Upgrading macOS

Overview

Keeping on a recent version of macOS is important for both features and security. ASCTech periodically requires upgrades to a current macOS, it is preferred you upgrade on your own schedule.

This article will help you upgrade macOS on your own.

Note, this article refers to upgrades which means going from, say MacOS 15 Sequoia to MacOS 26 Tahoe. An update is a more minor change from, say 26.1 to 26.2.

Procedure

How to Upgrade

We encourage you to upgrade to the most current macOS, 26/Tahoe, via the following method:

  1. Open “Ohio State Application Self Service”
  2. Go to Browse -> Updates category
  3. Run “macOS Tahoe” with the Upgrade button.

Note:

  • While it's possible to upgrade from System Preferences, Intel Macs will require admin rights (Silicone Macs will not). Running from Self Service will bypass that requirement.
  • You will need a minimum of 15GB and up to 36GB of space on the hard drive.  Contact ASCTech if you need assistance.
  • Note, you may only see "macOS Sequoia", in this case you machine might not be able to run Tahoe, see below.

Screen shots of Self Service location (you may only see Sequoia or Tahoe, not both):

What to expect during an Upgrade

When you click the Self Service macOS upgrade your machine may prompt for a username and password - this should be your standard user and does not need to be an administrator.

Then the upgrade will download. Downloading can take minutes or over an hour depending on connection speeds, and you can continue working during the download.

Once downloaded there will be a confirmation dialogue, and when confirmed the Mac will begin upgrading. Your Mac will not be available after clicking the confirmation until the upgrade is complete. Typically, a macOS upgrade will take around an hour, but certain machines may take more or less time.  Expect more than one reboot.

Screen shot of the final confirmation:

Upgrading macOS - Please confirm that you want to upgrade macOS on this system now

What if my machine cannot upgrade to a recent macOS?

As machines age, Apple drops support for the older macOS, effectively making them unsupported. This means that important bug fixes and security patches are not available, making your machine and your data are much more vulnerable to malware and hackers.

You can see what MacOS your machine is running by going to the upper left Apple menu, and selecting About this Macintosh.

Machines that can run 26/Tahoe, released September 2025: https://support.apple.com/en-us/122867 
Machines that can run 15/Sequoia, released October 2024: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120282 
Machines that can run 14/Sonoma, released October 2023: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105113

Please contact ASCTech for options if your machine cannot run Sonoma, Sequoia, or Tahoe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What if I get a popup asking me to select a startup disk?

Answer: This is normal on an M1/M2 Mac. Select the disk and enter your name.n username and password. You do not need to be an administrator.

Q: Can I click allow for Cisco AnyConnect?

A: Yes, this is fine to Allow.

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