Reasons Why You Can’t Update Your Mac

We all use Mac OS often, and there are situations when the OS just doesn’t update. Obviously, it’s important to have the latest feature and security updates. Otherwise, you might end up dealing with all kinds of risks. The best thing you can do is understand why your Mac is not updating and figure out the best way to acquire that latest update. Here’s what you need to do.

Why is your Mac OS not updating?

There can be a lot of things, a very common one is that the latest update is not compatible with your Mac. At some point, Apple will limit what devices can receive the latest updates, depending on the age of that device. So that’s certainly a thing you need to think about.

At the same time, there might be an issue with the Apple servers, the Wi-Fi connection might not be good, or you just don’t have enough space on your device. There can also be other reasons as well, such as having malware on your device. Yes, there can be all kinds of issues, but these are the most common reasons you will encounter.

Check the compatibility list

Apple has a compatibility list where you can find the various Mac devices supported by the OS. It’s a good idea to check that, because it could very well be a compatibility problem. If that’s not the case, though, you can move onward to some of the other potential issues that might be the cause here!

Do you have enough space?

Go to the General/Storage part of system settings and see if you actually have enough space for your device’s updates. If you don’t have space, you can use a Mac cleanup tool to remove any duplicates, temporary files and junk files. That will help immensely, and it will provide a much better result than you might expect. Just make sure that you’re getting the best solution, and the ROI can be excellent here.

Server issues

Sometimes, the download just seems to be taking way too long. And if that’s the case, one of the best things to do is to check the system status for Apple Servers. You might very well have to deal with a rare situation when some of the servers might not be working the way they should. 

Repairing your hard drive

Use the Disk Utility from Application Utilities and pursue to repair the device. The First Aid tool you can find there will certainly make it easier to solve any issues with your device. And the faster you choose to do so, the better it will be. At the end of the day, that’s a crucial aspect to think about, and the outcome can be second to none in the end.

Install the update in Safe Mode

Entering safe mode can be a great way to try and update your device, if it’s not working the way it should. And that’s why it can help if you do that, you just shut down the device, wait 10 seconds to turn it on and press the Shift key while you do that. Release Shift when you see the Apple logo, and you’re good to go. For Apple Silicon devices, you shut down, press the Power button, choose the startup disk and press the Shift key as you click continue, then release it.

Reinstall Mac OS

Maybe the problem stems from your current Mac OS installation being corrupted. It could very well be the issue, as these things will happen from time to time. And if that’s the case, it makes sense why you are not allowed to update. Thankfully, restarting in recovery mode and reinstalling your Mac OS could prove to be the right solution here.

Alternatively, you can avoid just doing that and instead you can perform a complete, clean install. The downside here is that you will delete everything on your device if you do so. The best thing you can do here is to perform a backup for all the stuff that you might be interested in keeping. And once you do that, you just have to install Mac OS normally. In most cases, this should be enough to solve your problem.

Conclusion

We always think it’s crucial to take your time and ensure that you install your device effectively and without a hassle. It’s not an easy thing for sure, but at the end of the day, it will help provide you with the means to solve any update-related issues. We think it’s crucial to avoid any rush here and focus on implementing the updates using these tips shown above. Sure, in the end, a complete reinstall of the OS can be the solution, but that should only be a last-resort thing.