Download Mac OS Catalina 10.15 ISO & DMG Image for Free

The name Catalina comes from the Santa Catalina in California. Apple seems to be following a pattern in naming their recent OSes which are based in places in California in the U.S. Mac is an extensive computer system, Apple has been developing and releasing powerful computers as well as OSes to run these power machines. Apple computers( macs) are pretty powerful and are used by millions of people all around the world. Here in this article, we will discuss Mac OS X Catalina 10.15. Hop on and learn everything you need to know about the OS.

Apple’s Mac systems have been sensational for decades. With Apple releasing new versions of Mac and Mac OS with powerful features, running the OS is a bit better. Apple has always prioritized security and feature improvements with their OSes and has developed around 18 major OSes to run their powerfully built Mac computers. So, when we talk about Mac OS, it has always been an elegant and aesthetically pleasing one with high-security capabilities to provide users with the best security and privacy. Apple products are the only thriving products where the hardware and software are both developed by Apple making them unique and user friendly. 

So, Mac OS X Catalina 10.15 is the 18th major version release of Apple, that comes with several updates and improvements. The OS is the successor of Mac OS X  Mojave and is succeeded by Mac OS X Big Sur. The OS Catalina was released in 2019 and the OS brought in new system improvements like a catalyst, system extensions, and much more, which will be discussed later in the article. Mac OS X Catalina will be supported until November 2022, so if you wish to install the OS, you are good to go. The OS offers many features, that can be explored, so you get a better idea of what you will be working with when you install the OS.

Recommended : Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11 ISO & DMG Files

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Tutorials: How to Clean Install Mac OS using a USB drive on Mac

Features Offered by Mac OS X Catalina 10.15

Feature improvements are an important aspect of a new OS release. With every OS that is released in the market, people check the features proffered by the OS to learn a bit about the OS before installing it and running it. With the features understood, users can effectively run the OS once installed. Listed below are the features of Mac OS X Catalina. Follow along and learn the features.

Apple just doesn’t focus on improving the features of the OS, but also makes major changes to the application on Mac OSes.

System Extensions

Apple has upgraded the system extensions making it better than the Kexts which used to be providing support to the OS with all major and minor operations involving extensions. The three major extensions are Network Extensions, Endpoint Security Extensions, and Driver Extensions. These extensions run outside the kernel so, the memory consumed is less. OS Catalina will be the last OS to support Legacy System Extensions.

Catalyst

Catalyst is a software development tool, designed for users to develop applications for Mac OS, iOS and iPadOS. With this software, users can develop and create applications that can be run cross-platform.

DriveKit

A replacement for the IOKit which used to be the standard input-output kit that provided the OS with hardware support. The DriveKit is an upgrade to the IOKit and it runs outside the kernel making it efficient. DriveKit comes with a new framework and SDKs.

GateKeeper

To improve the security of Mac OS a new GateKeeper feature has been added to the OS. The GateKeeper is pretty much a guardian that checks for a developer ID notarized by Apple for every app, kernel extension, or installer package to run on mac OS. with this, no un-notarized feature can run on Mac making it much safer for users to run applications.

Activation Lock

Activation Lock is a simple security feature developed to prevent unauthorized use of devices on the Mac system. This feature is enforced by the Apple T2 security chip. Extra security is always a good thing and Apple being a security crazy developer, develops products that provide the highest security.

Dedicated Read-Only Volume

Now with the Mac OS X Catalina, the OS will run from a separate dedicated volume that won’t house any other data. The dedicated volume will be a read-only volume, so nothing else other than the OS can be written on the volume. This is an extreme security feature that provides security to the OS from external attacks.

Voice Command

Voice command is an awesome feature, many people who have a keen interest in sci-fi stories would have an affinity towards the voice command feature. With the Voice Control feature built-in Mac OS X Catalina, users can control or command applications using voice control. 

Sidecar

External displays are a very useful module these days, many users crave an external monitor and most of them use an actual monitor as a secondary monitor, well, with the sidecar feature on mac OS Catalina, users who own an iPad and a Mac can use the iPad as the secondary monitor. Users can also use the Apple pencil on the iPad and use it as a graphics designing tablet.  

Wireless Game Controller Support

Mac computers are not exactly built for gaming and there are not many games for Mac systems, but still, Apple has added a feature for wireless gaming console controllers in the Mac OS X Catalina OS. 

Improvements to Time Machine

The backup software in mac- the time machine has got some notable updates and improvements like the way the data is stored on networks.

These were some of the major improvements done to the Mac OS X Catalina and there are several application updates, which have been listed below for your ease.

iTunes

iTunes has been disintegrated into several components like Music, Podcast, TV and Books apps which can be availed via the Mac Store. The TV app supports some distinct features like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR10 on devices released during and after 2018.  

Find My

Find My is an app that has been put in the Mac OS by merging two different apps namely Find My Mac and Find My Friends.

Notes: Notes app on Mac PCs is pretty useful and with the Mac OS X Catalinas improvement to the notes app, users will now be able to manage their checklist better and share folders with other users. 

Reminders

With mac OS X Catalina, you can not add attachments to your reminders and SIRI wil be able to estimate when to remind you about the event.

SO, these are all the feature updates found on mac OS X Catalina. We have discussed a lot about the features, so now, let’s get into the next part of PC requirements which is pretty crucial for installing and running Mac OSes on your computer.

Mac OSes are very specific with system requirements as the OS is very powerful and it needs a good system that can withstand the workload and not disappoint users. So, Apple sets a pretty high standard for their newly released Mac OSes as they want the system to be very much able to run the OS and other components without issues.

System Requirements to Run Mac OS X Catalina

So, as mentioned above the system requirements for running a Mac OS is very crucial and learning them beforehand to install the OS is important. Mac OS X Catalina is a pretty recent OS that was released in 2019 and the OS is pretty advanced for systems so, the OS demands a bit of a high system requirements but most Mac systems released after 2012 can support the OS X Catalina. So, mentioned below is the list of Mac systems that supports Mac OS X Catalina 10.15.

• MacBook(2015 version and above)
• Mac Pro(2013 edition and above)
• MacBook Air(2012 edition and above)
• MacBook Pro(2012 edition and above)
• Mac mini(2012 edition and above)
• iMac(2012 edition and above)
• iMac Pro. 

Apart from these Mac systems, there are some basic prerequisites that you have to satisfy to run the Mac OS X Catalina like RAM, storage and some more. Well, most Mac systems mentioned above will have these specifications by default but checking them once can be reassuring.

• The minimum RAM required to run the Mac OS X Catalina is 4 GB.
• The free disk space required to install the OS is 12.5 GB.

So, with the system requirements known, you can easily check whether yous system falls under the systems mentioned above and also check whether you have the needed amount of RAM and storage to run Mac OS X Catalina 10. 15. 

Steps to Download and Install Mac OS X Catalina 10.15 on your System

Downloading the OS and installing it is a very simple process. Mentioned below are the steps for downloading and installing the Mac OS X Catalina on your system.

First, make sure that your system is compatible with Mac Os X Catalina 10.15. Now, back up all the data on your system to any preferable storage device. Now, you can download the Mac OS X Catalina to your system.

Installing the OS can be easier if you create a bootable device using a compatible USB drive, Here is the method to create a bootable drive.

• Now, to create an installation media of the OS using a command, first insert the USB stick into your system.
• Now open the terminal and then run this command “sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume” (here replace the MyVolume with the number on the USB drive that you have plugged into your system).
• The command will run in the terminal and will download the Mac OS X Catalina’s installation media file onto the UBS drive, which you can later use to install the OS.
• Now, once the download is complete the terminal will display a done message. Now, you can exit the terminal and eject your USB.

Steps to Install Mac OS X Catalina using the Bootable Driver

• Plugin the bootable driver into your system.
• Now, turn on the Mac and then continue to hold the power button until you see the startup options screen.
• From here, select the bootable drive to install the OS.
• Now, the installation wizard will open and you can install the OS on your computer.

This is pretty much the simplified steps to download and install Mac OS X Catalina 10. 15 on your system. Follow along with the steps and effectively install the OS on your computer.

Well, as the OS Catalina has become a bit old and newer versions surfaced recently, you can check them out and see whether your system supports these advanced OSes and then opt for OSes like Big Sur or Monterey. 

Well, you can also try Mac OS  X Catalina on a Virtual Machine by downloading the ISO/ DMG file of the OS from an authentic website and then creating an optimum environment to run the OS and then installing the OS on the virtual machine. 

Hope the information provided above was helpful and informative, with the details shared above, you will be able to comprehend the OSes features, system requirements and the steps to download and install, which is pretty much everything you need to know about Mac OS X Catalina 10. 15. The OS is one of the best and is still supported by Apple till the end of 2022, which is great news, if you are planning to upgrade your system with the OS. with these details, get going with downloading, installing and effectively using the OS on your Mac or virtual machine system.