macOS Mojave facts for kids

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macOS Mojave
Support status
Version of the macOS operating system

The macOS Mojave desktop, showing the Dark Mode interface and the Stocks and Voice Memos applications ported from iOS
Developer	Apple Inc.
OS family	Macintosh Unix
Source model	Closed, with open source components
General availability	September 24, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-09-24)
Latest release	10.14.6 Security Update 2021-005 (18G9323) (July 21, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-07-21))
Repository	Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Update method	Software Update
Platforms	x86-64
Kernel type	Hybrid (XNU)
License	APSL and Apple EULA
Preceded by	macOS High Sierra
Succeeded by	macOS Catalina
Tagline	Simply powerful.
Unsupported as of October 2021. iTunes is no longer being updated, but is able to download driver updates to sync to newer devices. (iTunes is replaced by separate apps in macOS Catalina, including Music, TV, Podcasts, and Finder for syncing devices.) Drops support for Macs released from late 2009 to 2011.

macOS Mojave (/moʊˈhɑːvi, mə-/ mo-HAH-vee; version 10.14) is the fifteenth major release of macOS, Apple Inc.'s desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. Mojave was announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 4, 2018, and was released to the public on September 24, 2018. The operating system's name refers to the Mojave Desert, and is part of a series of California-themed names that began with OS X Mavericks. It succeeded macOS High Sierra and was followed by macOS Catalina. macOS Mojave is the last version of macOS that features the iTunes and Dashboard apps.

macOS Mojave brings several iOS apps to the desktop operating system, including Apple News, Voice Memos, and Home. It also includes a more comprehensive "dark mode", is the final version of macOS to support 32-bit application software, is the last version of the macOS capable of being booted from an HFS+ partition without third-party patching, and is also the last version of macOS to support the iPhoto app, which had already been superseded in OS X Yosemite (10.10) by the newer Photos app.

Mojave was well received and was supplemented by point releases after launch.

Overview
System requirements
Changes
- System updates
- Removed features
Applications
User interface
Release history
Timeline of Mac operating systems
See also

Overview

macOS Mojave was announced on June 4, 2018, at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. Apple pitched Mojave, named after the California desert, as adding "pro" features that would benefit all users. The developer preview of the operating system was released for developers the same day, followed by a public beta on June 26. The retail version of 10.14 was released on September 24, 2018.

System requirements

Mojave requires a GPU that supports Metal, and the list of compatible systems is more restrictive than the previous version, macOS High Sierra. Mojave drops support for various Macs released from late 2009 to 2011. Compatible models are the following Macintosh computers running OS X Mountain Lion or later:

iMac (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (2017)
MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
Mac Mini (Late 2012 or later)
Mac Pro (2013, 2010–2012 supported with a Metal-capable graphics card)

macOS Mojave requires at least 2 GB of RAM as well as 12.5 GB of available disk space to upgrade from OS X El Capitan, macOS Sierra, or macOS High Sierra, or 18.5 GB of disk space to upgrade from OS X Yosemite and earlier releases. Some features are not available on all compatible models. Mojave installations convert the installation volume to Apple File System (APFS), if the volume had not previously been converted from HFS+.

It is possible to install Mojave on many older Macintosh computers that are not officially supported by Apple. This requires using a patch to modify the install image.

Changes

System updates

macOS Mojave deprecates support for several legacy features of the OS. The graphics frameworks OpenGL and OpenCL are still supported by the operating system, but will no longer be maintained; developers are encouraged to use Apple's Metal library instead.

OpenGL is a cross-platform graphics framework designed to support a wide range of processors. Apple chose OpenGL in the late 1990s to build support for software graphics rendering into the Mac, after abandoning QuickDraw 3D. At the time, moving to OpenGL allowed Apple to take advantage of existing libraries that enabled hardware acceleration on a variety of different GPUs. As time went on, Apple has shifted its efforts towards building its hardware platforms for mobile and desktop use. Metal makes use of the homogenized hardware by abandoning the abstraction layer and running on the "bare metal". Metal reduces CPU load, shifting more tasks to the GPU. It reduces driver overhead and improves multithreading, allowing every CPU thread to send commands to the GPU.

macOS does not natively support Vulkan, the Khronos group's official successor to OpenGL. The MoltenVK library can be used as a bridge, translating most of the Vulkan 1.0 API into the Metal API.

Continuing the process started in macOS High Sierra (10.13), which issued warnings about compatibility with 32-bit applications, Mojave issues warnings when opening 32-bit apps that they will not be supported in future updates. In macOS Mojave 10.14, this alert appears once every 30 days when launching the app, as macOS 10.15 will not support 32-bit applications.

When Mojave is installed, it will convert solid-state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), and Fusion Drives, from HFS Plus to APFS. On Fusion Drives using APFS, files will be moved to the SSD based on the file's frequency of use and its SSD performance profile. APFS will also store all metadata for a Fusion Drive's file system on the SSD.

New data protections require applications to get permission from the user before using the Mac camera and microphone or accessing system data like user Mail history and Messages database.

Removed features

Mojave removes integration with Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, and Flickr, which was added in OS X Mountain Lion.

Mojave also removes support for sub-pixel rendering of text. The feature was previously used on non-Retina displays to improve the appearance of text on screen.

The only supported Nvidia graphics cards are the Quadro K5000 and GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition.

Applications

Mojave features changes to existing applications as well as new ones. Finder now has metadata preview accessed via View > Show Preview, and many other updates, including a Gallery View (replacing Cover Flow) that lets users browse through files visually. After a screenshot is taken, the image appears in the corner of the display, as with iOS. The screenshot software can now record video, choose where to save files, and be opened via shift + Command + 5.

Safari's Tracking Prevention features now prevent social media "Like" or "Share" buttons and comment widgets from tracking users without permission. The browser also sends less information to web servers about the user's system, reducing the chance of being tracked based on system configuration. It can also automatically create, autofill, and store strong passwords when users create new online accounts; it also flags reused passwords so users can change them.

A new Screenshot app was added to macOS Mojave to replace the Grab app. Screenshot can capture a selected area, window or the entire screen as well as screen record a selected area or the entire display. The Screenshot app is located in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder, as was the Grab app. Screenshot can also be accessed by pressing Shift+Command+3.

FaceTime

macOS 10.14.1, released on October 30, 2018, adds Group FaceTime, which lets users chat with up to 32 people at the same time, using video or audio from an iPhone, iPad or Mac, or audio from Apple Watch. Participants can join in mid-conversation.

App Store

The Mac App Store was rewritten from the ground up and features a new interface and editorial content, similar to the iOS App Store. A new 'Discover' tab highlights new and updated apps; Create, Work, Play and Develop tabs help users find apps for a specific project or purpose.

iOS apps ported to macOS

Four new apps (News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home) are ported to macOS Mojave from iOS, with Apple implementing a subset of UIKit on the desktop OS. Third-party developers would be able to port iOS applications to macOS in 2019.

With Home, Mac users can control their HomeKit-enabled accessories to do things like turn lights off and on or adjust thermostat settings. Voice Memos lets users record audio (e.g., personal notes, lectures, meetings, interviews, or song ideas), and access them from iPhone, iPad or Mac. Stocks delivers curated market news alongside a personalized watchlist, with quotes and charts.

User interface

Dark mode and accent colors

Main page: Light-on-dark color scheme

Mojave introduces "Dark Mode", a Light-on-dark color scheme that darkens the user interface to make content stand out while the interface recedes. Users can choose dark or light mode when installing Mojave, or any time thereafter from System Preferences.

Apple's built-in apps support Dark Mode. App developers can implement Dark mode in their apps via a public API.

A limited dark mode that affected only the Dock, menu bar, and drop-down menus was previously introduced in OS X Yosemite.

Desktop

Stacks, a feature introduced in Mac OS X Leopard, now lets users group desktop files into groups based on file attributes such as file kind, date last opened, date modified, date created, name and tags. This is accessed via View > Use Stacks.

macOS Mojave features a new Dynamic Desktop that automatically changes specially made desktop backgrounds (two of which are included) to match the time of day.

Dock

The Dock has a space for recently used apps that have not previously been added to the Dock.

Preferences

macOS update functionality has been moved back to System Preferences from the Mac App Store. In OS X Mountain Lion (10.8), system and app updates moved to the App Store from Software Update.

Release history

Version	Build	Date	Darwin version	Release notes	Standalone download
10.14	18A391	September 24, 2018	18.0.0	Original Mac App Store release About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14	N/A
10.14.1	18B75	October 30, 2018	18.2.0 xnu-4903.221.2~2	About the macOS Mojave 10.14.1 Update About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.1	macOS Mojave 10.14.1 Update
	18B2107	October 30, 2018		Added support for the new Vega GPUs in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air
	18B3094	October 30, 2018
10.14.2	18C54	December 5, 2018	18.2.0 xnu-4903.231.4~2	About the macOS Mojave 10.14.2 Update About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.2	macOS Mojave 10.14.2 Update macOS Mojave 10.14.2 Combo Update
10.14.3	18D42	January 22, 2019	18.2.0 xnu-4903.241.1~4	About the macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Update About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.3	macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Update macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Combo Update
	18D43	January 25, 2019
	18D109	February 7, 2019		About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Supplemental Update	macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Supplemental Update
10.14.4	18E226	March 25, 2019	18.5.0 xnu-4903.251.3~3	About the macOS Mojave 10.14.4 Update About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.4	macOS Mojave 10.14.4 Update macOS Mojave 10.14.4 Combo Update
10.14.4	18E227	March 25, 2019	18.5.0 xnu-4903.251.3~3
10.14.5	18F132	May 13, 2019	18.6.0 xnu-4903.261.4~2	About the macOS Mojave 10.14.5 Update About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.5	macOS Mojave 10.14.5 Update macOS Mojave 10.14.5 Combo Update
10.14.6	18G84	July 22, 2019	18.7.0 xnu-4903.270.47~4	About the macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Update About the security content of macOS Mojave 10.14.6	macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Update macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Combo Update
	18G87	August 1, 2019	18.7.0 xnu-4903.270.47~4	Addressed the Wake from Sleep bug, which caused Macs not waking from sleep properly.	~~macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Supplemental Update~~
	18G95	August 26, 2019	18.7.0 xnu-4903.271.2~2	Security updates and bug fixes Addressed: MacBooks shutting down during sleep Addressed: Performance throttling when handling large files Addressed: iLife applications (Pages, Keynote, Numbers, GarageBand, and iMovie) not updating Re-patched a vulnerability that was accidentally unpatched in the previous update, which could lead to hacking attempts	~~macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Supplemental Update~~
	18G103	September 26, 2019	18.7.0 xnu-4903.271.2~2	Security updates and bug fixes	macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Supplemental Update
	18G1012	October 29, 2019	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.12~4	About the security content of Security Update 2019-001	Security Update 2019-001 (Mojave)
	18G2022	December 10, 2019	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.19~1	About the security content of Security Update 2019-002	Security Update 2019-002 (Mojave)
	18G3020	January 28, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.25~1	About the security content of Security Update 2020-001	Security Update 2020-001 (Mojave)
	18G4032	March 24, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.28~1	About the security content of Security Update 2020-002	Security Update 2020-002 (Mojave)
	18G5033	May 26, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.35~1	About the security content of Security Update 2020-003	Security Update 2020-003 (Mojave)
	18G6020	July 15, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.43~1	About the security content of Security Update 2020-004	Security Update 2020-004 (Mojave)
	18G6032	September 24, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.44~1 Pulled 2020-09-30	About the security content of Security Update 2020-005	Security Update 2020-005 (Mojave)
	18G6032	October 1, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.44~1	About the security content of macOS 10.14.6 Supplemental Update	Security Update 2020-005 (Mojave)
	18G6042	November 12, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.44.0.2~1	About the security content of Security Update 2020-006	Security Update 2020-006 (Mojave)
	18G7016	December 14, 2020	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.51~1	About the security content of Security Update 2020-007	Security Update 2020-007 (Mojave)
	18G8012	February 1, 2021	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.56~1	About the security content of Security Update 2021-001	Security Update 2021-001 (Mojave)
	18G8022	February 9, 2021	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.56~1	About the security content of Security Update 2021-002	Security Update 2021-002 (Mojave)
	18G9028	April 26, 2021	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.65~1	About the security content of Security Update 2021-003	Security Update 2021-003 (Mojave)
	18G9216	May 24, 2021	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.68~1	About the security content of Security Update 2021-004	Security Update 2021-004 (Mojave)
	18G9323	July 21, 2021	18.7.0 xnu-4903.278.70~1	About the security content of Security Update 2021-005	Security Update 2021-005 (Mojave)

Timeline of Mac operating systems

Timeline of Mac operating systems