Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

MacOS Monterey officially launches, but its biggest features have been delayed

By

Apple has launched the latest version of its Mac operating system, MacOS Monterey. First announced at WWDC 2021, the software has been in beta since the summer and is finally ready for release. Ready to run it? Here’s how to install MacOS Monterey.

It brings a slate of great new features to the Mac. You can copy and highlight text directly from photos using Live Text and create custom Do Not Disturb modes with various settings using Focus mode — two features that are also on iOS 15.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

AirPlay and Shortcuts, longtime stalwarts on iOS, are now on the Mac for the first time. And Apple has introduced iCloud+, which adds premium features like email masking and iCloud Private Relay for no additional cost to existing iCloud paid plan subscribers.

Recommended Videos

Then there’s Shared with You, which adds a new section to apps like Photos, News, and Podcasts, showing relevant content that has been shared with you in the Messages app. You will see pictures and videos sent over Messages in the Photos app, for instance, and shared movies and shows in the TV app.

However, not everything Apple showed off at WWDC has made it into the final release, and the company has said a few headline features will be coming “later this fall.” Among the omissions is Universal Control, which lets you control a Mac and an iPad using a single keyboard and mouse. Place the devices next to each other and when your mouse pointer reaches the edge of one display, it can “jump” across to the other device. You can even use it to quickly move files from one platform to another. It could be Monterey’s best feature, but evidently is not yet ready for prime time.

Universal Control on MacOS Monterey at Apple's WWDC event
Apple

Aside from Universal Control, another feature that is currently absent is SharePlay. This is aimed at FaceTime group calls, and allows participants to all watch the same content together. For example, you might want to share the latest episode of an Apple TV+ show and have a watch party with your friends while on a FaceTime call. SharePlay lets you do that — or rather, it will once it launches later this fall.

Apple says MacOS Monterey will run on the following devices:

  • MacBook Air (early 2015 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (early 2015 or later)
  • 12-inch MacBook (early 2016 or later)
  • iMac (late 2015 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac mini (late 2014 or later)
  • Mac Pro (late 2013 or later)

Some features, like Live Text and background blurring in FaceTime, will be exclusive to Apple Silicon Macs and unavailable on Intel-based machines.

If your Mac will run MacOS Monterey and you want to get started, we’ve put together an easy guide on how to install MacOS Monterey on your Apple computer.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Alex Blake
Alex Blake
Computing Writer
In ancient times, people like Alex would have been shunned for their nerdy ways and strange opinions on cheese. Today, he…
Don’t download the latest macOS Ventura update just yet
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip seen from behind.

We have a warning if your MacBook or other Mac machine is still running macOS Ventura. The latest macOS Ventura 13.6.6 update is bringing a lot of big bugs, and it is affecting the way that people are using their favorite Apple products, so you might want to hold off on downloading the update.

Originally released back on March 25, this problematic update came at the same time as macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, which patched issues with Java, USB hubs, and more. Unfortunately, though, macOS Ventura 13.6.6 is introducing some new issues of its own. Spotted by the folks at GottaBeMobile, Mac users have taken to Apple's support forums to complain of everyday issues linked to this release that are breaking their Macs.

Read more
How to take a screenshot on a Mac
The keyboard and trackpad of the MacBook Pro 14-inch.

For most new Mac users -- especially if they're coming from Windows -- one of the first questions they need to ask is how to take a screenshot on a Mac? There's no dedicated Print Screen key like there is on Windows, but there is keyboard shortcut, and if you want something more akin to Microsoft's Windows Snipping tool, there are some great screenshot apps you can use, too.

Here's how to take a screenshot on a Mac in a few different ways.
How to take a screenshot using keyboard shortcuts
MacOS keyboard shortcuts are the quickest ways to take screenshots, whether you're capturing the entire screen or just a portion. By default, Apple's methods save your screenshot to the desktop, but if you want to copy the screenshot to the clipboard, there's a keyboard shortcut you can use instead.
How to capture a selected area

Read more
I was wrong about using Stage Manager on Mac
Stage manager in macOS Ventura.

Stage Manager is one of those software features that has had a rather bumpy road since Apple launched it in 2022. The unique multitasking feature has landed itself in a heap of criticism over its short lifespan.

I, however, was not one of these critics. I was super excited by Stage Manager and the promise it contained. It was something new and shiny, here to shake up macOS in a fresh and different way. Even after using it myself, I foresaw it fundamentally changing the way I used my Mac.

Read more