macos Mojave

Updated: 4 Jan 2020

This is a new FAQ for the Apple Mac OS 10.14 called Mojave (pronounced Mo-hah-vee). This should answer any common questions for newcomers that are using Apple's Mac range of computers.
It is named after the Mojave Desert in Southern California.

1. What is macOS Mojave?

Mac OS is Apple's operating system for their Apple iMac range of computers. It uses a combination of technologies including Mach, NetBSD, FreeBSD, NeXT, and Cocoa.
The current Apple iMac range now use Intel hardware and processors. macOS Mojave the latest version of Mac OS using version number 10.14.

2. What differences are there with Mojave (10.14) and previous versions?

Like the last 5 versions of Mac OS, it is now completely Intel native and supports some new technology as well.

* Dark Mode, and Dynamic Desktop so the desktop changes with the time of day.
* Stacks, allows files on desktop to be organised into groups of files eg images, docs, audio by date, type or project.
* Improved Finder, to allow you to view and even modify files and display metadata without needing to open them.
* Capture screen, windows and video from your desktop.
* Use FaceTime with upto 32 people at once.
* New apps including News, Stocks, Home and Voice Memos.
* Re-organised App Store.
* Plus many other changes.
* MacOS Mojave is available to download from the AppStore from Autum (Fall) 2018.

3. What are the minimum requirements to run Mojave on my iMac?

You need a Apple iMac that has a 64 bit Intel i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor, manufactured from late 2012 onwards and supports 64 bit EFI and Metal.
A Macbook from 2015, a MacBook Pro from 2012, a MacBook Air from 2012, a MacMini from 2012 ,or a Mac Pro from late-2013.
For memory, you need at least 2 GB of RAM (4GB recommended). For hard disk space, you need at least 8.8 GB of free space to install Sierra.
For additional requirements, see Apple's Technical Specs.

4. How do I create a bootable USB disk with Mojave?

You can no longer create a bootable DVD but you can create a bootable USB stick. You can create it from the disk image from the Install macOS installation file you downloaded:

a) Locate the Mac OS X Mojave installation file in the Applications folder. If it is not there, download it again from the App Store.
b) Open the Terminal program and start a shell,
c) Insert a blank USB disc in your Mac.
d) Enter the following command in the Terminal window shell. Replace untitled with the name of your USB Stick:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High \Sierra.app --nointeraction

5. How do I install Mojave?

a) Open the AppStore icon in the dock, alternatively, open this link to re-download Mojave from App Store.
b) Click on Sign In link in the Quick Links.
c) Click on macOS Mojave icon to purchase (it is free) and download the program (previous versions are available under Purchases).
d) The program may take an hour or so to download (approx 4 GB).
e) Open the Applications folder and you will find the Install macOS Mojave icon.
f) I would recommend backing up this file to an external disk if you want to use it again later and prevent having to download it again.
g) Run Install macOS Mojave to begin installation and follow the prompts.

6. How do I use the Recovery feature?

When you boot up, press the Command-R key combination to enter HD Recovery mode. You can then select one of the following options: Restore from Time Machine Backup, Reinstall Mac OS X, Get Help Online (using Safari browser) or load the Disk Utility.

a) Time Machine Backup. This allows you restore an entire backup of your Mac OS X installation, applications and files back to a hard disk partition of your choice.
b) The Reinstall Mac OS X will reinstall Mac OS X but it doesn't include all the files to restore, so it will need network access to download the necessary files from the AppStore.
c) Get Help Online will open Safari so that you have access to the internet to access instructions and other information to allow you to restore your Mac.
d) Disk Utility will open the disk tool to partition or repair your hard disk.

7. What applications can I run on macOS Mojave?

Mac OS can run any Universal or Intel compiled applications. Most of the apps for Mac OS X Lion or later should be able to run on Mojave.
32-bit applications may get a warning saying it is not optimised for your Mac, but it should still run.

Applications included with Mojave: Calculator, Calendar, Chess, Contacts, Dashboard, Dictionary, DVD Player, Facetime, Font Book, iBooks, Image Capture,
iTunes, Launchpad, Mail, Maps, Messages, Mission Control, Notes, Photo Booth, Photos, Preview, Quicktime Player, Reminders, Safari, Siri, Stickies, System
Preferences, Stickies, Time Machine, and Utilities.

For example:
a) Office Applications. For Microsoft Office, you need at least Office 365 or 2016. You can also use iWork, Open Office, Libre Office and Neo Office.
b) Apple Garageband, iMove, and Photos are available from the App Store.
c) Adobe Creative Suite. Use the latest Creative Cloud .
d) Media Players. As well as iTunes and Quicktime, you can download new versions of players such as VLC Player, Real Player and Flip4Mac.
e) Accounting. Quicken Essentials will work on Mac OS and Home/Business Accountz.
f) DTP. See Scribus, Adobe CC InDesign, and for Quark XPress you need version 2018 or later.
g) Graphics. See Adobe CS for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements 2019 , PhotoPonder or Gimp.
h) Games. See games on the App Store or from Steam Powered and Mac Games World.
i) Database. See Tap Forms 5 or File Maker.
j) Virtualisation. See Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion, VirtualBox or CrossOver.

A complete list of tested applications can be found on RoaringApps.

8. How to I accessed shared resources on Windows systems from my Mac?

Windows computers uses a protocol called SMB (Simple Message Block) and CIFS (Common Internet Filing System) to share resources such a files and folders. On a Windows computer, this uses the Microsoft Client for Networks. Shares can be accessing using the format \\computername\sharename.

Apple Macs can also use SMB/CIFS. To access a Windows share, select CMD+K (to select Go to Server) and enter smb://servername/sharename (you can use an IP address instead of a servername). If you forget the smb: part, it will use the default AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) which will only work on shared Mac resources.

To configure SMB or CIFS, make sure you have configured the Computer Name (hostname) correctly on the Mac (preferably with no spaces) in the Sharing control panel and enable Windows Sharing or File Sharing. In Options, enable Shares file and folders using SMB (Windows). You will also need to create and enable Accounts and set up Read/Write permissions to allow access to shared folders.

To configure membership of a Workgroup and set up a short NetBIOS name, you can do this in the Networks control panel. Select the adapter (e.g. Ethernet), click on Advanced and select the WINS tab to configure a NetBios Name and Workgroup. Not setting the workgroup name, can prevent access to SMB shares or logging in over the network.

SMBX in Mac OS X supports SMB1 and SMB2 but not the old NT Domain Controller features (most people will not use these features any way). Apple has replaced SMB with SMBX due to issues with the GPLv3 licensing requirements.

Use the terminal command 'smbd' to view logs when using smb client.

9. How do I secure may Mac from hackers, viruses and other threats?

You can do several things, including enabling the Firewall in the Security control panel. Make sure that Software Updates are regularly checked and applied and install some security software to check against viruses and malware:
a) McAfee LiveSafe or All Access for Mac which includes SiteAdvisor, a Firewall and anti-virus products.
b) VirusBarrier and Internet Security Barrier products from Intego.
c) The free ClamXav anti-virus scanner.
d) Norton Security from Symantec.
e) Kaspersky Total Security Multi-Device.
f) F-Secure Safe for the Mac.
g) Use Gatekeeper, and restrict app download from just the App Store or from trusted identified developers.

10. How do I check that my NAS backup device is compatible?

NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices are very useful for storing large amounts of data and for backups. OS X Lion has changed the protocols for AFP Netatalk to 2.2 which may break older NAS devices. To ensure that you can connect to your NAS with Lion, please update the firmware and software for your NAS devices. There are also updates for the AFP DHX2 Authenication for Synergy DiskStation Manager , QNAP and DROBO products. Use CIFS protocol instead of SMB for faster file access.

11. The Java client is missing, where can I download Java from?

Java is now a seperate install for Mac OS X. You can download it from Apple Support, or Oracle Java website.
The recommended version is Java 8, although Java 6 and 7 can still work.
Java 6 can be downloaded from here.

12. The Flash Player is not installed, where can I download it from?

You can install the latest Flash Player from Adobe's website.

13. What media player software is available to play videos, poscasts and photos?

Applications include Apple TV, Plex, and Kodi (aka XBMC).

14. How do I get and install Microsoft Office on High Sierra?

Office 2016 and 365 is available from the Apple App Store or the Microsoft Mac site.
See these instructions on installing Office 2011. You need the latest v14.5.6 update.
See these instructions on installing Office 365 or Office 2016. Latest update is 15.27.0.

15. How do I sync my phone with Mac OS?

You can use the new iCloud functionality to sync your contacts, calendar and documents with your Mac.
If you use an Android phone, you can use a tool called DoubleTwist. See this tutorial for more info,

17. How do I download the latest updates for Mac OS?

Simple, open the App Store and click on the Updates tab to check for and download and install updates.

18. Where can I get the latest games for my Macintosh?

There are plenty of games to play on the Mac, try Mac Games Store, Steam Powered and the Apple Store for starters. For free and shareware games try CNET Version Tracker, FreeCiv and GitHub.

19. How do I install third party drivers to Mac OS?

Unlike Windows which has a Device Manager tool, Mac OS X can only install drivers via publicily available installation packages provided by the Manufacturer. To add other drivers, you need to add a Kernel Extension, also known as a kext package, to Mac OS X's /System/Library/Extensions folder with a driver and Info.plist which is a XML file with details about the device. See OSx86 web page on how to do this.

20. Where can I get the Server Tools from?

You can download the latest Server app version 5.6.1 tools from the App Store.
MacOS already includes Apache web server, file and print services and simple DHCP service.
Additional server applications are available seperately include MySql Server , BIND DNS server, and Open VPN.

21. Where can I find the Boot Camp drivers?

You can download the Bootcamp 5.0 or Bootcamp 5.1 or later drivers (Windows 8 or later) by using the Boot Camp Assistant and save them to a CD or USB device.
You can install Windows 8 (64 bit) with bootcamp, see these instructions and this latest F.A.Q.
Boot Manager called rEFInd which allows you to boot and choose an OS to boot from.
For Windows 10, you need at least a late 2012 Mac and the latest Bootcamp 6 drivers (released Aug 2015).Windows 10 will install on older Macs but some drivers may not work and may need reinstalling from Bootcamp 5.1 packages.

22. How do I access iCloud from my Mac or device?

You need to use the iCloud preferences to enable access, then setup your Apple ID and configure which items to synchronise with the cloud storage.
You can enable Mail and Notes, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, Photo Stream, Documents and Data for synching.

23. How do I apply Software Updates?

In Mac OS X, software updates are now part of the App Store program, click on the Updates tab to list your latest updates for Mac OS X and any Apps.
Settings for updates are still found in the System Preferences, Software Update and a button to 'Show Updates'. To view your installation history, you now need to open
the System Information tool and look in Software, Installations which displays a list of applications, versions, source and install date.

24. How do I reinstall my Apps after re-installing Mac OS X?

If your applications came on CD or DVD, insert the disc and depending on the application install the application or copy it to the Application folder.
If the application was a download from a third party website, re-download it and re-install it.
If the application came from the App Store, then enter your Apple ID and password and click on Purchases to find your existing purchases and re-install them.

25. How do I install Mac OS X Server?

Mac OS X Server can be purchased for $19.99 from the Apple OS X Server site. It includes the following applications: File Sharing, Profile Manager, Caching Server 2, Xcode server, Time Machine, Wiki Server, Calendar,Contacts and Mail Server, Xsan 3, VPN Server, Messages Server and NetInstall.

Secure Shell and secure FTP server features can be enabled via the Remote Login settings on the Sharing system preferences.
Web server features can be enabled by enabling Web Sharing on the Sharing system preferences.

Removing the Server components from the Mac can be done wither manually or via an uninstaller tool. See uninstall mac os x server.

26. How do I use the new Siri feature?

Siri is the new voice recognition system for macOS. Siri has been a feature on IOS for sometime, you can use it to control your mac and locate your files.
Click on the Siri icon on the Dock or menu bar and speak into the microphone clearly, and let it do the rest! More detailed instructions at Apple Support.

27. Mojave is the last version of macOS to support 32-bit apps. How do I find out which apps are 32-bit?

Load the System Profiler tool, and click on either Applications or Frameworks list. The right hand column will display a No if it not a 64-bit application, hence a 32-bit application.
Typical programs more than 5 years old will likely be 32 bit, including Adobe Flash Player Install Manager, DVD Player, iDVD, iWeb, some Anti-Virus software, and some Microsoft components of Office.

28. Can I use the new Apple File System (APFS)?

Yes, APFS is now the new default file system, which replaces HFS+. It will work with SSD, Fusion Drives and Hard disks and macos will auto convert them to APFS.

29. Can I run IOS apps on Mac OS now?

There are four apps currently available to run on Mac OS: Home, News Voice Memos and Stocks
For other apps, all you need is Adobe AIR and the iPadian simulator to run existing IOS apps on your Mac (or Windows)

30. What is in the latest MacOS X update?

MacOS 10.14.1 (30 Oct 2018)
This update includes support for FaceTime video and audio calls, 32 participants, encrypted and can be initiated from a Messages conversation. 70 new emoji characters added.
Download .

MacOS 10.14.2 (5 Dec 2018)
This update add Real Time Text support for Wi-Fi calling, adds a menu item to News to open it in Safari and resolves issue the prevents iTunes from playing via AirPlay speakers.
Download .

MacOS 10.14.3 (7 Feb 2019)
This update allows a file connection that uses Kerberos TGT to authenticate without having to re-enter credentials.
Download.

MacOS 10.14.4 (25 Mar 2019)
This update adds support for Apple News+, a subscription service that extends the service with hundreds of newspapers and magzaines. Add Dark mode for Safari,
streamlines autofill for logis, allow push notifications, shows warning for insecure websites, and removes support for Do Not Track standard, replaced by Intelligent Tracking
Prevention. Editorial highlights for iTunes and support for 2nd gen. new AirPods and other improvements.
Download.

MacOS 10.14.5 (13 May 2019)
This update adds AirPlay 2 support for sharing media with smart TV. Add ability to follow a magazine in Apple News+. Support for Reiwa era in Japanese calendar.
Improves audio latency on MacBoot Pro models and fix issue with OmniOutliner or OmniPlan documents from rendering properly.
Download .

MacOS 10.14.6 (26 Sep 2019)
This updates make download issues available in My Magazines in Apple News+, add all publications to catalog of News feed, add Clear download issues in News,
fix issue with installing Bootcamp on Fusion Drive and other impletements.
Download.

Security update (10 Dec 2019)
Download security update 2019-002 from Apple.

Mojave is at End of Life from Oct 2021. please update to Catalina or later.

Please visit the Apple Web site or use App Store and select Updates to get new updates.

Links:

Information about MacOS 10.15 Catalina (due Sept/Oct 2019).

Go to Mac OS X 10.13 - High Sierra
Go to Mac OS X 10.12 - Sierra
Go to Mac OS X 10.11 - El Capitan
Go to Mac OS X 10.10 - Yosemite
Go to Mac OS X 10.9 - Mavericks
Go to Mac OS X 10.8 - Mountain Lion
Go to Mac OS X 10.7 - Lion

Go to Mac OS FAQ

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