Prefer ‘Safe Mode’ to install the update
Once the user is confirmed about the frozen state of the mac, then long press the power button until the mac turns off. Now boot the mac into Safe Mode. There are various ways to do this, the easiest one is to hold the ‘Shift’ key, while it is booting. The screen will appear with an Apple logo along with a loading bar; furthermore, the user should tap into Safe Mode. After these steps, users can run macOS updates in the same way as to install updates, this time probably without a glitch. Read More: Why is my app store not working on my MacBook: 6 ways to fix it
Disable FileVault
FileVault is a security feature that helps to avert unauthorized access to your startup disk, where all of Mac’s data is available. However, this feature turns out to be a problem, when FileVault tries to apply encryption to the updated OS and gets into a never-ending loop. Follow these easy steps to disable FileVault
Choose the Apple logo on the mac’s menu barTap on ‘System Preferences’ > Choose Security & Privacy > FileVaultNow choose ‘Turn off FileVault’
Note: Don’t forget to enable FileVault after the update is complete. A smooth update is complete but security concerns still matter to start up disk encryption.
Examine the Apple’s ‘System Status Page’
This method not only helps with stuck updates but with malfunctioning apple features as well. One of the easiest methods on the list, all you have to do is go to the official ‘System Status Page.’ Here users can figure out about any of Apple’s services. Once you reach there, check out the status of ‘macOS Software Update.’ Here you can figure out if the update servers are working well or not. If the bubble shows green color, then they are working well. The issue lies somewhere else. In case the bubble is red or yellow, then the user needs to sit out the problem so that servers can come back. The next method shows you how to sit out. Read More: Apple introduces self restore for MacBooks: Here’s Everything about It
Sit Out the problem
All you have to do is, let the mac sit for a while, undisturbed for a few hours. So that you can see it is still frozen. The reason is that sometimes update processes take longer time than usual and are stuck for a while, not completely frozen. Users can confirm the time left for the system update by using ‘Command + L.’ if no time appears then again let the update sit for some more time. Some users even reported a maximum of ten hours for their system update. Point is to ensure your Mac is not frozen, rest of its normal big systems take long periods of time to update. Till then get busy with some other work.
Refresh the Update to fix a frozen Mac update
If the user is confirmed that their Mac is frozen, they can follow these steps, until the issue is resolved. Let’s begin refreshing the update install
Long press the power button for 30 secondsWhen Mac goes completely off, again long press the power button > update process will resumeNow press ‘Command + L’ to ensure macOS is still installed.
If this option still does not work, users can try the last method to know how to fix the frozen mac update.
Reset the NVRAM
NVRAM, according to Apple, is, “a small amount of your computer’s memory that stores certain settings in a location that macOS can access quickly.” It basically holds kernel panic information, that is where we will tap into and reset the NVRAM.
Long press the power button of your mac, and it will shut down, hard discs and fans will stop spinning, and the screen will go dark.Turn on the MacOnce you hear the power on sound, long press the ‘Command + Option + P + R’ keys.
Hold these keys, until you hear power on sound againNow release the keys, as NVRAM has been reset, your update should resume now.
Bottom Line
Sometimes, it’s normal for big systems to take a long time to update. All users need to do is ensure that the update process is going on in the background. All of the methods mentioned above are written in priority order. If the previous one does not work, you should try the next one. In the worst case if none of the methods work for you, and you do not find any answer for How to Fix a Frozen Mac Update, you should contact your nearby Apple service center.
