Here's When You Can Download macOS Big Sur [Update: You Can Download it Now]

Update: It's Out Now

Apple has officially announced that macOS Big Sur is now available, although it is still rolling out so it may take a few minutes to show up on your Macs.



Apple's official public release of macOS Big Sur is finally set to drop on Thursday, November 12, just two days after the company released the second release candidate to developers following its "One More Thing" event.

First Look Big Sur Feature2
Developers are busy putting the finishing touches on their apps to take advantage of new features in macOS Big Sur, support the new Macs with Apple's own M1 chip coming next week, and complement the refreshed macOS design, and many users will be looking to update their Macs as soon as Big Sur is available.

Although Apple has not shared an exact time for the release of macOS Big Sur, we can make some educated guesses based on Apple's localized sites for various countries and past releases.

While Apple lists the release date as November 12 in much of the world, localized sites for some countries in the Eastern Hemisphere list the launch date as November 13, as the launch time will come after midnight in those countries.

Notably, Apple lists a release date of November 12 on its Indian site, while its Thai site lists a November 13 release date.

Given that those two countries are 90 minutes apart by time zones, that pins things down relatively closely, suggesting a window between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time. The most likely release time in that window would be 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, which is a common release time for Apple. A release at that time would correspond to 11:30 p.m. on November 12 in India and 1:00 a.m. on November 13 in Thailand. This same method also accurately pinpointed when iOS 14 was released.

It's worth noting, however, that major macOS releases over the past several years have typically come closer to 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, so it's certainly possible it could be a bit later than our prediction of 10:00 a.m.

There are no guarantees Apple will stick to its usual release timing, but given our best of guess of 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time release, here's a breakdown of what that corresponds to in other time zones in the United States and around the world:

  • Honolulu, Hawaii -- 8:00 a.m. HST
  • Anchorage, Alaska -- 9:00 a.m. AKST
  • Cupertino, California -- 10:00 a.m. PST
  • Vancouver, Canada -- 10:00 a.m. PST
  • Phoenix, Arizona -- 11:00 a.m. MST
  • Denver, Colorado -- 11:00 a.m. MST
  • Chicago, Illinois -- 12:00 noon. CST
  • New York, New York -- 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Toronto, Canada -- 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Halifax, Canada -- 2:00 p.m. AST
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- 3:00 p.m. BRT
  • London, United Kingdom -- 6:00 p.m. GMT
  • Berlin, Germany -- 7:00 p.m. CET
  • Paris, France -- 7:00 p.m. CET
  • Cape Town, South Africa -- 8:00 p.m. SAST
  • Helsinki, Finland -- 8:00 p.m. EET
  • Moscow, Russia -- 9:00 p.m. MSK
  • Istanbul, Turkey -- 9:00 p.m. TRT
  • Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- 10:00 p.m. GST
  • Delhi, India -- 11:30 p.m. IST
  • Jakarta, Indonesia -- 1:00 a.m. WIB next day
  • Shanghai, China -- 2:00 a.m. CST next day
  • Singapore -- 2:00 a.m. SGT next day
  • Perth, Australia -- 2:00 a.m. AWST next day
  • Hong Kong -- 2:00 a.m. HKT next day
  • Seoul, South Korea -- 3:00 a.m. KST next day
  • Tokyo, Japan -- 3:00 a.m. JST next day
  • Brisbane, Australia - 4:00 a.m. AEST next day
  • Adelaide, Australia -- 4:30 a.m. ACDT next day
  • Sydney, Australia -- 5:00 a.m. AEDT next day
  • Auckland, New Zealand -- 7:00 a.m. NZDT next day

macOS Big Sur is compatible with most 2013 and later machines, outlined below:

The operating system update does not support the following Macs that were capable of running macOS Catalina:

  • 2012 and Early 2013 ‌MacBook Pro‌
  • 2012 ‌MacBook Air‌
  • 2012 and 2013 ‌iMac‌
  • 2012 ‌Mac mini‌

For all of the details on what's new in macOS Big Sur, make sure to check out our roundup which offers a thorough look at the refreshed design, updates to key apps, and other new features.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Redesigned Dynamic Island

Monday July 7, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, according to a post today from Digital Chat Station, an account with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has accurately leaked some information regarding future Apple products in the past. The account did not share any specific details about the alleged changes that are ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Prime Day Deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and More

Monday July 7, 2025 10:55 am PDT by
Amazon is back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront. With the event now underway, we're tracking numerous all-time low prices on Apple gear right now. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a...

Top Rated Comments

RobbieTT Avatar
61 months ago

Never understood the fascination (evidenced here) with the very exact time a new OS version is available.

It's just information dude that may be useful to some. Presumably you thought your post added value?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ohbrilliance Avatar
61 months ago

Never understood the fascination (evidenced here) with the very exact time a new OS version is available.
You’re on Macrumors. Some, perhaps many of us here are interested in such things.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flexiboy1912 Avatar
61 months ago

I'm looking forward to the next version of the OS. I've beta tested it some, and like what I see. My main concern is, is it ready for a daily machine yet? I've read various feedback of there still being problems, and I've had 1 or 2 main issues I'm concerned about as well. However that was prior to 11.0.1 What are the thoughts here?
The latest RC has fixed the 2 issues I had outstanding , for me personally its been very stable this release and no major issues in day to day working. Been using the beta on my main MacBook fine and working from home on it daily.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maccraig-pro Avatar
61 months ago

Never understood the fascination (evidenced here) with the very exact time a new OS version is available.

It’s not as if its a limited download first come first served, and often I wait a couple of days or more once the server traffic has calmed down and there’s reassurance the update doesn’t break something significant.
I’ve always been an early adopter, after all some of us have to be the guinea pigs don’t we?

In 17 years of being a Mac user, I’ve actually never had issues with upgrading on the day of release! Only time I’ve had an issue was when I upgraded my wife’s 2012 MBP to 10.15 4 months after its release as she couldn’t be bothered upgrading from 10.13 until I did it for her...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gatto37 Avatar
61 months ago
I may wait couple of major update releases to fix unexpceted problems... Better be safe than sorry.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
willybNL Avatar
61 months ago
* Berlin, Germany -- 7:00 p.m. CET
* Paris, France -- 7:00 p.m. CET
* So that’s Amsterdam, The Netherlands 19:00 (CET).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)