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Why can’t I update my MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) to newer versions of macOS past Big Sur?

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The last OS to support your Mac is macOS 11 Big Sur. The next version, Monterey, supports 2015 MBPs or later.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212551

Big Sur should be sufficient for compatibility with most new software. You should also get some security updates, until the next version of macOS is released later this year. You can of course continue to use software that runs on Big Sur for as long as hardware holds up.

For a 9-year-old Mac, that's pretty good. I dare say the 2-core CPU and Thunderbolt 2 ports are probably going to be more of a limiting factor into the future.

As to "why" -- There's a nice article here that might be useful. One interesting point is that Apple itself receives time-limited support from companies like Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD for components.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/07/some-macs-are-getting-fewer-updates-than-they-used-to-heres-why-its-a-problem/

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The OpenCore Legacy Patcher webpages do often document hardware limitations which would give cause for Apple to exclude a Mac from installing a particular version of macOS. The OpenCore Legacy Patcher Supported Models webpage shows Monterey and Ventura can be installed on your MacBook Pro (MacBookPro11,1) with "Everything is Supported" through the use of their software.

So hardware is probably not the reason Apple will not let your Mac update to newer versions of macOS. Older hardware generally operates at slow speeds than newer hardware. So the reason may be due to performance issues. In other words, Apple decided while Monterey may run on your Mac, it would do so at speeds which Apple determined was not acceptable.

Note: Apple rates their older products as vintage. Even older products are referred to as obsolete. According to this Apple website, your Mac is in the officially obsolete list right along with the original Apple I.

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    @benwiggy: I probably should not include my opinion in the answer. I replaced the block quote with something more fact based.
    – David Anderson
    Mar 19 at 17:10
  • Cool. I was just trying to get the sense of it!
    – benwiggy
    Mar 19 at 17:24
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    Do note that the tools linked will allow you to upgrade your MacBook to a more recent version of macOS if you feel adventorous as there are no hardware limitations
    – SztupY
    Mar 21 at 0:28
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From Macworld's macOS compatibility: Find out the latest version your Mac can run:

macOS Monterey was made available to download on October 15, 2021, and the most recent version is macOS 12.6.3. The following Macs are compatible with macOS Monterey:

  • MacBook models from early 2016 or later
  • MacBook Air models from early 2015 or later
  • MacBook Pro models from early 2015 or later
  • Mac mini models from 2014 or later
  • iMac from 2015 or later
  • iMac Pro (2017 and later)
  • Mac Pro models from late 2013 and later
  • Mac Studio

Since Ventura has been released, an exact list of models can be found at the Apple website macOS Monterey is compatible with these computers.

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