Jan 03, 2020 Luckily, downgrading a new Mac from Catalina to 10.14 Mojave is possible for models other than the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the 2019 Mac Pro. Mac scripting expert (and author of the new book Moving to zsh ) Armin Briegel has published a guide explaining how to roll back a new Mac that ships with Catalina to Mojave. MacBook Air introduced in mid 2012 or later. One significant difference with compatibility between macOS Mojave and its predecessor, macOS Catalina.
This is a series of tips that cover Mac OS X client edition. Server forums cover Mac OS X server on the community.
Here is the series of tips for related Macs. 10.6,10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10,10.11,
10.12 ,10.13, 10.14 Mojave, 10.15 Catalina , 11.0 Big Sur.
- Jun 05, 2019 Instant Hotspot† Universal Clipboard. Auto Unlock‡: Apple Pay on the Web.
- MacOS Mojave is the last version of the macOS to support 32-bit apps entirely, which means that many older apps will be left behind with the next version.
See special note about resetting the SMC during updates and upgrades, later in the tip.
is an article I wrote that everyone updating their Mac should read. No update should be ventured into with operating systems or software without first ensuring your data is backed up in two separate places. Slowing down of your Mac should not lead you to assume an update will fix everything. First isolate why your Mac is slowing down or crashing before installing anything new.
Apple includes many full upgrade installer links on https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683
Note: APFS came about with High Sierra, and Mojave continues the practice of auto-reformatting drives into APFS that are solid state like flash drives from HFS Journaled. If you need to downgrade to an older system than High Sierra, you will need to reformat the drive again, or leave a partition with the old formatting available.
Apple released for 10.14.6 users, 2020-003 Mojave security update. If running an earlier version of 10.14, run the 10.14.6 Combo update first.
Apple recommends you have these Macs according to: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP777?locale=en_US
- MacBook (Early 2015 or newer) [model identifier 8,1 or later]
- MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or newer) [model identifier 5,1 or later]
- MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer) [model identifier 9,1 or later]
- Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer) [model identifier 6,1 or later]
- iMac (Late 2012 or newer) [model identifier 12,1 or later]
- Mac Pro (Late 2013; Mid 2010 and Mid 2012 models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards) [model identifier 5,1 or later]
bracketed items in quotes were added for additional identification purposes. Your Apple menu -> About This Mac -> System Report or System Profiler gives you the model identifier.
All of the Macs that are older than 10.11, need to be updated to 10.11 first before installing Mojave.
The oldest MacBook Air, Mac mini, and iMac which can upgrade to Mojave shipped with 10.8, Mountain Lion.
The oldest MacBook Pro which can upgrade to Mojave shipped with 10.7, Lion.
The oldest MacBook had Mac OS X 10.10 installed.
The oldest Mac Pro on the list above with the compatible graphics cards, had 10.6 originally installed, and is the only Mac that shipped with 10.6 that can install Mojave. Before upgrading to 10.7 or later, read this tip as Apple has not reintroduced a series of software that made older Mac compatible software compatible with Intel Macs since 10.6.8's release.
Apple released Mojave on September 24, 2018. Reports from:
Macbook Air Mojave Update
earlier than that date were made with pre-release Mojave versions and can not be relied upon.
September 30, 2018 driver additions from third party update pages:
HP, and Samsung (HP has become the download site for at least some Mojave Samsung printers, if you have Samsung see if any are Catalina compatible)
Silverfast.
10.14.3 was released January 22, 2019. Note, some users are reporting 10.14.3 will not successfully apply as an update without an SMC reset as described how to do in this link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295
Frequently both updates and upgrades will require multiple reboots to successfully apply. Do NOT become impatient if you find the screen go blank during the update or upgrade process. If you press the power button to shut it down while it is rebooting for the update or upgrade, it may quit the process, and leave you stuck.
Use the macOS Mojave forum for operating system specific questions of other end users such as yourself.
Note: https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/partition-a-physical-disk-dskutl14027/mac
are directions for creating a separate partition that will allow you to dual boot into an older operating system
if you find something not compatible with the current. Once you install the older operating system, you can use the Startup manager to dual boot to the older system.
You can't install Mojave from the Finder, unless you are running 10.13.6 or earlier.
The direct download link for Mojave is:
Note: some people have had trouble downloading the latest Mojave links. https://brave.com/ has been found to be a better web browser than some if you run into issues and is known to work on Mac OS X 10.10 and later.
Note: the 2020-004 security update for Mojave has a bug with the screen saver getting stuck. To repair delays in the screen saver, 'The workaround is to choose a non-picture screen saver such as Flurry, Message, etc.' (special thanks to community member dialabrain for this report.
- Ensure your CAC reader works with Mac
- Check to ensure your Mac accepts the reader
- Check your Mac OS version
- Check your CAC's version
- Update your DOD certificates
- Guidance for Firefox Users
- Look at graphs to see which CAC enabler to use
Step 1: Purchase a Mac Friendly CAC Reader
Purchase a CAC reader that works for your Mac. There are only a couple that you can choose from and I've listed them below.
If you already have a CAC reader and it isn't Mac friendly, you could update the firmware, however, for the non-tech savvy people out there, it's probably better to just purchase a new one and save the headache – they're only ~$11-13 dollars.
Best Mac Compatible CAC USB Readers
Best Mac Compatible CAC Desk Readers
Step 2: Plug in and Ensure It's Accepted
Once you have your CAC reader, plug it into your Mac and ensure your computer recognizes it. If you have one of the CAC readers we suggested above, then you should be good to go.
If for some reason your CAC reader isn't working, you may need to download the appropriate drivers for your CAC reader. You can find these drivers on the Reader's Manufacturer Website. Computer art software, free download.
Step 3: Update Your DOD Certificates
Macbook Air Mojave
Now that you have your CAC reader connected and accepted on your Mac computer, it's time to ensure you have the right certificates in order to access DOD CAC required web pages.
Procedure for Chrome and Safari
- Type ⇧⌘U (Shift + Command + U) to access your Utilities
- Find and Double click 'Keychain Access'
- Select 'Login' and 'All Items'
- Download the following five files and double click each once downloaded so as to install in your Keychain Access.
- When you double-click the Mac Root Cert 3 and 4, you'll need to tell your browser to always trust them. Click the button like you see below:
Additional Steps for Firefox
If you're using Mozilla Firefox as your primary browser, you're going to need to perform some additional steps. First, perform the same steps that you did for Chrome and Safari. Afterwards, follow these additional steps to get started.
*If you're having issues downloading the zip file below, try right clicking the link and opening the file in a new tab.
Early 2015 Macbook Air Mojave
- Download All Certs zip and double click to unzip all 39 files
- While in Firefox, click 'Firefox' on the top left, then 'Preferences'
- Then Click 'Advanced' > 'Certificates' > 'View Certificates'
- Then Click 'Authorities' and then 'Import'
- Import each file individually from the 'AllCerts' folder. When you do this, the below box will popup. Check all three boxes and click 'OK'
Step 4: Download and install CAC Enabler
Choosing the right CAC enabler can be pretty tricky. It all depends on what OS you have installed, how you installed it, and even what kind of CAC Card you have!
In order to get the right enabler, be sure to visit our trusty guide to Mac CAC Enablers! It'll walk you through exactly which enabler is right for you.
CAC Access at Home Success
Now that you have a CAC reader, certificates, and a CAC Enabler, you should now be able to access any CAC-enabled website and log on using your CAC password and data.
Common Reasons Why Your CAC Card Won't Work On Your Mac
Ensure Your CAC Card Meets the Standards: In order for your CAC card to work, it must meet the minimal requirements. Currently, there are only four types of CAC cards that can be used. The ensure you have the right CAC card for online access, flip your CAC card to the back and if you have one of the below numbers written on the top left, then you are good to go:
- G&D FIPS 201 SCE 3.2
- Oberthur ID one 128 v5.5 Dual
- GEMALTO DLGX4-A 144
- GEMALTO TOP DL GX4 144
If you do not have any of the above written on the back, then proceed to your nearest PSD to get a new CAC card issued.
