macOS Catalina 10.15.7 — macOS

If you’ve used macOS Mojave, the move to Catalina feels familiar in the daily workflow but brings a handful of changes worth checking out early. The most noticeable shift is that iTunes is gone, replaced by separate Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. Your library moves over automatically, so there’s nothing to set up, but it’s worth opening each app once to see how things are laid out.

Turn your iPad into a second display with Sidecar

• Sidecar — if you have an iPad, open the Sidecar menu in the AirPlay icon or System Preferences. It turns the iPad into a second display or a drawing tablet for supported apps.
• Reminders — the app now supports lists with subtasks, attachments, and date or location triggers. Open it and add a reminder with a flag and a photo attached to see the new editing controls.
• Find My — this app combines Find My Mac and Find My Friends. Open it once so location permissions are set, and you can locate a lost Mac from another device.
• Notes with gallery view — switch a folder to gallery view to see visual thumbnails. The search now finds text inside scanned documents and recognizes objects in photos.

Backup and sync with iOS devices

In Catalina, Finder takes over the device management that iTunes used to handle. Connect an iPhone or iPad, and you’ll see it in the Finder sidebar. From there you can back up, update, sync music or files, and restore the device. The process is the same as before, just in Finder instead of iTunes. It’s worth running a backup manually after setting up your Mac to make sure everything talks to each other correctly.

Assuming Mojave apps work the same is the biggest error

The biggest error people run into after installing Catalina is assuming everything that worked in Mojave works the same way. The separate media apps are the main cause. Someone opens a downloaded audio file, gets a prompt asking which app to use, and picks the wrong one. It isn't a permanent problem — right-click any file, choose Open With, and pick the right app — but it catches people off guard the first week.

Another common slip is skipping the migration assistant. Catalina's installer offers to move user accounts, applications, and settings from an older macOS. A fair number of people click through too fast, end up on a clean desktop, and then spend an afternoon hunting for their bookmarks. Running the migration from the Migration Assistant in Applications handles it cleanly.

Beginners also tend to miss that Voice Control needs initial setup. Turning it on in System Preferences under Accessibility prompts you to train the Mac to recognize your speech patterns. If you skip that step, accuracy is noticeably worse, and people assume the feature doesn't work. Taking the five minutes to do the voice training makes a real difference.

Finder replaces iTunes for iPhone and iPad handling

Catalina works alongside existing macOS tools more tightly than earlier versions. Finder's device management is the obvious example — it replaces iTunes for iPhone and iPad handling without needing extra software. That integration extends to Time Machine as well. If you connect a backup drive, Finder lists it alongside your iOS devices, so you can manage both from one window.

The new media apps plug into the system's sharing menus. Right-click a song file in Finder, and Music shows up as a destination. TV and Podcasts work the same way. It means you don't have to open the app first to get content into it. That little time saver adds up over a day of work.

Sidecar fits naturally with apps that support external displays — presentation software, drawing apps, video editors. It doesn't replace a dedicated second monitor, but for quick reference or annotating a document, it's a convenient option without extra cables or display settings to adjust.

Search in Files by Finder also connects with Notes. The Notes text recognition that spots objects in photos and scans documents can surface results when you search from Finder's search bar. If you've scanned receipts or taken photos of whiteboards, they become findable from the desktop without opening Notes.

Enable three-finger drag and tap-to-click for faster windows

• Trackpad gestures — in System Preferences under Trackpad, turn on three-finger drag and tap-to-click. It makes window management faster, especially with Sidecar or multiple desktops.
• Desktop and screensaver — Catalina supports multiple desktops. Set up a second or third desktop in System Preferences under Multiple Desktops if you switch tasks often. It's one less reason to keep twenty windows stacked.
• Notifications — the Do Not Disturb setting in Notifications quiets everything during a meeting or deep work session. You can schedule it to turn on automatically at certain hours.

Older 32-bit apps stop working after upgrading

A frequent issue after upgrading to Catalina is that some 32-bit applications stop working. Catalina only runs 64-bit software. If an older app refuses to open, check whether the developer offers a 64-bit version. If not, you may need to find an alternative. There is no workaround on the system itself.

Wi-Fi connection drops sometimes happen after a fresh install. The 10.15.7 update addresses an automatic connection problem, but if you still see the network fail after waking from sleep, go to Network settings, forget the network, and reconnect with the password again. That clears any stale profile data.

iCloud Drive syncing might appear to stall. Version 10.15.7 fixed a file sync issue, but if you still notice files not appearing on other devices, open iCloud settings and sign out then sign back in. It forces a fresh sync without affecting your stored files.

Graphics glitches on iMac Retina 5K 27-inch models with the Radeon Pro 5700 XT were also corrected in this update. If you see flickering or artifacts, make sure you're on the latest version before assuming hardware trouble.

• Provides important security updates and bug fixes.
• Resolves an issue where macOS would not automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks.
• Fixes an issue that could prevent files syncing through iCloud Drive.
• Addresses a graphic issue that may occur on iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) with Radeon Pro 5700 XT.

• macOS version 10.9 or later
• Intel-based Mac (64-bit processor)
• 4 GB of memory
• 12.5 GB of available storage (for upgrade from OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 or later)