How to Check for and Install Updates on Mac

Updating software keeps your computer and programs secure, fixes bugs, and adds new features. Many of the applications you install on your device that are updated on a regular basis can improve functionality. At the same time, Apple also regularly releases system updates to help keep the Mac secure and stable. When a new version of OS X is released, you can get the upgrade for free from the App Store. If you’re using an older version of OS X, you can update via the Software Update utility.

Table of Contents

Update App Store apps and system software

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Click on the Apple menu and select “App Store.” The Apple menu is located in the top left corner of the screen. You can use the App Store to check for the latest versions of apps on the App Store, and install security and stability updates for OS X. These changes start with OS X Yosemite; if you use an earlier version of OS X, read Installing OS X Legacy Updates section below. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Click on the “Updates” tab. You can find this tab at the top of the App Store window. You will see a button that shows the number corresponding to the number of available updates.

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Click the “Update” button next to any available update to install. The update is immediately downloaded and installed once the download is complete.

You’ll see both app updates and system updates in the list of available updates (if available).

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Computer repair technician

Luigi Oppido is the owner and operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. He has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, antivirus and upgrade.

Luigi Oppido
Computer repair technician

Expert Tip: When installing updates on your Mac, check the update version to make sure it’s a good one. For example, if it is version 10.12.2 (macOS Sierra) or 10.13.1 (macOS High Sierra) your computer will not work well, but if it is version 10.12.5 or 10.13.6 it is fine.

Enable auto-update

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Open the Apple menu and select “System Preferences” . You can turn on automatic updates for apps and system updates, so you don’t need to check yourself and the software is always up to date and secure. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You can find the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.

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Click on the “App Store” option. This is the operation to open the App Store settings.

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Check the “Automatically check for updates” dialog box. This is the operation that activates many automatic update options.

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Check the 3 boxes under “Automatically check for updates.” This is an option to automatically check for, download, and install application, system and security updates once a day.

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Click “Check Now” to see if an update is available. If so, the update will be downloaded and installed right away.

Update apps installed not through the App Store

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Check for in-app updates (if available). Many applications downloaded from the website or installed from the disc will have a built-in update checker. Look in the Help or File menu. Follow the instructions to check for and install available updates. Many programs will uninstall, then install the latest version.

Not all programs have this feature.

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Visit the developer’s website. Some developers will post program patches on the website. Go to the program’s homepage and check the “News” or “Downloads” section to see if a newer version is available.

You can find the link to the program’s website in the About section of the Help menu.

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Download and install the latest version. Some apps installed from online sources don’t have an update option, you need to install the latest version yourself.

Download the installer of the latest version from the developer’s website.
Drag the current program from the Applications folder to the Trash. This is an operation to delete the program but keep the personal settings for the application.
Run the downloaded installer and drag the application to the Applications folder. This is the installation of the latest version.

Upgrade OS X to a newer version

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Open the App Store. The latest version of OS X is free to update and is recommended to update the system for new feature access and better security. You can get the upgrade from the App Store on Mac.

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Find the latest version of OS X on the App Store. You can find it at the top of the “Featured” tab if you don’t have that version installed. If you don’t see it under the “Featured” tab, you can switch to the “Quick Links” tab to the right of the Featured tab. You can search by update name. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

The latest version as of the time of this writing is “El Capitan.”

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Click the “Download” button to download the upgrade, OS X Update is quite large, it can take several hours to download.

If you don’t have a high-speed internet connection or don’t want to exceed your bandwidth limit, you can bring your device to an Apple Store and upgrade the system for free.

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Run the program “Install OS X Name ” (Install OSX “Name”) in the Applications folder. If the installation does not start automatically after downloading, you can run the program that appears in the Applications folder. This is the step to perform the upgrade.

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Follow the instructions to install the upgrade. You’ll see a few screensavers before the installation begins, such as terms and conditions. Most users do not change any information at this stage.

The update process does not affect individual files or programs.

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Wait for the installation to finish. The update process usually takes 20-30 minutes, the Mac will reboot when it’s done. Personal files and programs are still saved in the old location after the update.

Install legacy OS X version updates

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Open the Apple menu and select “Software Update” . This opens a new window to check for available system updates.