HEVC hardware acceleration requires a Mac with a sixth-generation Intel processor or newer (late 2015 27-inch iMac, mid 2017 21.5-inch iMac, early 2016 MacBook, late 2016 MacBook Pro or iMac Pro).

Other

In High Sierra, kernel extensions ("kexts") require explicit approval by the user before being able to run.[13]

The Low Battery notification and its icon were replaced by a flatter modern look.[citation needed]

The time service ntpd was replaced with timed for the time synchronization.[14]

The FTP and telnet command line programs were removed.[15]

Caching Server, File Sharing Server, and Time Machine Server, features that were previously part of macOS Server, are now provided as part of the OS.[16]

The screen can now be locked using the shortcut Cmd+Ctrl+Q. The ability to lock screen using a menu bar shortcut activated in Keychain Access preferences has now been removed.[17]

The 10.13.4 update added support for external graphics processors for Macs equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports.[18] The update discontinued support for external graphics processors in 2015 or older Macs, equipped with Thunderbolt 1 and 2 ports.

Starting with 10.13.4, when a 32-bit app is opened, users get a one-time warning about its future incompatibility with the macOS operating system.[19]

Applications

Final Cut Pro 7

Apple announced the original Final Cut Studio suite of programs will not work on High Sierra. Media professionals that depend on any of those programs were advised to create a double boot drive to their computer.[20]

Photos

macOS High Sierra gives Photos an updated sidebar and new editing tools.[4] Photos synchronizes tagged People with iOS 11.[4]

Mail

Mail has improved Spotlight search with Top Hits.[4] Mail also uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations, and Mail's compose window can now be used in split-screen mode.[21]

Safari

macOS High Sierra includes Safari 11. Safari 11 has a new "Intelligent Tracking Prevention" feature that uses machine learning to block third parties from tracking the user's actions.[22] Safari can also block auto playing videos from playing.[23][24] The "Reader Mode" can be set to always-on.[25] Safari 11 also supports WebAssembly.[26] The last version of Safari that High Sierra supports is 13.1.2. This version has known security issues.[27]

Notes

The Notes app includes the ability to add tables to notes,[28] and notes can be pinned to the top of the list.[29] The version number was incremented to 4.5.

Siri

In High Sierra, Siri uses a more natural and expressive voice compared to previous versions of Mac OS X. It also uses machine learning to understand the user better. Siri synchronizes information across iOS and Mac devices so the Siri experience is the same regardless of the product being used.[30]

Messages

The release of macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 (and iOS 11.4) introduced support for Messages in iCloud.[31] This feature allows messages to sync across all devices using the same iCloud account. When messages are deleted they are deleted on each device as well, and messages stored in the cloud do not take up local storage on the device anymore.[32] In order to use the feature, the user has to enable two-factor authentication for their Apple ID.[33]

Reception

Roman Loyola, the senior editor of Macworld, gave High Sierra a provisionally positive review in September 2017, calling it an "incremental update worthy of your time, eventually." Loyola expressed that the product's most significant draw was its security features, and that beyond this, the most beneficial changes lay in its future potential, saying it "doesn't have a lot of new features that will widen your eyes in excitement. But a lot of the changes are in the background and under the hood, and they lay a foundation for better things to come."[34]

Problems

macOS High Sierra 10.13.0 and 10.13.1 have a critical[35] vulnerability that allowed an attacker to become a root user by entering "root" as a username, and not entering a password, when logging in. This was fixed in the Security Update 2017-001 for macOS High Sierra v10.13.1.[36]

When it was first launched, it was discovered[by whom?] that the WindowServer process had a memory leak, leading to much slower graphics performance and lagging animations, probably due to some last-minute changes in Metal 2. This was fixed in macOS 10.13.1.[citation needed]

macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 had an error that caused DisplayLink to stop working for external monitors, allowing only one monitor to be extended. When using two external monitors, they could only be mirrored. Alban Rampon, the Senior Product Manager for DisplayLink, stated on December 24, 2018 that the company was working with Apple to resolve the issue.[37]

Release history

Version Build Date Darwin version Release notes Standalone download
10.13 17A365 September 25, 2017 17.0.0 Original Mac App Store release
About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13 		—
17A405 October 5, 2017 About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13 Supplemental Update macOS 10.13 Supplemental
10.13.1 17B48 October 31, 2017 17.2.0 About the macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 Update
About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 		macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 update
17B1002 November 29, 2017 About the security content of Security Update 2017-001 Security Update 2017-001 macOS High Sierra v10.13.1
17B1003
10.13.2 17C88 December 6, 2017 17.3.0 About the macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Update
About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 		macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Update
macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Combo Update
17C89
17C205 January 8, 2018 About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Supplemental Update macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Supplemental
17C2205
10.13.3 17D47 January 23, 2018 17.4.0 About the macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Update
About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 		macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Update
macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Combo Update
17D2047
17D102 February 19, 2018 About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Supplemental Update macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Supplemental
17D2102
10.13.4 17E199 March 29, 2018 17.5.0 About the macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 Update
About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 		macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 Update
macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 Combo Update
17E202 April 24, 2018 About the security content of Security Update 2018-001 Security Update 2018-001 macOS High Sierra v10.13.4
10.13.5 17F77 June 1, 2018 17.6.0 About the macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 Update
About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 		macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 Update
macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 Combo Update
10.13.6 17G65 July 9, 2018 17.7.0 About the macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Update
About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 		macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Update
macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Combo Update
17G2208 July 24, 2018 macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update for MacBook Pro (2018)
17G2307 August 28, 2018 macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update 2 for MacBook Pro (2018)
17G3025 October 30, 2018 17.7.0 About the security content of Security Update 2018-002 High Sierra Security Update 2018-002 High Sierra
17G4015 December 5, 2018 17.7.0 About the security content of Security Update 2018-003 High Sierra Security Update 2018-003 High Sierra
17G5019 January 22, 2019 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.22~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2019-001 High Sierra Security Update 2019-001 High Sierra
17G6029 March 25, 2019 17.7.0 About the security content of Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra
17G6030 March 29, 2019 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.35~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra Security Update 2019-002 High Sierra
17G7024 May 13, 2019 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.45~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2019-003 High Sierra Security Update 2019-003 High Sierra
17G8029 July 22, 2019 17.7.0 About the security content of Security Update 2019-004 High Sierra Security Update 2019-004 High Sierra
17G8030 July 29, 2019 17.7.0 About the security content of Security Update 2019-004 High Sierra Security Update 2019-004 High Sierra
17G8037 September 26, 2019 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.46~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2019-005 High Sierra Security Update 2019-005 High Sierra
17G9016 October 29, 2019 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.57~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2019-006 High Sierra Security Update 2019-006 High Sierra
17G10021 December 10, 2019 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.63~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2019-007 High Sierra Security Update 2019-007 High Sierra
17G11023 January 28, 2020 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.69~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2020-001 High Sierra Security Update 2020-001 High Sierra
17G12034 March 24, 2020 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.73~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2020-002 High Sierra Security Update 2020-002 High Sierra
17G13033 May 26, 2020 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.80~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2020-003 High Sierra Security Update 2020-003 High Sierra
17G13035 June 1, 2020 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.80.1~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2020-003 High Sierra Security Update 2020-003 High Sierra
17G14019 July 15, 2020 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.82.5~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2020-004 High Sierra Security Update 2020-004 High Sierra
17G14033 September 24, 2020 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.82.6~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2020-005 High Sierra Security Update 2020-005 High Sierra
17G14042 November 12, 2020 17.7.0
xnu-4570.71.82.8~1 		About the security content of Security Update 2020-006 High Sierra Security Update 2020-006 High Sierra

Timeline of Mac operating systems

Timeline of Mac operating systems
ARM architecture familyx86PowerPC68kMacBook Air (Apple silicon)iMac ProRetina MacBook ProMacBook AirApple–Intel architecturePower Mac G5Power Mac G4iMac G3Power MacintoshMacintosh QuadraMacintosh PortableMacintosh SE/30Macintosh IIMacintosh PlusMacintosh 128KmacOS SonomamacOS VenturamacOS MontereymacOS Big SurmacOS CatalinamacOS MojavemacOS High SierramacOS SierraOS X El CapitanOS X YosemiteOS X MavericksOS X Mountain LionMac OS X LionMac OS X Snow LeopardMac OS X LeopardMac OS X TigerMac OS X PantherMac OS X 10.2Mac OS X 10.1Mac OS X 10.0Mac OS X Server 1.0Mac OS X Public BetaA/UXA/UXA/UXMacWorks XLMacWorks XLSun RemarketingMacWorks XLMac OS 9Mac OS 9Mac OS 9Mac OS 8Mac OS 8Mac OS 8Mac OS 8System 7System 7System 7System 7System 6Classic Mac OSClassic Mac OSClassic Mac OSClassic Mac OSSystem 1Finder (software)Finder (software)Finder (software)Finder (software)Finder (software)Finder (software)Finder (software)

References

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External links

Preceded bymacOS 10.12 (Sierra) macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) 2017 Succeeded bymacOS 10.14 (Mojave)
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