Click About This Mac, then click Software Update in the window that opens 2.
How to update macOS on your Macįollow these steps to check for new Apple software updates on your Mac:ġ. We’ll also show you how to use MacKeeper to update all your apps with a single click.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to update macOS automatically. Updates to macOS - the operating system on your Mac - might add new features to your computer, improve the power efficiency, or fix problematic software bugs.īut alongside the operating system, it’s also important to update the apps on your Mac to ensure everything is working as it should be.
Please keep in mind that the MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air must have the power adapter plugged in to automatically download updates in the background.It’s important to regularly check for and install software updates on your Mac. That way, you’ll have a piece of mind knowing that any worrisome vulnerabilities or dangerous zero-day exploits on your Mac will be automatically fixed as soon as Apple releases the patches.Īnd last but not least, you can tell your Mac to download any apps that you bought from the Mac App Store on other Macs by selecting the option “Automatically download apps purchased on other Macs”. If you want downloaded macOS updates to install automatically without asking, select “Install macOS updates.” To have the computer install any app updates from the Mac App Store automatically, just select “Install app updates” and you’re good to go.įor your own security, you are highly recommended to select the option “Install system data files and security updates” which tells the computer to install system files and security updates without asking. Then, you can choose when to install it, or choose to be reminded the next day.Īnd like before, you can easily check for updates manually at any time by clicking the Updates tab in the Mac App Store. Once the update finishes downloading, you’ll receive a notification that it’s available to install.
Disabling auto-downloading macOS updatesġ) On your Mac, go to System Preferences → App Store.Ģ) To prevent your Mac from downloading macOS updates and app updates without asking you first, deselect “Download newly available updates in the background.”įrom now on, the Mac will notify you when macOS software updates and updates to your installed apps are available but won’t download them automatically in the background unless you tell it to.Ĭonversely, to have macOS and app updates download in the background without asking, select “Download newly available updates in the background”. To avoid these scenarios, disable auto update downloads.
Storage is another thing that comes to mind.Īlthough Apple won’t push macOS updates to your Mac if it’s low on space, even if the computer has enough free space and downloads the updates in the background and then starts to get low on space, it will automatically delete them to free up space macOS software updates are typically multi-gigabyte affairs so I like to download them on my own time, outside work hours, to ensure the optimal Internet experience when I’m actually working on important stuff. If you don’t want macOS updates to download silently in the background, you can disable this feature with a few clicks in your App Store preferences.īefore we get to it, there are plenty reasons why you would want to prevent macOS updates from downloading automatically. In addition, most Mac models with a macOS version older than El Capitan are capable of downloading app updates and security updates without intervention.Īfter any such update has finished downloading, your Mac notifies you when it’s ready to install and you can choose to apply, ignore or postpone the update until a more convenient time. If you’re on macOS El Capitan 10.11.5 or later, your computer can download major operating system updates such as macOS Sierra in the background.