Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Mac

  1. Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Mac Os
  2. Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Macbook
  3. Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Macbook
  4. Mac Stuck On Os Update
  5. Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Mac
  6. Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Macbook Pro

Installing new versions of macOS on a Mac should be a fairly simple practice. A Mac computer tells you about any available updates using a pop-up window in Notification Centre. In some cases (depending on your settings) it is already downloaded and only needs your authorization to be installed.

Updates
  • Update Office from the Mac App Store. If you downloaded Office from the Mac App Store, and have automatic updates turned on, your apps will update automatically. But you can also manually download the updates: Open the Mac App Store from your Dock or Finder.
  • Go to Mac App Store and open updates. If your Mac install stuck on Apple logo, gray/white/black screen when you were installing an App, you can go to Mac App Store to find this app and open the updates to survive from the macOS installation stuck situation. Download & install the combo update.
  • Install the Update in Safe Mode If it’s clear that your Mac update isn’t going anywhere, then hold down the power button to turn off your Mac. Once you’ve done this, boot your Mac into Safe Mode. There are several ways to do this, but the simplest is by holding the Shift key as it’s booting.
Stuck

However, sometimes when you click on Go on an update, things don’t go as you expected. In this post we’ll explain what to do if your Mac stalls or freezes during an operating system software update. We’ll also explain what to do if you see the message “macOS could not be installed on your computer.

Close the MAU folder and continue using your Mac as usual; With Microsoft AutoUpdate deleted, Microsoft AutoUpdate will no longer be on the Mac or run to update software automatically. Stopping com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper in Mac OS. You can also delete “com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper” if you find that running in the background on a Mac. Apple lists storage space recommendations for macOS updates on its website. Click here to take a look at that page, typically Apple suggests you need around 20 GB of free space. We advise you to give your Mac 1.5x Apple’s recommended storage requirement for an update. This should avoid the risk of getting stuck in a macOS update loop.

There are some circumstances that can interrupt the installation process, such as a power cut or the lack of space available on your Mac (we always recommend that you don’t install anything with less than 10 GB free to avoid having problems with the installation). There may be other problems with your Mac, so it is worth running Disk Utility before updating.

It is always advisable to perform a standard series of checks before you perform an operating system update on your Mac. In this post though, we will only explain possible solutions to fix your Mac if it freezes or stalls in the middle of an update.

Can’t download the macOS update

If you haven’t even gone through the download stage, there are some things you can try.

  1. Check Apple’s servers. When Apple releases a new macOS update, many people will rush to download it. This can cause problems with Apple’s servers. First, you should check that the update is available; also check the download speed. It may take a little longer than normal if there are thousands of users trying to download it at the same time.
  2. Use a wired connection. A wired connection is always faster. If you switch from a Wi-Fi connection to a wired connection things will be quicker.
  3. Cancel the download. You may be able to fix a stuck update by going to the Mac App Store, finding the software you are downloading and pressing Option/Alt. You can then start the download again without any problems.
  4. Download the software from Apple’s support website. If you have problems downloading the update from the App Store, you can use Apple’s website. You can find the latest macOS updates here.

How do you know if an update has stalled?

If there is a problem with the software installation, your Mac will usually get stuck on the updating screen. The screen will show the Apple logo and a status bar that shows progress while the software is loading. The screen will also show a ‘spinning beach ball’:

You may see a white, grey or black screen (you may not be able to tell if the Mac is turned off or turned on). You must be sure that the installation isn’t running in the background because the forced reboot of the computer during an installation will interrupt the installation process and could cause data loss. This is one of the reasons why it is always advisable to make a backup before installing new software.

If your Mac seems to have frozen during installation, you should search for “signs of life” and follow the advice below:

  1. Has your Mac really frozen? Before you conclude that your computer has frozen during the installation, you should consider something. Sometimes, updating the software on a Mac can take a lot of time (many hours). Your Mac may look frozen, but if you leave it for a few hours it could finally finish its task.
  2. Look at the Log to see if your Mac is still installing OS X. Press Command + L. This offers additional information and more details about the amount of time still remaining for the installation to finish. It can give you a better idea of what files are being installed and the amount of time remaining to finish.
  3. Wait. If it turns out that the installation hasn’t stopped, be patient and wait for a few more hours. Sometimes it’s worth leaving the Mac during the night to finish the work it has started. The time shown by the progress bar is not always reliable, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not busy trying to install the software.

What to do if your Mac freezes during software installation

If you are sure that your Mac is no longer working on updating the software, follow these steps:

  1. Turn it off, wait a few seconds and restart your Mac. Press and hold the power button to turn off your Mac and start the backup.
  2. Go to the Mac App Store and open Updates. If you were installing an application from the App Store, open the App Store and click Updates. You should find that the update/installation process continues from where it stopped.
  3. RCheck the Log screen to see if files are being installed. When the progress bar appears, press Command + L again to check the Log screen and make sure the files are being installed. If the Log screen shows that nothing is being installed, continue with the next step.
  4. Try to install the Combo update. As we mentioned earlier, the Mac App Store is not the only place from where you can download Mac software. Apple still has software on its website, so you can download it from there. If you go to Apple’s support website, you can find a combo updater that includes all the files required to update macOS. This version will replace all the system files and, therefore, it will ensure that the update is complete.
  5. Install in Safe Mode. Press the power button and hold the Shift key to start your computer up in safe mode. Then, open the App Store and update your applications while in Safe Mode. When you finish, restart your Mac.
  6. Make space in your Mac. The reason the update failed might be that there wasn’t enough storage available to perform the installation. You should then delete some files in Safe Mode.
  7. Reset the NVRAM. If Safe Mode doesn’t work, restart your Mac while holding down Command + Option + P + R. This will reset the NVRAM. Wait until your computer restarts and wait to see if the update starts.
  8. Use Recovery Mode to reinstall macOS. As the last option, you can restart your Mac in Recovery Mode (hold down Command + R while starting it up). After that, there are different options to choose from: you can recover your Mac from the last Time Machine backup or perform a disk repair.
  9. Install the operating system from an external drive. If you still have problems with the installation, you can try installing the operating system from an external drive.
  10. Run Disk Utility once your Mac is updated. When you have finally installed and run the software, we recommend that you run Disk Utility to correct any problems that might have caused the problem in the first place.

What to do if macOS could not be installed on your Mac

If you start up your Mac and see the message MacOS could not be installed on your computer, you will be confused.

To solve this, you should try to quit the installer. Click on the installer window and from the menu above select Quit MacOS installer (or hold down Command + Q). If when you restart your Mac again, you have the same problem with it opening the installer, follow the steps bellow:

  1. Start in Safe Mode. Press the shift key while your Mac starts up. The computer will start in safe mode. In Safe Mode, you will see that your Mac doesn’t have all its functionalities, but it will be enough to fix the problem.
  2. Once in Safe Mode, open theMac App Store and search for Mojave.
  3. Click on download and wait while the Mojave installer downloads in the background.
  4. Once the installer is downloaded, you are ready to install. Now you can continue with the installation.

It’s also possible that you cannot install macOS on your computer because your Mac is too old. You can ask us to know if that is your case. Contact us by phone 933 900 524, by filling out the form in the «Contact» section, or by visiting our repair centre in Barcelona during office hours.

También es posible que macOS no se pueda instalar en tu Mac porque tu Mac es demasiado antiguo. Consúltanos y sal de dudas, puedes contactar con nosotros llamando al 933 900 524, cumplimentando el formulario de la sección “Contacto” o acercarte a nuestro taller en Barcelona en horario de trabajo.

Installing updates in your Mac is a pretty straightforward exercise, which usually takes only a few clicks. In most cases, your Mac will alert you through a pop-up in the Notification Center when updates are available. Sometimes, you may find that an update has downloaded already, and your job is to install it.

Truly, macOS is getting better and smarter after each release, hence, earning a reputation as a robust OS. Despite this, macOS has its own problems; sometimes, there can be hiccups when installing updates.

Mac Stuck While Installing Updates

Some users have complained that a macOS update will not finish downloading. For some of them, their Macs get stuck midway of a macOS update. All they see is a progress bar that has stuck at 50%, or something similar. Please note that this issue has been reported to occur, even when users haven’t initiated an update or upgrade.

Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Mac Os

What to Do If a Mac Update Will Not Finish Downloading

Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Macbook

If you cannot finish downloading Mac updates for some reasons, then you need to check out the section below for our recommended solutions.

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Preliminary Measures

Before performing any system update, be sure to create a backup of your sensitive data. You have two options to back up your Mac: Time Machine or a third-party Mac backup tool. Time Machine is already built into macOS. But if you encounter issues while using the built-in backup tool, there are several great alternatives.

Other than this, check if you have at least 30GB of free space before updating macOS. Sometimes, insufficient storage space could hinder the installation. If this is the likely reason, make some room by deleting unnecessary files in Safe Mode. First off, remove the partly downloaded macOS file from your Mac. Be sure to remove its icon from the Launchpad as well.

Alternatively, you can use a robust repair tool, such as Outbyte MacRepair, to automate the process. This tool will not only remove space hogs, such as unneeded apps, but it will also get rid of all the junk on your Mac to restore efficiency.

If your Mac is still frozen, here are some other ways to attack the problem and, hopefully, resolve the issue:

Step #1: Find Out If the Installation Process Is Still Going on

Mac stuck checking for software updates on macbook

Before you conclude that your Mac has frozen, sit it out for a few more hours. As painful as it is, it may be the best solution to your purportedly aborted update. You need to realize that some updates can take up to 16 hours to complete. The progress bar only provides the best guess. Sometimes, things get slowed down by processes running behind the scenes. So, if your Mac stuck at 30% for the last few hours, it doesn’t mean it is not installing the software.

Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Macbook

Usually, when Apple releases a macOS update, many users rush to grab it, causing problems with Apple’s servers. Taking this into account, you need to check the System Status page to see if there are any known issues.

You should also check if there is an issue with your connection. Sometimes, things are quicker when you are on a wired connection. On top of this, consider canceling the download, then start again.

Step #2: Refresh the Update

If the above trick didn’t resolve the problem, try to jumpstart the stuck update. Here are the steps:

  1. Press and hold down the Power button for about 30 seconds.
  2. Press the Power button again to restart the computer.
  3. After it reboots, try installing the update again.
  4. To check if the macOS installation is still running, press the Command + L keyboard combination. This trigger will bring up more details about the update, such as the time remaining for the update to finish installing.

At times, while installing updates, Mac may freeze. If that is the case, then run through these steps:

  1. Restart your Mac via the above process.
  2. If nothing happens, go to the App Store and click Updates. The installation process will pick up from where it left off.
  3. Also, check the progress by pressing the Command + L combo again.
  4. Note that the App Store isn’t the only place to get Mac software. You can get the same software from Apple’s official site. The good thing about downloading software from Apple’s website is that it has a Combo Updater, which has the essential system files to update macOS.

Step #3: Install Updates or macOS in Safe Mode

If you have established that, indeed, your Mac got stuck while installing the update, then the next thing you should try is to boot your Mac in Safe Mode. To do so, follow this process:

  1. Start your Mac, then immediately press and hold down the Shift key.
  2. Release the key when you see the login window.
  3. Your Mac will now boot into Safe Mode, where you can fix your issue.

Step #4: Reset the NVRAM

If the problem is still present, try resetting the NVRAM. The Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) is a memory section that your Mac uses to store specific settings like screen resolution and volume settings.

To reset the NVRAM, follow the steps below:

  1. Restart your computer, then immediately, after you hear the startup sound, hold down the Command + Option + P + R keyboard shortcut.
  2. Release the keys when you hear the startup sound again. The NVRAM will reset, and your Mac will restart automatically.
  3. The update should resume.

Step #5: Reinstall macOS in Recovery Mode

If nothing else works, then your best shot is to reinstall the updates in Recovery Mode. Here is how to do it:

  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Restart the computer, then hold down the Command + R combo immediately to enter Recovery Mode.
  3. Once in Recovery Mode, you will see some options. Pick Install new OS to reinstall macOS.
  4. When the process completes, everything should be fine.

Mac Stuck On Os Update

Step #6: Clean Install macOS from External Drive

If the macOS update will still not finish downloading, try reinstalling the OS from an external drive. To perform a clean installation of macOS, you need to create a bootable USB installer drive. This drive should have at least 12GB of storage space. Once the USB is ready, here is what you should do to format the drive using the journaled extended format:

Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Mac

  1. Download the macOS from the App Store.
  2. Connect the USB drive to your computer.
  3. Go to Applications and choose Disk Utility.
  4. Now, select thumb drive > Format.
  5. After that, name your USB as Untitled, and then choose OS X Extended.
  6. Click Erase to continue.
  7. Your USB is now formatted, so you can open the Terminal and try downloading macOS again.

Mac Stuck Checking For Software Updates On Macbook Pro

Wrapping Up

While hiccups rarely occur while installing updates, it is always good to know what to do if a Mac update will not finish downloading. Hopefully, the above steps helped you to get the installation back on track. But if macOS update will not finish downloading even after attempting the above solutions, there is no need to panic. Just raise the problem with Apple Support.

If you encounter any issue while resolving the problem, let us know in the comments section below.

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