Apple

5 Things to Know About the macOS Monterey 12.7.1 Update

Published

6 months ago

10/26/2023

Apple’s pushed a new macOS Monterey 12.7.1 update to Mac users lingering on the aging operating system.

macOS Monterey 12.7.1 is the most up-to-date version of Monterey and the software is available if you own a device that doesn’t support macOS Ventura or macOS Sonoma or if you have simply decided to keep your Mac on macOS Monterey.

The software is a point release and a very small one at that. It doesn’t have any outward facing features and is instead focused on keeping the operating system safe from potential exploits.

With all of that in mind, we want to take you through everything there you need to know about the macOS Monterey 12.7.1 update for Mac.

In this guide we’ll take you through the macOS Monterey 12.7.1 update’s performance, problems impacting the firmware, other places to find feedback about macOS Monterey 12.7.1, and more.

Table of Contents

We’ll start out with some quick impressions about macOS Monterey 12.7.1’s performance.

macOS Monterey 12.7.1 Review

The macOS Monterey 12.7.1 download size will vary based on Mac model and the version of macOS it’s currently running.

If your Mac is currently running macOS Monterey 12.7, the installation should take less than 15 minutes to complete. It took around 10 minutes to complete on a MacBook Pro (2016).

If you are running really old macOS software, the macOS 12.7.1 download and installation process could take a lot longer. Keep that in mind if you rely on your device to get through the day.

For more on the macOS Monterey 12.7.1 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the macOS Monterey 12.7.1 update on a MacBook Pro (2016) for a short time and here’s what we’ve learned about its performance:

macOS Monterey 12.7.1 Battery Life & Connectivity

Battery life is stable and we haven’t noticed any abnormal drain
Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
Bluetooth is working normally

App Performance

Third-party apps including Slack, Chrome, and Spotify are all working fine at the moment
First party apps like Safari and Podcasts are also stable right now

Speed

macOS Monterey 12.7.1 feels as fast, we haven’t noticed any UI lag

If your Mac is currently struggling on macOS Monterey 12.7, or an older version of macOS, you might want to install macOS Monterey 12.7.1 on your Mac today. It could improve your Mac’s performance. At the very least, the patches on board will help protect it from harm.

If you need help making a decision, check out our reasons to, and not to, install macOS Monterey 12.7.1 right now.

macOS Monterey 12.7.1 Problems

macOS Monterey 12.7.1 is causing problems for some Mac owners. Some issues are new, others have carried over from older versions of macOS.

We’ve heard about abnormal battery drain, Bluetooth problems, issues with various first and third-party apps, and various issues with Wi-Fi connectivity.

If you download macOS Monterey 12.7.1 on your Mac and run into performance issues, here are a few resources that could help.

Before you get in touch with Apple customer support, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common macOS Monterey problems. We’ve also released a guide that will help you fix macOS Monterey battery life problems.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in our guides, head over to Apple’s discussion forums. If the users there can’t help you, you might want to get in touch with customer support via Apple’s website.

If you still can’t fix your issue(s), you might want to schedule an appointment and go see an Apple Genius at your local Apple Store.

macOS Monterey 12.7.1: What’s New

Like many of its predecessors, macOS Monterey 12.7.1 is a small security update. It doesn’t have any outward facing features on board. Apple has stopped pushing new features to the operating system so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

The macOS Monterey 12.7.1 notes that the upgrade improves security and you can read more about those changes over on Apple’s security site.

macOS Monterey 12.7.1 Downgrade

If you run into issues with the firmware, you can try downgrading your Mac’s software.

There’s no timeframe for this to expire so if you decide you need to move your Mac back to older macOS software, it’s fairly easy to do if you’re prepared.

If you’re interested in moving back to older macOS software, take a look at our downgrade guide.

What’s Next

We don’t know when Apple will release a new version of macOS Monterey.

It’s clear that Apple plans to support the operating system for another year so you can expect new macOS Monterey firmware to roll out alongside the next upgrades for macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma.

Look for a roll out to take place before the end of the year.

4 Reasons Not to Install macOS Monterey 12.7.4 & 11 Reasons You Should

Install macOS Monterey 12.7.4 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing the macOS Monterey 12.7.4 update right away.

macOS Monterey 12.7.4's purpose is to help protect your Mac and its data from harm. This makes it an essential download for most Mac users. The software has 20+ security patches on board.

As for older updates, macOS Monterey 12.7.3 delivered a total of nine security patches to Macs

macOS Monterey 12.7.2 featured several security patches and macOS Monterey 12.7.1 addressed 11 security issues.

macOS Monterey 12.6.7 through macOS Monterey 12.7 all had security fixes on board and you can learn more about all of them if you head here.

macOS Monterey 12.6.6 had 20+ security patches on board making it an extremely important release from Apple. If you want to learn more about the changes, head on over to Apple's website.

macOS Monterey 12.6.5 brought a fix for an actively exploited vulnerability. If you want to learn more, head over here.

macOS Monterey 12.6.4 brought important security patches to Macs as well. For more about these fixes, check out Apple's guide.

macOS Monterey 12.6.3 delivered 14 new security updates. If you want to dig into these patches, head right here.

The macOS Monterey 12.6.2 update brought several security patches to Macs and you can read more about them right here on Apple's security site.

macOS Monterey 12.6.1 update had three very important security patches on board while macOS Monterey 12.6 brought eight security patches to Macs. For more information about these changes, check out Apple's rundown.

macOS Monterey 12.5.1 had a pair of important security patches on board and you can read about them in detail right here.

The macOS Monterey 12.5 update brought 50 important security patches with it and they will help protect you and your device from harm. If you want to learn more, head over to Apple's website.

macOS Monterey 12.4 delivered 50+ security patches. If you're interested in the details, you'll want to head on over to the company's security site.

macOS Monterey 12.3.1 brought two security patches to Mac users. You can read more about them over on Apple's website.

Apple's macOS Monterey 12.3 update had 40+ security patches on board. If you want to learn more about these upgrades, you can check the particulars over on Apple's security site.

The macOS Monterey 12.2.1 update brought an important patch to Mac users. You can learn more about the patch over at Apple's security site.

Apple's macOS Monterey 12.2 update had 13 security patches on board. If you're interested in the details, head on over to Apple's website to learn more.

macOS Monterey 12.1 included 40+ new security patches to Macs. You can read all about them over on the company's security site.

Microsoft says it discovered a new 'Powerdir' vulnerability lurking in macOS. Powerdir allows "an attacker to bypass the operating system’s Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) technology, thereby gaining unauthorized access to a user’s protected data." Fortunately, Apple patched up the issue in macOS Monterey 12.1.

macOS Monterey 12.1 also included some important upgrades to privacy. The software delivered Apple's communication safety features for kids. You'll find these features in the Messages app, in Siri, in Spotlight, and in Search.

If you're moving up from macOS Big Sur, you'll also get macOS Monterey 12.0.1's 30+ security patches when you update.

If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's website.

In addition to those patches, the macOS Monterey update comes with additional security and privacy upgrades.

If you're an Apple Card user, you'll now get a security code that changes regularly to use when you make online transactions.

Apple's also included a built-in authenticator that's similar to Google Authenticator. This will let you generate verification codes for enhanced sign-in security under your Passwords.

New Mail Privacy Protection helps prevent senders from tracking your Mail activity and there's a new recording indicator in Control Center for apps that are accessing your mic.