A clean install will make your Mac run faster and fix common issues such as unexpected freezes, slowdowns and so forth. Oftentimes old files and the cruft accumulated from previous installations get carried over when you upgrade your current macOS version. Big Sur merges your Notification Center and Today widgets into one view

However, you’ll gain a lot in terms of user convenience. Pro users are recommended to start anew by performing a clean install. Should you decide to go down that route, you will need to back up and restore your personal files in order to avoid losing important documents. This requires creating a bootable installer that you’ll boot into when starting up your Mac and wiping your startup drive clean.

Clean install: Installs a copy of Big Sur on a freshly formatted volume, without keeping any of your locally-saved files.

This is the most convenient method for many people because it uses the familiar Software Update mechanism and retains all your saved settings, apps and files on a new system.

Upgrade: Updates the existing macOS operating system and any settings to Big Sur through the Mac App Store, keeping your files intact.

Each method - and this tutorial covers them both - has its benefits and drawbacks. One of the dilemmas that more advanced Mac users typically face is whether to upgrade their existing macOS installation to Big Sur or perform a fresh install. The complete list of compatible Macs is available on Apple’s website. For reference, macOS 11 Big Sur is compatible with the following Mac computer models: To install macOS Big Sur, be sure that your Mac meets the minimum system requirements.

You’ll enjoy the biggest Safari update ever, discover new features for Maps and Messages, use a Control Center for the first time on your Mac, get even more transparency around your privacy and much, much more. Apple released Big Sur to the public on November 12, 2020. With macOS Big Sur, you can take advantage of a neat Control Center on your Mac You’ll instantly notice that the visuals have been refined while app icons have been redesigned to be more eye-catching. MacOS 11 Big Sur is a major software update from Apple that brings many, many new features and improvements to any compatible Mac computers. 6) How to reinstall macOS Big Sur Big Sur brings tons of goodies

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