New features of macOS Big Sur

5 min readJun 25, 2020

macOS Big Sur brings a refined new design, powerful controls, and intuitive customization options to the most advanced desktop operating system in the world.

macOS Big Sur — Apple next-generation Macintosh operating system

At #WWDC2020 on June 22, Apple previewed next-generation macOS Big Sur (Veriosn 11.0) the successor to macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Big Sur comes with the brand new design which also includes the biggest Safari update ever and powerful enhancements to Messages, Maps, and privacy.

It is named after the coastal region of Big Sur in the Central Coast of California.

System Requirements

Before jumping into the features of Big Sur, here is the list of a supported system that can be upgraded to macOS Big Sur.

MacBook (2015 or newer)
MacBook Air (2013 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or newer)
Mac mini (2014 or newer)
iMac (2014 or newer)
iMac Pro (2017)
Mac Pro (2013 or newer)

Big Sur is a major upgrade with several features and enhancements that users can take advantage of.

The following are the list of features and enhancements that Apple highlighted during #WWDC20 keynote.

Key Features and Enhancements

Refined User Interface

Until macOS Catalina, Apple has inconsistency between its Mobile OS and Desktop OS. With the help of macOS Big Sur, Apply has finally addressed that issue and fill that gap by implementing major UI changes.

Floating Dock
New icons for apps
Lighter window appearance
Redesigned sheets
New and updated sounds
Full-height sidebars
New symbols throughout macOS

**Apple macOS Big Sur → Redesigned Apps & Floating Dock**

Control Center

Designed just for Mac, the new Control Center consolidates your favorite menu bar items into a single place to give you instant access to the controls you use most. Just click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and adjust Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, and other settings — without opening System Preferences.

Notification Center

A redesigned Notification Center puts all your notifications and widgets into a single, dedicated column. Notifications are automatically sorted by most recent, and redesigned Today widgets deliver information at a glance.

Interactive notifications
Grouped notifications
Redesigned widgets
Customize widgets
Discover more third-party widgets

**Apple macOS Big Sur → Notification Center**

Safari

Customizable start page
Improved tab design (More tabs at once, favicon in tabs and website preview)
Import passwords and settings from Chrome; Easily import history, bookmarks, and saved passwords from Chrome into Safari.
Built-in webpage translation into English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Russian, or Brazilian Portuguese. [Currently in Beta]
Password monitoring
Improved performance and power efficiency
Enhanced privacy features such as “Privacy Report”
Extension privacy management
Safari extensions on the App Store
WebExtensions API support

**Apple macOS Big Sur → Safari Startup Page, Improved Tab Designs & Safari Privacy Report**

Messages

The new Messages app is now based on the Mac Catalyst technology. This enables the app to have feature parity with its iOS counterpart. Alongside a refined design, the messages app brings:

Pin conversations: You can have up to nine pinned conversations that sync across Messages in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
Message searching
Name and photo sharing:
Group photos
Mentions
Inline replies
Message effects
Memoji stickers & Memoji editor
Enhanced Photo Editor

**Apple macOS Big Sur → Pin Conversations & Image Search**

Maps

Create your own guides
Ability to save locations as favorites
Look Around
Cycling routes
Electric vehicle routing
Indoor maps
Live updates for shared ETA
New maps available in more countries
Congestion zones
License plate restrictions

App Store

macOS Big Sur brings includes following new features include to Mac App Store:

A section dedicated to the privacy information of an app
A new Safari extensions category
Third-party Notification Center widgets
Family sharing of app subscriptions

Notes

Collapsible pinned section
Top Hits in search
Quick text style and formatting options
Scanning enhancements

Photos

Enhanced photo/video editing capabilities
Improved Retouch tool
Easy, fluid navigation
Memories enhancement
Add context to photos and videos with captions

Other changes

New fonts for Indian users
Podcasts “Listen Now” feature
FaceTime sign language prominence
Option to re-enable macOS startup sound
Signed system volume
Faster updates: Once macOS Big Sur is installed, software updates begin in the background and complete faster than before — so it’s easier than ever to keep your Mac up to date and secure.
Optimized Battery Charging & Battery usage history

References:

Note: You can download all the images from here

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