macOS and Apple's apps: Software Update
macOS updates, and updates to apps that come with macOS such as Safari, arrive through Software Update (Apple, Keep your Mac up to date):
- Open System Settings › General › Software Update.
- If an update is listed, click the button to install it. Save your work first: macOS updates restart your Mac.
- Click the ⓘ button next to Automatic Updates and choose what happens on its own.
The automatic options differ between versions:
| Setting | macOS 15 Sequoia | macOS 26 Tahoe and 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Download new updates when available | Yes | Yes |
| Install macOS updates | Yes | Yes |
| Security updates and system files | Install Security Responses and system files | Install system data files and security updates |
| App Store apps | Install application updates from the App Store | Not here: set it in the App Store (below) |
The security setting is the one to keep on whatever else you choose. It delivers Apple's background security fixes and the malware definitions XProtect uses. Apple says these don't restart your Mac, though some only take effect after your next restart (Apple, About background updates in macOS). On macOS 26 and 27, the label above is what System Settings shows; some of Apple's guide pages still use the macOS 15 name. More on XProtect and what those updates do.
Whether to install macOS updates automatically is a matter of taste. Turning it on means fixes arrive without you thinking about it, with a restart when it suits macOS. Leaving it off means you choose the moment, which matters if you depend on apps that need time to support a new version.
App Store apps
Open the App Store and click Updates in the sidebar. Click Update next to an app, or Update All (Apple, Use the App Store to update apps on Mac).
To have it happen on its own, choose App Store › Settings and turn on Automatic Updates. On macOS 26 and 27 this is the only place for the setting; on macOS 15 it's also in Software Update's automatic options.
Apps from the web: their own updaters
Apps you download from a developer's website don't update through the App Store. Most check for updates themselves:
- Sparkle. Thousands of Mac apps use Sparkle, a free, MIT-licensed update framework (Sparkle project). You'll recognize it by a Check for Updates… item, usually in the app's menu (the one named after the app), and an update window that shows the release notes and offers to install. Most Sparkle apps can also check automatically; look in the app's settings.
- The vendor's own updater. Larger suites, such as Microsoft's and Adobe's, use their own update apps, which you open from the app's Help menu or the vendor's app.
- No updater at all. Some small utilities have none. Check the developer's site now and then, or note the version and compare.
Only update from inside the app or from the developer's own site. Update prompts that appear in a web page, or emails saying an app needs updating, aren't a reliable way to update, and can be a way to trick you into installing something else.
Homebrew
If you install command-line tools or apps with Homebrew, it has its own update cycle. These are the commands (Homebrew manual):
brew update
brew outdated
brew upgradebrew updatefetches the newest version of Homebrew itself and the list of available packages. It doesn't upgrade anything you've installed.brew outdatedlists the installed formulae and casks (apps) that have a newer version. It only reads.brew upgradeupgrades them. Add a name, such asbrew upgrade git, to upgrade just one.
Apps installed as casks are a special case. Casks for apps that update themselves are marked auto_updates, and Homebrew's FAQ says a normal brew upgrade includes them only when the installed app looks older; casks marked version :latest are skipped (Homebrew FAQ). To include both, use:
brew upgrade --cask --greedybrew upgrade also runs brew cleanup afterwards, which removes old versions and old downloads.
From Terminal: softwareupdate and mas
Two more tools let you update Apple's software and App Store apps from Terminal. They're optional.
softwareupdate
Built into macOS. softwareupdate -l lists available updates and, per its manual page, is the only command that doesn't need administrator rights. softwareupdate -i -a installs all available updates and asks for your password when needed; adding -R restarts automatically if an update requires it.
softwareupdate -l
softwareupdate -i -aChecking takes a while because it contacts Apple's servers. It doesn't cover App Store apps.
mas
mas is a free, open-source command-line tool for the Mac App Store, installed with Homebrew (brew install mas). Version 7 is current as of October 2026.
mas outdated
mas updatemas outdatedlists App Store apps with updates.mas updateinstalls them (mas upgradedoes the same). It asks for administrator rights itself when it needs them.
Its documentation lists a few requirements: you must be signed in to the App Store app (mas can no longer sign in for you), and Spotlight indexing must be on for the folders that hold your App Store apps, since that's how mas finds them.
A two-minute weekly routine
- Leave automatic updates on for security updates and App Store apps, so most of this happens without you.
- Once a week, open Software Update and install anything waiting, at a time a restart suits you.
- Open the apps you use most and accept their update prompts, or use Check for Updates.
- If you use Homebrew, run
brew updateandbrew upgrade. - Delete apps you no longer use rather than leaving them out of date. How to uninstall apps completely.
How Tend helps
Tend's free Updates page collects what's waiting in one list: macOS updates, App Store apps (when the free mas tool is installed with Homebrew, because Apple doesn't let other apps read App Store updates directly), Homebrew formulae and casks, and apps from the web that publish a Sparkle update feed. It installs App Store and Homebrew updates in one click and opens Software Update for macOS. For apps from the web, it reads their update feeds and shows what's new, and the update itself is done by the app. How the Updates page works.
Questions
How do I update all apps on my Mac at once?
There's no single button for every app. In the App Store, Updates › Update All updates App Store apps. Software Update covers macOS and Apple's built-in apps. Apps from the web update through their own Check for Updates, and Homebrew apps with brew upgrade. A tool that lists them together saves checking each place.
How do I update apps that aren't from the App Store?
Open the app and look for Check for Updates, usually in the menu named after the app or in its Help menu. Some vendors use their own updater app. If you installed the app with Homebrew, use brew upgrade. Otherwise, download the latest version from the developer's own site and replace the old copy in Applications.
Should I turn on automatic updates on my Mac?
Keep automatic security updates on: they include the malware definitions XProtect relies on. Automatic App Store updates are low-risk for most people. Automatic macOS updates are a choice: they keep you current, but you may prefer to pick the moment if you rely on apps that need time to support a new version.
Why won't my Mac apps update?
For App Store apps, check you're signed in to the App Store with the account that downloaded the app, and that you have enough free space. For apps from the web, the version may be too old to update itself; download the current version from the developer's site. An app may also have stopped supporting your macOS version.
Related guides
What is XProtect? Do Macs still need antivirus?
What the security updates protect you from.
How to uninstall apps on a Mac completely
Remove apps you no longer update, with their leftovers.
Mac maintenance on Apple silicon
Which maintenance tasks still matter, and which are myths.
Updates in Tend
How Tend updates itself and helps you update everything else.
Sources
- Apple, Keep your Mac up to date
- Apple, About background updates in macOS
- Apple, Use the App Store to update apps on Mac
man softwareupdateon macOS 27.0.1- Sparkle, sparkle-project.org
- Homebrew, brew(1) manual page and FAQ
- mas-cli, mas on GitHub
See every update waiting on your Mac, in one list
Tend is free to download. Pro is $1.99 a month, $12.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or $29.99 once.