Sep 13, 2019 It’s not immediately obvious why your Mac needs free space to update itself anyway. Especially after you already made enough space to download the update. But in fact, the macOS update installer needs extra room to work in. As the update installs, it copies files and expands folders, taking up much more space than it needed to download. Jul 16, 2015 I can't update my macbook at all, I will try to download the update and it says update is downloaded, then it wont let me install, saying that I need to quit all applications and try again. Even when doing this, it still will not let me update. Any solutions? I have an older white Macbook with software.
![]()
Updating your MacBook or iMac should be free of headaches and drama. Apple even coined a marketing phrase “it just works!” But recently, a lot of readers and Mac users are finding the opposite–it just doesn’t work! Several users have recently had issues updating their MacBook with the latest version of macOS. Unfortunately, this appears to be a fairly common problem for some when updating to the latest macOS High Sierra update.
The update gets stuck with a message “mac os could not be installed on your computer an error occurred installing macOS.” Some folks report seeing this message as well “the path /System/Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg appears to be missing or damaged.”
Then your Mac prompts you to quit the installer and restart your computer. Well, Apple, whatever happened to it just works???
Contents
Quick Tips
RELATED ARTICLESIt Will Not Let Me Update My Software On Mac ComputerGetting macOS could not be installed on your computer?
If you are experiencing this issue with your update, here are a few tips that you can use to address this issue. Before proceeding with the steps below, we suggest that you ensure your Mac’s clock is correct. If your Mac’s Date&Time do not match your current timezone or date, macOS often won’t install. Go to System Preferences > Date & Time. Apple prefers if you choose the option to Set Automatically.
Next, let’s try out the basic NVRAM reset (or PRAM for older Macs) on your computer.
Follow these steps if you are not sure about how to do the NVRAM reset
Check Storage
The other thing is to make sure that your MacBook/Mac has enough space available to complete the update. If you are running low on space, Apple provides some guidelines that can help you recover some space on your Mac.
Beyond the Basics
Now, that we have taken care of the basics, we suggest that you try each of the processes below until your macOS install problem is fixed. We arranged the how-to-fix steps in three separate categories.
The first of the troubleshooting steps walk you through Safe mode options and then we suggest the Recovery mode. The last of the options shows you how to remove third-party KEXT files using simple terminal commands and then try the install process.
How-To Fix macOS could not be installed issueFixing the Install issue using Safe Mode on your Macbook
If you tried the steps above in Safe mode and did not find success, the next course of action is to try the Recovery mode.
Fixing macOS Install Problem in Recovery Mode![]()
My Mac Will Not Update Software
Sometimes, when you are facing install/upgrade issues, a workaround that works for many users is to create an external bootable installer and try to run the install program using it. Apple provides a detailed white paper on this process. You can create the bootable installer on a USB and then try it to update the macOS.
Removing Third Party KEXT Files
If you are still reading and have already tried the series of fixes in both Safe mode and Recovery mode to no avail, you may have to roll up your sleeves and do a little more digging into the root cause of the issue. Sometimes it’s the third party KEXT extensions that cause a lot of heartache during update/install of macOS.
These KEXT Files get added to your Mac/MacBook when you are using third-party devices. If you are not sure about it, your best bet is to look and see what third-party extensions are currently there on your machine.
To do so, Open up terminal from your utilities and type in the following to see the non-Apple KEXTs.
Kextstat | grep –v com.apple
This command should show you all the third party extensions. Now you can remove them one by one or remove the one that you think may be the suspect. Using terminal, you can unload the kext my using the following command.
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/NAMEOFTHEKEXT.kext
Here ‘NAMEOFTHEKEXT’ needs to be replaced with the appropriate suspect KEXT file that you found above. Once you have unloaded the KEXT, you can go back and check to make sure that it has indeed been removed by using the kextstat command.
Once you have removed all the third party KEXT files and have made sure that you have enough space on your machine for the macOS update, please try and relaunch the install process.
Problems? Try Single User Mode
If your install process is failing because of a particular problematic file, you can also try to log in using the single user mode and delete that specific file and then try resuming the install. Sometimes you find these problematic ones off files in the Installer log files. To access these log files, open up the Console app in utilities and click on ‘/var/log’ on the left-hand column and then choose ‘instal.log’in the next column.
We are hoping that you were able to fix the macOS Install issue using some of these tips. If you have tried everything without any success, your best bet is to reach out to Apple Support folks so that they can help out. Please let us know how your install worked by using the comments below.
Reader Tips
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
Related Posts:
If your Mac won't let you update one of Apple's apps until you click on 'Accept,' here's what to do when there is no such button.
It's only when downloading apps goes wrong that we really appreciate how amazing it is that we can ever do it. Even if you can remember the days when software came in boxes that you bought from shops, you can't actually remember them because they seem so long ago and just so very wrong.
Apple changed the world in this way, Apple made it obvious that you should download software — but just occasionally, it's Apple who makes it stop working.
Right now, if you have certain Apple apps installed on your Mac and a new version comes out, your Mac may block you from downloading them. It's the Apple app, such as Pages or Numbers, that will tell you there's an update, and it's Apple's macOS that will take you to Apple's Mac App Store, but that smooth, unbroken path through the Apple ecosystem sometimes comes to an abrupt halt.
Adobe never gave 'activation codes' of any sort, from their website or elsewhere. No codes were ever involved.You may have been led to believe this activation code came from the Adobe website, but it didn't.sorry but Adobe did do this for student copies of cs6. Mac irritating adobe notifications non-genuine software. I am having the exact same problem with my 'Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium' I am getting the ' A recent scan of your Adobe software has determined it is non-genuine. WroteAdobe gave me an 'activation code' from their website so the software would work.That's a 100% certain giveaway that this is pirate software. CS6 had silent activation - you entered the serial number during installation, and the software would then activate automatically online.
'To update this app,' says the App Store dialog box, 'you need to accept it on the Account page in the App Store.'
This is because the storage of your phone's memory can be full and you thus need to change it into another memory space, or your device doesn't have enough battery, so it turns off while you are recording your video.
![]()
That's worded in typical Apple fashion in that it's simple and straightforward. It's worded in slightly unusual Apple fashion in that it's a bit ambiguous. Presumably by 'the account page,' it means your account page, as in what you get when you choose View My Account.
We'd rather not say what something presumably means, we'd rather take the time to find out where the Accept button is, but that's the problem.
While Apple's own support documentation specifically says that you should press an Accept button that is listed next to an app's name, good luck finding it.
Apparently some people do get this Accept button and they can therefore click on it with gusto, but for others, including AppleInsider there just isn't one. Seriously. No button.
We couldn't take a screenshot to show you where the button is supposed to be, because we can't get the App Store to show it to us.
Delete the apps.
There you go, that's it, just delete Numbers or whatever the app causing this problem is, and then go re-install it from the App Store.
When that's done, you'll have the latest version of the app installed on your Mac just as you would expect. This problem is too recent for us to know whether that will stay fixed for the next time there's an update, though.
Maybe the missing Accept button is tied to the seemingly still not resolved bug that sees the App Store pretend you have few or no previous purchases.
We'd rather Apple fixed that one completely, and in comparison the acceptance one is only mildly inconvenient.
It Will Not Let Me Update My Software On Mac Free
Yet it's also downright peculiar. It's hard to see how it can be a technical issue, a legal one or a security procedure.
It's especially hard to see it as a security measure for two reasons. The first is that every step of this is controlled entirely by Apple, from your app telling you there's an update to the Mac App Store refusing to give it to you. There's no question of authentication or of someone managing to get into your account to maliciously buy an app that you've already got.
And then if it were some security issue, look at what happens when you fix it.
When you actually had the app installed, the Store made this big deal about how you had to confirm that you accepted it. Now you don't have it, the Store will let you download the latest version without blinking.
There's got to be a reason, but it doesn't look like it can be a good one. Not when Apple's support documentation promises you that there's an Accept button you need to press, but then it spends exactly as long again telling you what to do if this doesn't work.
Keep up with AppleInsider by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos.
AppleInsider has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |