MacOS Big Sur

MacOS Big Sur (11.0) was released to the public November 12, 2020. 

last updated 8/18/21-- use http://go/bigsur/ to visit again, easily

For upgrade from 10.14 or earlier, please see http://go/catalina/ as well for noteworthy changes introduced before Big Sur.

Current Known Issues & Areas of Concern

1. Sophos AntiVirus version 10.0.3 and below does not support Big Sur.  Sophos released version 10.0.4 on March 8, 2021.  Version 10.0.4 is required before upgrading to Big Sur. To check the version of Sophos, look for the black shield in the top-right of the taskbar. Click on the shield, then click on the "Open Sophos Endpoint..." button. Next, right-click on "Sophos Endpoint" in the upper left corner of your screen and select "About Sophos Endpoint." See here for updates.
2. MathType, Kaleidagraph & Pro Tools are not supported at this time.
3. Parallels 15 and earlier is not supported.  Upgrade to version 16 of Parallels before Big Sur.
4. Google Drive - relies on legacy kernel extensions.  A beta version is required for Apple Silicon (M1); Security & Privacy in System Preferences: General tab: app needs to be approved; Privacy tab: app needs access to files/folders; Restart required after app approval.

Resolved Issues:

1. Sophos 10.0.4 supports Big Sur.
2. Parallels 16 runs on Big Sur. Must upgrade before moving to Big Sur.

Learning Resources

Apple

• Apple news - Big Sur is Here - read Apple's info about their newest OS
• Big Sur New Features

LinkedIn Learning

• macOS Big Sur New Features (46 min)
• macOS Big Sur Essential Training (3 hrs 26 min)