With the latest update to Apple’s Mac operating system out in the wild, you may be tempted to hit the update button straight away. That way you can benefit from the improved Spotlight search, better tabbing in Safari, improved windowing and other features. Largely, we recommend upgrading to El Capitan as it fixes some worrying issues seen with its predecessor Yosemite, including troubles with WiFi connectivity, battery life and other key problems. However, as with any OS upgrade, while it is likely to be fine, there’s always the chance that something could go wrong and either temporarily, or permanently in the worst case scenario, limit access to your data, photos, business files and so on.

By using Apple’s in-built back-up tools, iCloud or another cloud service, you can ensure your data is kept available should you have problems with the update. Note that when updating to El Capitan, many users report a ludicrous download time listed by the installer. The official advice here is to click the pause button, wait for a minute, then unpause the download, and it should speed up and report a more realistic delivery time.

If you do have trouble with stability in your OS, or issues with specific applications – Microsoft’s Outlook and some professional music tools were reported as struggling with the new OS – then you can always revert to your previous version via a straightforward and relatively quick downgrade using Time Machine. If you haven’t upgraded a system for some time, the process is largely automated, but if you have any queries, please ask.

If you need advice on upgrading your Macs or Windows PCs, or are looking to refresh your office IT systems, we offer business IT support in London, as well as computer support and Apple Mac repair services. With new MacBooks and the iPad Pro hitting the market soon, and Microsoft offering Surface Book and other competitive systems tempting your IT budget, if you have any questions about IT upgrades, we can provide unbiased information based on your needs, and not what the big names are trying to sell you.