What version on MacOS is compatible?

Question

What version on MacOS is compatible?

CHRIS GRINNELL 0

Is there a Defender download that is compatible with MacOS Ventura 13.7.8? When I try to install the current download, I see 2 destinations named Macintosh HD. I only have 1 physical disk. The first disk icon shows a yield sign and the message 'not supported' in effect, but when I hover over it, it shows my current disk and OS version 13.7.8. The second icon will let me select and says 'supported' with green arrow, but the OS version shows 26.6.2. That's not my version. What gives?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

For Microsoft Defender on Mac, Ventura 13.7.8 is supported for the consumer app because the install guidance states Microsoft Defender on Mac requires macOS 10.14 or later.

For Defender for Endpoint, the current requirement is higher: support is for the three most recent major macOS releases, and beta versions of macOS aren’t supported. The release notes also state that starting with Jan-2025 (Build 101.24122.0005), the minimum requirement became macOS 13.0 or later, which still includes Ventura 13.7.8.

For installation:

Download the Mac installer from https://aka.ms/MacDefender.
Open the WDAV.PKG file.
Complete setup and grant the requested permissions in Security settings and Full Disk Access.

About the two Macintosh HD destinations:

The provided material confirms supported macOS versions and installation steps, but it does not explain the installer showing two destinations or why one shows 26.6.2.
It does confirm that installing with Finder or Terminal is supported. A practical workaround is to bypass the graphical destination picker and install from Terminal:

sudo installer -pkg /Users/admin/Downloads/wdav.pkg -target /

This requires local administrator rights. Use the actual path to the downloaded wdav.pkg if it is not in /Users/admin/Downloads.

If the installer is freezing or other package installs are hanging, there is a known issue only for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint version 101.23082.0018 on macOS in the Beta channel. Symptoms include package installs waiting indefinitely and multiple installer processes stuck at 0% CPU. In that case, close the stuck installer processes with:

for pid in `ps -ef | grep -i install | grep -F wdav-ux-update | awk '{ print $2 }' ` ; do sudo kill $pid; done

Warning: force-killing installer processes or forcibly powering off the Mac can interrupt active installations.

References:

Answer 2

Hello CHRIS GRINNELL,

Thanks for the details. From what I can find, macOS Ventura 13.7.8 probably isn't supported by the current Defender installer, so the "not supported" warning on your 13.7.8 disk is likely accurate. Microsoft's current macOS requirements list only the three most recent releases (27, 26 and 15), and Ventura isn't one of them: Microsoft Defender on macOS prerequisites. That page covers Defender for Individuals as well. The consumer install page is here, but I couldn't confirm a minimum macOS version on it: Installing Microsoft Defender.

I couldn't find any Microsoft documentation explaining the second "Macintosh HD" entry showing 26.6.2, so I don't want to guess about that one.

Here's what I'd check:

Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update and see whether a newer macOS is offered for your Mac.
If one is, back up first, update, then run the installer again.
If none is offered, I'm not aware of a supported Defender version for Ventura, and I couldn't find an older download Microsoft documents for it.

If you can share your Mac model, and confirm this is the Defender app from a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, I can point you in a better direction.