Guide · Stuck update

Mac update stuck or won’t install? How to get a macOS update to finish

By the AI Repair team · Updated 20 October 2026

A macOS update that won’t download, won’t install, or sits on the Apple logo for hours is worrying, but it’s rarely a sign that something is broken. Usually the update needs more room, a steady internet connection, the right person’s password, or simply more time. This guide goes through each, gentlest step first.

In short

Open System Settings › General › Software Update (System Preferences › Software Update on macOS 12) and see what it says. Not enough space? Free up the amount it asks for. Update Now does nothing? Quit System Settings, open it again, and click the button once more. Still stuck? Restart your Mac, then install the update straight away, plugged in. If the screen sits on the Apple logo during an update, leave it for a few hours before you do anything.

1. See what Software Update says

Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then Software Update. On macOS 12 Monterey, choose Apple menu › System Preferences, then Software Update.
Read the message under the update. Update Now installs an update of your version of macOS; Upgrade Now installs a new version; Restart Now means the update is ready and only needs a restart.
If it says it’s still checking, or shows nothing, close Software Update and open it again (Apple’s guide).

2. Make room for the update

If there isn’t enough space, Software Update says how much it needs. Free up that much, plus some to spare: empty the Trash, delete old downloads and installers, and remove what you no longer need. Our guide Mac storage full? How to free up space shows what is safe to remove. Install from Software Update rather than a full installer: Apple says it can use less space.

3. Check the internet connection

The update downloads from Apple, so it needs a steady connection (Apple’s steps when an update fails). If web pages load slowly or not at all, fix that first: our guides to Wi-Fi with no internet and slow internet can help. A VPN or a filtering app can also block Apple’s update servers: turn it off while the update downloads.

4. Update Now does nothing? Close System Settings and try again

When Software Update keeps spinning, or a click on Update Now, Upgrade Now or Restart Now changes nothing, start the settings app afresh: choose System Settings › Quit System Settings from the menu bar (on macOS 12, System Preferences › Quit System Preferences). Open Software Update again as in step 1, save your work, and click the button once more. Keep your Mac plugged in.

5. Restart your Mac, then install the update

The part of macOS that installs updates only starts afresh when your Mac restarts:

Save your work and close your apps.
Click the Apple menu at the top left of the screen and choose Restart.
When your Mac is back, open Software Update as in step 1.
Click Update Now, Upgrade Now or Restart Now, whichever it shows. Keep your Mac plugged in and leave it until it finishes.

6. It asks for a password you don’t know

On a Mac with Apple silicon, only an owner of the Mac can approve a macOS update: the person who set it up, or someone they made an owner. On an Intel Mac, it’s an administrator (Apple’s explanation).

Ask that person to come to your Mac.
Open Software Update and click Update Now or Upgrade Now.
When your Mac asks for a name and password, they type their own. You don’t need to know it.
If it doesn’t ask, they sign in to this Mac with their own account and install the update in Software Update there. When it has finished, you sign in to yours as usual.

7. A Mac from work or school

If your Mac is managed by an organization, such as your work or school, they may decide when updates install, and some settings are theirs to change. Contact their IT help desk and tell them the update is stuck.

8. If the screen seems frozen during the update

During an update, the Apple logo or the progress bar can stay on screen for much longer than usual, and your Mac may restart and show a progress bar or a blank screen several times. Apple suggests starting an update in the evening, so it can finish overnight (Apple’s steps). If nothing changes for hours:

Press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds, until your Mac turns off. On a laptop with Touch ID, that’s the Touch ID button.
Press the power button again to turn your Mac back on.
If it stops again, turn it off the same way, unplug everything but the power (printers, drives, hubs), then turn it on.
If it still won’t start up, start it in Recovery and repair the disk with First Aid, as our guide Repair your Mac’s disk: First Aid in Recovery shows.
If that doesn’t help, reinstall macOS from Recovery, or contact Apple Support: they can help you put macOS back on your Mac.

If it says an error occurred

Apple’s list for an update that fails with an error: make room and check the internet connection, as above; start your Mac in safe mode and install the update from there; repair the disk in Recovery; or install macOS from Recovery, which keeps other software from getting in the way. If the problem continues, Apple Support can help (Apple’s steps). Before you repair the disk or reinstall macOS, back up your files with Time Machine or copy them to another drive, if your Mac still lets you.

Advice you can skip

Turning off automatic updates to stop the reminders. Updates keep your Mac safe, and the reminders stop once the update is installed. People who phone and ask you to turn updates off are often scammers: hang up, and ask someone you trust.
Deleting update files from the Library or System folders. macOS protects them, and Apple never asks you to.
Downloading macOS from another website. Get it only from Software Update or the App Store.
Forcing your Mac off as soon as the progress bar seems to stop. Give it a few hours first: Apple says the bar can stay much longer than usual.

Let AI Repair find what’s holding it up

Type “my Mac update is stuck” and AI Repair reads what macOS last found, in about a second: which updates are waiting and whether one is a new version of macOS, when your Mac last checked, about how much room the update needs against what’s free, who on this Mac may approve it, and whether a school or company manages its updates. When it needs to, it asks Apple again, which takes up to a minute.

Short of room, it moves caches, logs and old installers into a holding folder, then, after asking, empties that folder so the update has the space: emptying it can’t be undone. It doesn’t go through your documents, photos or apps
When Software Update spins, it quits System Settings the normal way and opens Software Update again, for you to click the button
Otherwise it shows you the steps that fit: restart and install, ask the person who set up this Mac, or wait out a frozen screen

AI Repair never downloads or installs macOS itself, never asks for your password, and won’t help turn updates off. Each change waits for your OK unless you’ve set that kind of fix to Auto.

Download for Mac

Asking and checking are free · Apple silicon, macOS 12 or later

Common questions

How long does a macOS update take?

Apple doesn’t give a time: it depends on the update, your Mac and your internet. While it installs, your Mac may restart and show a progress bar or a blank screen several times, which is normal. Apple suggests starting in the evening, so it can finish overnight.

Why does my Mac say there isn’t enough space for the update?

An update needs room to download and to install, and Software Update tells you how much. Free up that much, plus some to spare; our guide Mac storage full? shows where the space usually goes.

Should I turn off my Mac if an update seems stuck?

Not straight away. Apple says the progress bar can stay much longer than usual. Leave it plugged in for a few hours, or overnight. Only if nothing has changed then, press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds to turn it off, and turn it on again.

Why does my Mac ask for an owner’s password to update?

On a Mac with Apple silicon, only an owner, usually the person who set it up, can approve a macOS update. Ask them to type their own password when your Mac asks, or to install the update from their account.