5 Things to Know About the macOS Sonoma 14.5 Update

Apple’s finally released its macOS Sonoma 14.5 update for Mac and the new software is available to download right now from the System Settings app.

macOS Sonoma 14.5 is a milestone release and it brings a mix of features and under-the-hood improvements to compatible Mac models.

If your Mac is still lingering on macOS Ventura, or an older version of macOS, this is the version of macOS Sonoma you’ll see if you decide to move your computer to the operating system.

It’s also the version you’ll see if you’re running older macOS Sonoma software. Changes from updates you skipped are baked in.

With that in mind, we want to take you through everything you need to know about the macOS Sonoma 14.5 update for Mac.

We’ll highlight macOS Sonoma 14.5’s changes, offer some thoughts about the software’s performance, go over the current list of macOS Sonoma problems, and more.

We’ll start with a quick look at macOS Sonoma 14.5’s performance.

macOS Sonoma 14.5 Review

macOS 14.5 Sonoma requires a large download so if you depend on your Mac to get through the day, you’ll need to plan accordingly.

The size of the download depends on your Mac model and the version of macOS it’s currently running. If you’re running a really old version of macOS Sonoma, or an older version of macOS, the download will be substantial.

After the download finishes up, the installation process will start. It should take around 10 minutes or so to finish up.

For more on the macOS Sonoma 14.5 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using macOS Sonoma 14.5 on a 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023) for several days now and we’ve been impressed with its performance thus far.

macOS Sonoma 14.5 Battery Life & Connectivity

• Battery life is stable right now
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
• Bluetooth is also working normally

App Performance

• Third-party apps, including Twitter, Slack, Chrome, and Spotify are working properly
• First party apps like Safari and Podcasts are also stable at the moment

Speed

• macOS Sonoma 14.5 feels fast and we haven’t run into any lag

If your Mac is struggling on macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, or an older version of macOS, you might want to install macOS Sonoma 14.5 on your computer right now.

If you’re feeling leery about the move, we’ve put together a list of the best reasons to, and not to, install the latest version of macOS Sonoma 14.

macOS Sonoma 14.5 Features

Milestone updates (macOS x.x) usually bring new features and improvements to Mac and that’s exactly what macOS Sonoma 14.5 brings to the table.

Apple says the macOS Sonoma 14.5 update includes the following changes:

• Quartiles is a new and original daily word game that is now available in Apple News+.
• Scoreboard in News+ Puzzles gives you access to new player data for Crossword, Mini Crossword and Quartiles, including stats and streaks.

The software also delivers new security patches for exploits discovered within the operating system. There’s a total of 22 patches on board and you can learn more about them right here.

macOS Sonoma 14.5 Problems

macOS Sonoma 14.5 went through an extensive beta, but Mac users have run into trouble.

Again, we haven’t noticed any major issues, but users are complaining about busted Wi-Fi, broken Bluetooth, abnormal battery drain, Microsoft Word lag, and problems with various first and third-party applications.

If you run into issues with macOS Sonoma 14.5, here are a few resources that could help.

Have a look at our list of fixes for the most common macOS Sonoma problems. If your Mac’s battery life is struggling, check out our fixes for macOS Sonoma 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 Apple via its website.

If you still can’t fix your issue(s), you’ll probably want to schedule an appointment at your local Apple Store.

macOS Sonoma Downgrade

If you run into problems on macOS Sonoma 14.5, you can try moving your Mac’s software back to an older version.

If you’re interested in moving back to older macOS software, have a look at our downgrade guide. It will help you get familiar with the process and make the move.

What’s Next

Apple hasn’t confirmed macOS 14.6, but we expect the company to push the software into beta testing in the near future.

If that happens, and it almost certainly will, look for the final version of macOS Sonoma 14.6 to arrive in July.

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