How to update macOS, and fix an update that fails

How to update macOS in System Settings

The route is the same in macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate. You don't need to download a cleaner or find an installer on another website.

1. Make a backup. Connect your Time Machine disk and let a backup complete, or copy irreplaceable work to another disk. A normal update is intended to keep your data, but a backup matters if installation uncovers a disk problem.
2. Connect to power and reliable internet. Save your documents and finish calls or exports before starting. An update can restart the Mac and interrupt everything open.
3. Open Apple menu › System Settings › General › Software Update. Wait for the check to finish. A spinning check is different from an installation progress bar.
4. Read the version being offered. Choose the update, upgrade or restart button beside the version you intend to install. Follow the installer, entering your Mac's administrator password when macOS asks.
5. Let it finish. Keep the Mac connected to power and avoid closing the lid or forcing a shutdown. Multiple restarts, a blank screen and a slowly moving bar can be part of installation.
6. Check again after login. Return to Software Update to see whether another update is available. Use Apple menu › About This Mac to confirm the installed version.

These are Apple's documented update steps. Software Update also delivers changes to built-in apps, including Safari. Apps you downloaded separately may have their own updater; use our guide to updating all your Mac apps for those.

Optional: list updates in Terminal

If you prefer a text check, open Terminal and run:

softwareupdate --list

This asks Apple’s update tool to list available updates. It does not install an update or change a setting, needs no sudo or administrator authentication, and has nothing to undo. Its list can differ from a major-upgrade banner in System Settings, so use the graphical steps above to choose what to install. The installed Apple softwareupdate(8) manual documents this option; no scan output is presented as a test result here.

An update and an upgrade are different decisions

A smaller release within the same major version, such as macOS 26 to 26.4, is an update. Moving from macOS 26 to macOS 27 is a major upgrade. Apple's current page uses “update” for both in some places, and the button can say Update Now, Upgrade Now or Restart Now.

Check the version number rather than assuming the largest button is a small security fix. Before a major upgrade, check the developer's compatibility page for software you depend on: audio plug-ins, a VPN, a printer utility or a professional app can matter more than a new macOS feature. On a work or school Mac, follow your IT team's supported version.

If Software Update offers a smaller update for your current macOS alongside a major upgrade, read both choices. Staying on an older major release is a separate decision from ignoring every offered security update. Apple's list of compatible Macs, linked from Software Update's support page, is the reference for which major releases your model can run.

How much free space an update needs

There isn't one reliable free-space number for every macOS update and every starting version. Apple's current general update instructions do not set a universal requirement. The download size is also not the same thing as the free space an installer needs while it works.

Open System Settings › General › Storage on macOS 15, 26 or 27 and let the categories calculate. If the installer says more space is required, use the amount it requests. Start with files you recognize: an old installer in Downloads, an unwanted video, or a project you can move to an external disk. Keep a second copy of important files before deleting the internal copy.

Use the safe storage clean-up order rather than deleting unfamiliar folders marked System Data. Apple notes that Software Update can need less storage than other installation methods. Switching to a full installer is therefore not automatically a solution to a full disk.

If your Mac says it is up to date

“Up to date” means no compatible update is currently being offered to that Mac. It doesn't promise that the Mac can run the newest major macOS released for other models. Check the model and macOS version in Apple menu › About This Mac, then compare them with Apple's compatibility list.

• Refresh the check. Apple suggests pressing Command-R in Software Update or closing and reopening it. On versions with a Check for Updates button, use it.
• Check management. An employer can defer releases through device management. Apple's deployment guide documents update and upgrade deferrals. Ask IT about the schedule rather than removing a management profile.
• Check the beta channel. If you joined a beta program, inspect System Settings › General › Software Update › Beta Updates. A beta can have a higher version than the current public release. Turning beta updates off changes future offers; it doesn't turn an installed beta into an older public version.
• Check connectivity. If Software Update cannot contact Apple, it has not established that your software is current. Retry on a working connection and keep the exact error message.

If the update won't download or install

Work from the error you actually see. A storage warning calls for space; a download failure calls for a stable connection. Retrying the same download repeatedly without changing either condition is unlikely to resolve it.

1. Save the error wording. Note whether it failed during downloading, preparing or installing. A photo is useful if the Mac can't reach the desktop.
2. Retry after checking power, storage and internet. Restart normally if the desktop still works. Use Apple's installer or Software Update, rather than a download mirror.
3. Try safe mode. It can prevent other software from interfering. Follow the Apple silicon safe-mode steps, then open Software Update again.
4. Use Recovery if normal installation keeps failing. Apple's installation-error guidance recommends Recovery and, when necessary, Disk Utility repair. A reinstall without erasing is different from resetting the Mac.
5. Get help before erasing. If the internal disk disappears, Recovery won't start, or valuable files lack a backup, contact Apple Support. Erasing is a data-loss decision, not a routine update fix.

If a progress bar is still present during installation, don't apply an arbitrary ten-minute timeout. Apple says an upgrade can take overnight. Apple's progress-bar source below gives the waiting guidance.

Choose your automatic update settings

On all three versions, open System Settings › General › Software Update and the information button beside Automatic Updates. The controls distinguish downloading from installing macOS. Read each switch: allowing a download doesn't mean you have approved every restart immediately.

For security and system data, macOS 15 labels the switch Install Security Responses and system files. Current macOS 26 and 27 settings use Install system data files and security updates. These smaller protection updates are separate from deciding when to make a major upgrade. Keep a backup schedule even when installations are automatic.

How Tend helps

Tend's free Updates list includes the macOS and Apple software returned by Apple's update tool. It shows the offered name and version, marks a required restart, and opens Software Update for installation. It doesn't install macOS itself or guarantee that every major upgrade banner in System Settings will appear in its list.

Questions

For the next step, see a Mac stuck at the Apple logo or progress bar.

Related guides

Sources

Sources checked 23 October 2026. These are documented steps and specifications; no repair, installation or performance test was run for this guide.

• Apple, Update macOS on Mac
• Apple, Keep your Mac up to date — macOS 15
• Apple, Keep your Mac up to date — macOS 26
• Apple, If an error occurred while updating or installing macOS
• Apple, How to download and install macOS
• Apple, If your Mac starts up to an Apple logo or progress bar
• Apple, Install and enforce software updates for Apple devices

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