The next version of the Mac operating system is called macOS Monterey. It’s version 12, was introduced at WWDC21, and will become available to the general public this fall. Betas are available to developers, and a public beta is available to general users if you enroll in the public beta program.
This article serves as a hub for Macworld’s FAQs, how-to, tips, news, and anything else about macOS Monterey. If there’s something you’re trying to find out, check this page and we’ll lead you in the right direction.
macOS Monterey FAQ
Our macOS Monterey FAQ covers the basics: What are the new features, which Macs are compatible, when will Monterey be released, and how to get the beta and/or the official version for the general public.
How to install the macOS Monterey beta
If you can’t wait to try out Monterey, you can join the public beta program and get an early look. Keep in mind that this is beta software and there’s a good chance it could cause problems on your Mac. You may encounter frequent freezes and crashes, or your apps may not work. Learn more.
macOS Monterey features: Safari tabs
Tabs are a major user interface element in Safari but they become unwieldly and hard to manage. Apple hopes to address those problems in Safari 15 with a new tab implementation and features. Here’s how tabs work in Safari 15 and how to make tab groups.
Safari 15 has new options for how Tabs are displayed.
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macOS Monterey features: Quick Note
Quick Note is a fast way to create a note file. When you trigger it, the Notes app quickly opens to a new file that you can start using immediately. It’s a fantastic feature but might not be so obvious if you don’t know it’s there.
macOS Monterey features: Focus
Focus is basically an expansion of options that were originally available in the Do Not Disturb feature that’s already in macOS. To make Focus suitable for your situation, you can adjust its preferences, which we’ll go over in this article.
macOS Monterey feature: Live Text and Look Up
You can now select the text in a photo, copy it, and then paste it into a document. You can also lookup that text on the web or in Maps. Here’s how you’ll use it on your Mac.
Live Text allows you to select text in an image and look it up on the web.
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macOS Monterey feature: Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode reduces energy consumption by automatically turning down the screen brightness and system clock speed to save battery life and make your Mac run more quietly. Here’s how to turn it on.
macOS Monterey feature: Change the cursor color
Change the color of the Mac cursor to make it easier to find or to reflect your personality.
macOS Monterey feature: Enable Full Keyboard Access
With Full Keyboard Access, you can rely less on the mouse or trackpad to navigate the user interface and instead use Tab and other keyboard keys to select items. Get the details on this powerful new feature.