Hi there,
i have already searched the community here on this topic but have not found anything.
If there is already one, sorry.
The last update is 12.7.6 from July 2024.
If there will be no further update, would you recommend using the system? I do everything with my Mac like messaging, mailing, using iCloud, online banking, ApplePay and so on.
Thanks for any helpful information :-)
[Edited by Moderator]
Mac mini, macOS 12.7
No one here can predict if or when any future updates may be released for Monterey.
That said, Monterey is completely safe to use and many apps are still being supported & updated on Monterey. What apps are you specifically concerned about?
Your safety & security online are more dependent on what you do with your Mac than anything else. Among other things,
Use strong passwords and change them periodically
Never reuse a password
Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) where possible and/or use an authenticator app
Update software apps
Recognize and avoid phishing
Stay away from certain types of websites
Use only legitimate sofware from trusted sources
Do not install pirated software
Assume any pop up is a scam unless proven otherwise
No one here can predict if or when any future updates may be released for Monterey.
That said, Monterey is completely safe to use and many apps are still being supported & updated on Monterey. What apps are you specifically concerned about?
Your safety & security online are more dependent on what you do with your Mac than anything else. Among other things,
Use strong passwords and change them periodically
Never reuse a password
Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) where possible and/or use an authenticator app
Update software apps
Recognize and avoid phishing
Stay away from certain types of websites
Use only legitimate sofware from trusted sources
Do not install pirated software
Assume any pop up is a scam unless proven otherwise
MayaMyer wrote:
Thank you very much for your answer! If I see it correctly, I also can't get the latest versions of Safari (currently 17.6 for me) and MS Office 365. It's probably time to replace my Mac mini (late 2014), although it's still very fast for my daily tasks. It's too bad - I'm very happy with the device.
You could switch to using Firefox instead of Safari. It is very much up to date and continues to be supported. I admit it is my preferred browser and one of the reasons is that it is very secure in its own right, plus additional privacy/security can be added to it at no cost. I use and recommend the Privacy Badger & uBlock Origin plugins for Firefox.
Regarding Office 365 there is actually little if anything in the way of new features or security updates to Word, Excel, PPT or Outlook anymore. You can confidently continue to use your existing version on Monterey. FWIW I'm still using Office 365 apps on Catalina and Monterey and have no worries about them. (You do, however, need to keep your subscription active.)
There may be other reasons to consider replacing your 2014 mini but I wouldn't justify that expense solely based on Safari or Office 365.
macOS 12 is not one of the three most recent versions, which means some apps will not support it.
While I wouldn’t be concerned about security, both that and app access will become incrementally more of an issue as a Mac ages.
If your Mac cannot be upgraded to macOS 13 or later (Mac mini 2018 and later can be), do start planning for its replacement.
Five to seven years is a pretty good run for most Macs, while more than seven years can become more problematic.
Keep current and complete backups of course, regardless of the age of the Mac.
MayaMyer wrote:
If I see it correctly, I also can't get the latest versions of Safari (currently 17.6 for me)
Safari 17 seems to be the last major version compatible with Monterey. It's probably still good enough for most Web sites. But since the release of Safari 17.6, there have been five Safari 18.* releases that require Ventura or higher.
MartinR wrote:
You could switch to using Firefox instead of Safari. It is very much up to date and continues to be supported. I admit it is my preferred browser and one of the reasons is that it is very secure in its own right, plus additional privacy/security can be added to it at no cost. I use and recommend the Privacy Badger & uBlock Origin plugins for Firefox.
Thanks a lot for this recommendation to use Firefox instead of Safari :-) Very good!
This is Apple's page on security releases.
Apple security releases - Apple Support
The last one whose description calls out Monterey does, indeed, seem to have been the Safari 17.6 update from July 29, 2024.
More upto date browser lke Brave, Firefox.or Opera wull handle the Sexurity worries.
Asfar as 365... Look into the Free LibreOffice, it handles MS Office files…
Thank you very much for your answer! If I see it correctly, I also can't get the latest versions of Safari (currently 17.6 for me) and MS Office 365. It's probably time to replace my Mac mini (late 2014), although it's still very fast for my daily tasks. It's too bad - I'm very happy with the device.
How long will I get security updates for macOS Monterey
