macOS Monterey is now available (2023)

macOS Monterey offers innovative new features that help users connect in new ways, achieve more and work seamlessly on their Apple devices. FaceTime includes new audio and video features that make calls more natural and realistic, and new continuity tools like AirPlay for Mac allow Apple devices to work even better together. Live text and visual search bring new intelligence features to surface useful information, Safari includes powerful tab organization with tab groups, and easy automation comes to Mac with shortcuts. Later this fall, SharePlay will allow Mac users to share experiences over FaceTime, and Universal Control will make it easy for users to work effortlessly on their Mac and iPad. macOS Monterey is available today as a free software update for Apple silicon and Intel-based Macs.¹

New ways to stay connected with FaceTime

FaceTime calls sound more natural and realistic, and SharePlay offers users a new way to connect and enjoy time with friends and family. With spatial audio, voices in a FaceTime call sound like they're coming from where the person is on the screen. Two new microphone modes give users more control over how their voice sounds: voice isolation eliminates background noise to ensure the user's voice is crystal clear, and wide spectrum lets in all noise so participants can hear everything. Portrait mode, a new feature in FaceTime and available on apps like Webex and Zoom, uses the Neural Engine in the M1 chip to keep the user in focus while blurring the background.²and a new grid view shows participants in a group FaceTime call in equal-sized blocks.

SharePlay is a powerful set of features that allow users to have a shared experience in a FaceTime call. Users can experience their favorite music, TV shows, movies and more with friends and family in real-time, and shared playback controls allow everyone in a SharePlay session to play, pause or skip ahead. They can also share the entire screen or just a specific app, making it easy to collaborate with friends or colleagues on a call. SharePlay works with apps like Apple Music and Apple TV+, as well as popular third-party services.

Working on Apple Devices with Universal Control and AirPlay on Mac

With Universal Control, users can work with a single mouse and keyboard and seamlessly switch between Mac and iPad. Users can place devices side by side and instantly move the cursor from one device to another, with no configuration required. They can use the Mac keyboard to enter text on any device or simply drag and drop content between devices. Users can even draw on iPad with Apple Pencil and place their illustrations directly into apps on their Mac to take advantage of the powerful capabilities of all their devices simultaneously. AirPlay for Mac makes it easy to play, present and share almost anything from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac. Use AirPlay to share the latest movies and games, photos and presentations right on your Mac's stunning Retina display, or play music from across the room through your Mac's high-fidelity sound system.

Live text and visual search

Live Text recognizes text in photos, including phone numbers, websites, addresses and more, so users can easily copy and paste, make a call, open a website and look up more information. Visual Look Up helps users discover and learn about animals, art, landmarks, plants and more in photos. Both Live Text and Visual Look Up work on macOS and leverage powerful machine learning on the device, keeping user data private.

Focus helps users stay on task and reduce distractions

Focus filters app and people notifications based on what the user wants to focus on at that moment. When a user sets focus on their Mac, it is automatically set on their other Apple devices. A status is automatically displayed in Messaging and supported communication apps like Slack while using Focus, so others know not to interrupt when users complete a project or are on vacation.

More ways to organize and collaborate with Notes

Notes in Monterey gives users new ways to collaborate, stay organized and take notes from anywhere. Quick Note gives users the ability to take notes in any application, making it easy to capture thoughts and ideas at any time. Users can also add app links to a Quick Note, ideal when they need to memorize a website in Safari or quickly find a location in Maps. New collaboration tools allow users to add mentions and see updates in a shared note with the new activity view. Monterey makes organizing easy with tags - a faster way to categorize notes and find them easily with the new tag browser.

improved tab safari experience

Safari gives users more control over how they browse the web, including a new tab group feature that lets users easily save and organize tabs - ideal for planning trips, researching projects, and saving tabs that users visit regularly. Tab groups sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad, so users can continue their projects from anywhere and easily share tabs with friends and family. Safari offers new ways to experience the web, including a new optional compact tab bar theme that gives users more room to browse, Shared With You integration so users can easily access links sent from messages, and support for quick notes makes it easy to keep track of information discovered on websites. Safari also gives users more privacy because Intelligent Tracking Prevention now prevents trackers from profiling users with their IP address.

Shortcuts Offers Seamless Automation on Mac

Shortcuts on Mac help users get the most productivity out of the apps they use most. With an extensive gallery of pre-built shortcuts, it is easy for users to automate daily tasks such as: How to instantly open the most frequently used apps to speed up the workday or add a reminder to the shopping list on startup, directly from Mac. And the shortcut editor allows users to customize the shortcuts as per their workflows. It's easy to run shortcuts anytime with macOS' built-in shortcuts, including the menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, and Siri. Users can also import existing Automator workflows into Shortcuts and be ready to go.

additional functions

Availability

macOS Monterey is available today as a free software update. For more information, including supported Mac models, visitapple.com/macos/monterey.

• text of this article

  October 25, 2021

  TO UPDATE

  macOS Monterey is now available

  macOS Monterey offers innovative new features that help users connect in new ways, achieve more and work seamlessly on their Apple devices. FaceTime includes new audio and video features that make calls more natural and realistic, and new continuity tools like AirPlay for Mac allow Apple devices to work even better together. Live text and visual search bring new intelligence features to surface useful information, Safari includes powerful tab organization with tab groups, and easy automation comes to Mac with shortcuts. Later this fall, SharePlay will allow Mac users to share experiences over FaceTime, and Universal Control will make it easy for users to work effortlessly on their Mac and iPad. macOS Monterey is available today as a free software update for Apple silicon and Intel-based Macs.¹

  New ways to stay connected with FaceTime

  FaceTime calls sound more natural and realistic, and SharePlay offers users a new way to connect and enjoy time with friends and family. With spatial audio, voices in a FaceTime call sound like they're coming from where the person is on the screen. Two new microphone modes give users more control over how their voice sounds: voice isolation eliminates background noise to ensure the user's voice is crystal clear, and wide spectrum lets in all noise so participants can hear everything. Portrait mode, a new feature in FaceTime and available on apps like Webex and Zoom, uses the Neural Engine in the M1 chip to keep the user in focus while blurring the background.²and a new grid view shows participants in a group FaceTime call in equal-sized blocks.

  SharePlay is a powerful set of features that allow users to have a shared experience in a FaceTime call. Users can experience their favorite music, TV shows, movies and more with friends and family in real-time, and shared playback controls allow everyone in a SharePlay session to play, pause or skip ahead. They can also share the entire screen or just a specific app, making it easy to collaborate with friends or colleagues on a call. SharePlay works with apps like Apple Music and Apple TV+, as well as popular third-party services.

  Working on Apple Devices with Universal Control and AirPlay on Mac

  With Universal Control, users can work with a single mouse and keyboard and seamlessly switch between Mac and iPad. Users can place devices side by side and instantly move the cursor from one device to another, with no configuration required. They can use the Mac keyboard to enter text on any device or simply drag and drop content between devices. Users can even draw on iPad with Apple Pencil and place their illustrations directly into apps on their Mac to take advantage of the powerful capabilities of all their devices simultaneously. AirPlay for Mac makes it easy to play, present and share almost anything from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac. Use AirPlay to share the latest movies and games, photos and presentations right on your Mac's stunning Retina display, or play music from across the room through your Mac's high-fidelity sound system.

  Live text and visual search

  Live Text recognizes text in photos, including phone numbers, websites, addresses and more, so users can easily copy and paste, make a call, open a website and look up more information. Visual Look Up helps users discover and learn about animals, art, landmarks, plants and more in photos. Both Live Text and Visual Look Up work on macOS and leverage powerful machine learning on the device, keeping user data private.

  Focus helps users stay on task and reduce distractions

  Focus filters app and people notifications based on what the user wants to focus on at that moment. When a user sets focus on their Mac, it is automatically set on their other Apple devices. A status is automatically displayed in Messaging and supported communication apps like Slack while using Focus, so others know not to interrupt when users complete a project or are on vacation.

  More ways to organize and collaborate with Notes

  (Video) macOS Monterey: Top New Features

  Notes in Monterey gives users new ways to collaborate, stay organized and take notes from anywhere. Quick Note gives users the ability to take notes in any application, making it easy to capture thoughts and ideas at any time. Users can also add app links to a Quick Note, ideal when they need to memorize a website in Safari or quickly find a location in Maps. New collaboration tools allow users to add mentions and see updates in a shared note with the new activity view. Monterey makes organizing easy with tags - a faster way to categorize notes and find them easily with the new tag browser.

  improved tab safari experience

  Safari gives users more control over how they browse the web, including a new tab group feature that lets users easily save and organize tabs - ideal for planning trips, researching projects, and saving tabs that users visit regularly. Tab groups sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad, so users can continue their projects from anywhere and easily share tabs with friends and family. Safari offers new ways to experience the web, including a new optional compact tab bar theme that gives users more room to browse, Shared With You integration so users can easily access links sent from messages, and support for quick notes makes it easy to keep track of information discovered on websites. Safari also gives users more privacy because Intelligent Tracking Prevention now prevents trackers from profiling users with their IP address.

  Shortcuts Offers Seamless Automation on Mac

  Shortcuts on Mac help users get the most productivity out of the apps they use most. With an extensive gallery of pre-built shortcuts, it is easy for users to automate daily tasks such as: How to instantly open the most frequently used apps to speed up the workday or add a reminder to the shopping list on startup, directly from Mac. And the shortcut editor allows users to customize the shortcuts as per their workflows. It's easy to run shortcuts anytime with macOS' built-in shortcuts, including the menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, and Siri. Users can also import existing Automator workflows into Shortcuts and be ready to go.

  additional functions

  • shared with youmakes it easy to enjoy content shared via Messages directly in Photos, Safari, Apple Podcasts, Apple News and the Apple TV app. Users can easily find shared content, see who recommended it, and respond online to the original thread it was shared in.

  • cardsdelivers an all-new immersive experience with exceptional detail for streets, neighborhoods, trees, buildings and more, all brought to life right on your Mac's stunning display.³

  • iCloud+combines everything users love about iCloud with new premium features including Hide My Email, expanded support for HomeKit Secure Video and an innovative new Internet privacy service, iCloud Private Relay, at no additional cost. All iCloud+ plans can be shared with people in the same Family Sharing group, so everyone can enjoy the new features, storage space and improved experience that comes with the service. Current iCloud storage subscribers are automatically upgraded to iCloud+ at no additional cost.⁴

  • Spatial Audiocomes to Macs with the M1 chip and offers a cinematic experience with AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. And with dynamic head tracking, the audio stays fixed on the Mac even when the user moves their head.

  • email privacyprevents senders from knowing whether an email has been opened, and hides IP addresses so senders cannot learn a user's location or use it to create a profile.

  • NeuAccessibilityFeatures allow anyone to add alternative image descriptions directly from the markup, and full access to the improved keyboard and new cursor customization options provide more flexibility when navigating on the Mac.

  Availability

  macOS Monterey is available today as a free software update. For more information, including supported Mac models, visitapple.com/macos/monterey.

  1. For compatibility with macOS Monterey, seeapple.com/macos/monterey.
  2. Portrait mode requires a Mac with Apple Silicon.
  3. The enhanced map is available in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, with more to come. Some features require a Mac with Apple Silicon.
  4. iCloud+ plans: 50 GB with one HomeKit Secure Video Camera ($0.99 per month), 200 GB with up to five HomeKit Secure Video Cameras ($2.99 ​​per month), and 2 TB with Secure Video Cameras Unlimited HomeKit ($9.99 per month). HomeKit Secure Video requires a supported iCloud plan, HomeKit compatible security camera and HomePod, Apple TV or iPad functioning as a home hub. iCloud Private Relay was initially released as a public beta.

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  (408) 974-2042

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1. For compatibility with macOS Monterey, seeapple.com/macos/monterey.
2. Portrait mode requires a Mac with Apple Silicon.
3. The enhanced map is available in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, with more to come. Some features require a Mac with Apple Silicon.
4. iCloud+ plans: 50 GB with one HomeKit Secure Video Camera ($0.99 per month), 200 GB with up to five HomeKit Secure Video Cameras ($2.99 ​​per month), and 2 TB with Secure Video Cameras Unlimited HomeKit ($9.99 per month). HomeKit Secure Video requires a supported iCloud plan, HomeKit compatible security camera and HomePod, Apple TV or iPad functioning as a home hub. iCloud Private Relay was initially released as a public beta.