How Long Does Updating MacOS Take? Why Is MacOS Update Taking So Long?

How long does it take to update the MacOS system software? Why does it take so long to update? Many Mac users will have this question when they see the software update of the new MacOS system. Both of these questions are very reasonable, and it is important to remember that the answers may vary. However, with modern MacOS, you can make a fairly accurate estimate of the time it takes to install updates to your MacOS system.

Let's dive into this topic so you can better understand and prepare to install MacOS updates on your Mac.

How long does it take for MacOS updates to be downloaded, installed and completed?

MacOS updates can take between 15-20 minutes to several hours to complete, especially if you are considering downloading and installing an update to complete.

There are many factors that affect the time required for MacOS updates, including the size of the MacOS update itself, the speed of the Internet connection, and the overall system performance of the Mac.

The update process of MacOS is roughly as follows: the user checks and starts the system software update process, the Mac then downloads the update from Apple, verifys the downloaded software packages and updates, decompresses the update, and then restarts to update mode, installs the new update, and finally restarts after the update is completed. Again, this process can be very fast or very slow, depending on the above factors.

Why does it take so long to complete the MacOS update?

There are several reasons why it can take a long time to install a MacOS update. The first is to update the size of the file itself. Some updates are more than 5GB in size. These updates not only require a long time to download, but also require a long time to decompress and install.

Slow internet connections can also make the process of downloading and installing MacOS updates slower.

Finally, if the Mac is older, has limited available storage space, minimal system resources or slow drive speed, it will take some time to install updates.

How to check how long it takes to install MacOS updates

Newer versions of MacOS provide a very simple way to determine the estimated time it takes for the MacOS system software update to complete installation:

1. From the  Apple menu Go to System Settings
2. Select General, and then select Software Update
3. Find text like "After downloading is completed, this update will take about 20 minutes to install." under available software updates (the time required varies depending on the update)

An estimated value for update completion time is only available in newer versions of MacOS.

Additionally, once your Mac restarts to install the update, you will see a progress bar indicator, sometimes showing the "Time Remaining" estimate, which can also give you an idea of ​​how long it will take to install and complete the update.

Note that these estimates are not always accurate and are best used as a general guide. Sometimes the estimates may show 15 minutes remaining, but the update takes 2 hours to complete – this is not common, but not uncommon.

How to speed up the update of MacOS software?

The only real way to speed up the MacOS software update process is to have a faster internet connection, which will allow the Mac to download updates faster.

If your internet connection is very fast, but the download speed of MacOS updates is very slow, it may be due to overwhelming Apple's servers, which sometimes happens when major software updates are released.

However, remember that the decompression, verification, and installation process of the update itself still has to happen and that the process cannot actually speed up.

If you try to update multiple Macs to the same version of MacOS at the same time and you have a slow internet connection, you may find it useful to download the MacOS installer directly and then copy that update/installer to other Macs on the same network to run the installer directly, which will prevent each Mac from having to download the same update.

MacOS update takes multiple hours, what should I do?

If your MacOS software update process takes multiple hours, the best thing you can do is to get the process done.

Never interrupt unfinished system software updates!

Interrupting system updates can damage MacOS because the update will be incomplete and may require reinstalling MacOS. In theory, it may even lead to permanent data loss. Don't take this risk.

Just wait patiently and let the update complete. Sometimes updates can take hours, and while this is not common on latest Macs using the latest version of system software, it does happen. If the Mac is older, a long update process is more common.

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