Homebrew, the most popular package manager on macOS, has ended support for macOS 12 Monterey. Macs sold before 2017 cannot update to macOS 13 through official channels and will face increasing restrictions when utilizing brew commands.
macOS 12 depreciation is one of several changes made in the new Homebrew 4.4.0 update. Naturally, this release also adds macOS 15 support and introduces a handful of new features, such as install receipts for casks.
Here are the biggest changes introduced in Homebrew 4.4.0:
- macOS 15 Sequoia is now officially supported by Homebrew.
- macOS 12 Monterey is no longer supported by Homebrew.
- Homebrew now uses Ruby 3.3.5.
- Newly-installed casks include INSTALL_RECEIPT.json files.
- A new
brew tabcommand allows you to edit tab information, - External commands that do not use the AbstractCommand style are no longer supported.
- An Ubuntu 24.04 Docker image was added, though the Ubuntu 18.04 image has been depreciated.
- Homebrew no longer supports building with GCC 4.9, 5 and 6.
Smaller changes made in Homebrew 4.4.0, plus a bunch of GitHub pull requests, can be found at the Homebrew website.
Depreciated macOS 12 support isn’t an immediate concern for the average developer, hobbyist, or IT professional. That said, Homebrew will slowly become less capable on macOS 12, just as it has on macOS 11. If you regularly use Homebrew, now’s the time to install a supported version of macOS or switch to a different open-source package manager, such as MacPorts. Those using a Mac from 2016 or earlier can update to macOS 13 through OpenCore Legacy Patcher, though doing so comes with some risks and isn’t advisable for the average person.
You can update to Homebrew 4.4.0 by opening your Terminal application and entering brew update. Instructions for installing Homebrew on a new machine are listed on the Homebrew website.
Source: Homebrew
