These include updates for the XProtect anti-malware feature built into macOS.

Security updates are downloads that patch known vulnerabilities in your system, even if you are running an older version of macOS. Some examples include speech recognition assets, improvements to your Mac’s text to speech capabilities, fonts, and dictionary definitions. System data files are often only installed when you use a feature that relies on them. You won’t need to manually approve anything, though you may be prompted to restart your machine for the updates to take effect. You will have to manually install these updates by clicking on the notification or visiting System Preferences > Software Update.Ĭhoosing to “Install macOS updates” or “Install app updates from App Store” will install system and app updates automatically. If you disable this, you will need to check for updates in this menu manually.Įnabling “Download new updates when available” will download any available system updates and notify you when they’re ready to install. For macOS 10.3 High Sierra or earlier, you can find these options under System Preferences > App Store.Įnable “Check for updates” to have your Mac automatically check for updates and put a notification in the top-right corner of the screen if anything is found. Your Mac can automatically check for, download, and install various types of updates.įor macOS 10.4 Mojave or later, head to System Preferences > Software Update and click on the “Advanced” button to control automatic updates. RELATED: Which Releases of macOS Are Supported With Security Updates? How to Automatically Install Updates You can view information about the latest security updates on Apple’s security update page if you like. Generally, the most recent three major versions of macOS are supported with security updates. You may need to restart your Mac for the update to take effect.

Once the window has refreshed, you should see any updates listed as “macOS 10.xx.x Update” (depending on your version).Ĭlick “Update” next to the relevant entry, or click “Update All” at the top of the screen to update everything. Launch the App Store from the dock and click on the “Updates” tab. You must apply operating system updates via the Mac App Store.

If you don’t see a “Software Update” option in the System Preferences window, you have macOS 10.13 or earlier installed. Your Mac may need to restart before the process is complete.

Click “Update Now” to start the update process. You can also search for this option by pressing Command+Spacebar, then typing “software update” to in the Spotlight window that appears.Īssuming you’re connected to the internet, your Mac will check for any available system updates.

How to update your mac os x software