1. My Mac Is Not Allowing Software Updates Download
2. Apple Software Update Not Working
3. My Mac Will Not Update
4. Apple Mac Updates Not Working

• Not enough available storage space on your device
• Downloading the update takes a long time
• Unable to reach the update server
• The update doesn't complete

If there's not enough space to update

The Mac is shared with a co-worker who is not here. – nute Jul 8 '13 at 10:29 2 In shared environments it's probably the better approach to have an admin account to install software. On rare occurrences people may find that after updating their Macs the system will not boot. Sometimes the system will hang at a specific boot screen such as the gray Apple, or at a blank blue screen.

If there isn't enough space to download and install an update, the software on your device will try to make space. It will remove only app data that it can download again and doesn't remove or relocate any of your data. If your device still doesn't have enough space, you can use your computer to update your device.

If you can't connect your device to your computer, you can make room for the update by removing content and apps on your device that you don't use. Go to Settings > General > [Device name] Storage.

Learn more about the space your apps and content use.

If the download takes a long time

You need an Internet connection to update your device. The time it takes to download the update varies according to the size of the update and your Internet speed. You can use your device normally while downloading the update, and your device will notify you when you can install it. To improve the speed of the download, avoid downloading other content and use a Wi-Fi network if you can.

If you can’t reach the update server or can’t verify the update

If you try to update your device, you might see one of these messages:

'Unable to Check for Update. An error occurred while checking for a software update.'

'Unable to Verify Update. [Software] failed verification because you are no longer connected to the Internet.'

Try updating your device again using the same network. If you still see one of these messages, try updating your device using another network or update your device with your computer. If the issue happens again after trying to update with multiple networks, remove the update.

Learn more about iOS and iPadOS updates.

If the update doesn't complete

If you're installing the update, the progress bar might appear to move slowly. The time an update takes depends on the size of the update and the number of files on your device.

When you're updating over the air, keep your device connected to a power source. If your device runs out of power, connect it to a power source and turn on the device to let the update or restore complete.

Learn what to do if your device appears frozen or won't start.

Remove and download the update again

If you still can't install the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, try downloading the update again:

1. Go to Settings > General > [Device name] Storage.
2. Find the update in the list of apps.
3. Tap the update, then tap Delete Update.
4. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download the latest update.

If you don’t see the update in the list of apps or if the issue happens again, you need to update your device with your computer using Finder or iTunes.

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.

What to Do If a Mac Update Will Not Finish Downloading

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

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 TweakBit 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

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.

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.

My Mac Is Not Allowing Software Updates Download

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.

Apple Software Update Not Working

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:

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.

Wrapping Up

My Mac Will Not Update

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.

Apple Mac Updates Not Working