need to update......need advice

[storytyme]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on here and I hope it is going to be a great place to solve my problem(s). I recently noticed that my Macbook Pro has been a bit sluggish and I know I have avoided updating the OS for quite some time, so I start to look into where I am at and where I should be.

Currently my MacBook is a late 2013 and my current OS is 10.9.5. (Yes I have delayed things) I have just started researching the update and have found that many of the programs I use won't be usable if I upgrade. I use excel and word daily and those are 2008 versions.

Can I just update to a newer OS, but not the newest, so that those programs will still work? Is that even smart to do? I've ignored it this long, I need to get things updated and things moving quicker. Any advice is so very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Fishrrman]

Is your MBP retina or non-retina?
Easy to tell -- the non-retina has a DVD drive on the right side.

Having said that, you might consider moving up to either Low Sierra (10.12) or High Sierra (10.13).
Mojave - as yet - is a "work in progress".

If possible, I like to remain "one OS back", so that I have the "fully-mature" version up-and-running.

IF you have a non-retina MBP, be aware that you can upgrade both the drive and RAM inside.
If the internal drive is a factory platter-based hard drive, putting an SSD into it (cheap and easy) will make a GREAT improvement in overall performance for ANY version of the OS you run.