need help upgrading my macbook pro

[kaitlin45989]

ok so i currently have a macbook pro late 2013 its on el capitan hoedo i upgrsde it to seira without loosing all of my installed software such as word excel etc its my moms laptop but shes not computer savy so she asked me to do this for her thanks for your time

so i just need to know how to safely upgrade from el capitan to seira without her loosing any of her info i.e. installed programs documents etc

if it matters she has no way to back any of her stuff up to an external drive

 

[Diablo360]

You shouldn’t lose any software from upgrading. All it does is upgrade your operating system, all of your files and software will still be there

 

[Fishrrman]

First, you have to get a copy of the Low Sierra 10.12 installer. Try here:
macOS Sierra 10.12

Then, you'll have to create a "bootable USB flash drive" to boot from and install it.
The flashdrive should be 16gb (sometimes 8gb will work).

To help make the bootable installer, I would recommend either of these free apps:
- Install Disk Creator
- Diskmaker X
With either one, all it takes is a few clicks of the mouse to create the installer.
NOTE: If one doesn't work for you, TRY THE OTHER ONE.

Does your mom keep a backup?
If not, you ought to persuade her to start keeping one.
If something goes wrong during the update, you will still have "her stuff" on the backup.
I would suggest a USB external drive and either SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner.
Try here:
Download CCC 5