This post highlights potential solutions to macOS Mojave update on a Mac computer. Feel free to refer to this troubleshooting guide if you end up getting Mojave 10.14 update download stuck or installation error on your Mac.
Updating Apple devices is fairly easy. For as long as your device is eligible for the new update and all the update requirements are met, everything should be good. However, there are some factors that can make such a very simple process much more complicated and thus, some people ended up facing with various dilemmas when attempting to update their devices. Just like what a few owners of Mac who have had trouble updating to macOS Mojave 10.14 as the update would get stuck and fail. Read on to learn what to do if you happened to face the same issue when trying to install Mojave 10.14 update on your Mac.
What causes your Mac to get stuck when updating?
As mentioned earlier, there are some factors that can halt the normal updating process. Among these are network connection errors on the computer, glitching apps, corrupt data, security issues, and in some cases, account problems particularly with Apple credentials. Also don’t forget to consider checking on the Apple server. Some update errors can also occur due to the Apple server downtimes or unavailability. That said, you need to rule out each of these factors so as to eliminate them from the underlying cause.
Pre-update requirements
For safekeeping, it is highly recommended to back up your Mac before updating. Make sure that the capacity of the external drive is the same or higher than that of your Mac storage.
Complying to the update requirements is also imperative to ensure successful software update installation. Among the things that you need to carry out and check before updating your Mac are as follow:
- Stable internet connection. Your Mac must have stable Internet connection to access the Apple server and be able to send and receive update request.
- Sufficient memory space. Update files require enough storage space on your Mac.
- Sufficient power. Your Mac must have at least 50 percent of battery life as updating requires more time to complete.
- Valid Apple ID and password. The primary key to access Apple services including software updates is your Apple account comprising a registered Apple ID and password. Be sure to enter the correct account information when asked to confirm, otherwise your requests are denied.
If you’ve got an antivirus or firewall enabled on your Mac, try to disable it when updating to ensure it would halt the process. Once you’ve met all the above mentioned requisites, retry updating your Mac to macOS 10.14. If the update still gets stuck or the update installation fails, then you should rule out other software-related factors that might have hindered your Mac from updating to macOS Mojave 10.14.
Troubleshooting macOS Mojave 10.14 installation stuck, failed update error on your Mac
Note that the underlying cause of the problem is still to be determined and so there is no definite solution. That said, applying several methods is likely needed until the error is corrected.
First solution: Restart your Mac.
If this is the first update attempt you’ve made at the update gets stuck or has failed, then it could be just a minor system glitch, which is usually remedied by a device restart. Thus, if you haven’t done this yet, restart your Mac then retry updating. There are many ways to restart your Mac. To carry out the standard restart procedure, simply do this:
- Click on the Apple logo from the toolbar to launch the menu options.
- Then click the option to Restart.
- Click Restart again when asked to confirm.
Allow your Mac to complete the restart process and once it’s finished booting up, retry installing macOS Mojave 10.14 update.
After restarting the system, download and install macOS 10.14 on your Mac with these steps:
- Launch the App Store on your Mac.
- From the App Store main screen, search macOS 10.14 or Name of the update.
- Tap Download to continue.
- Enter your Apple ID and password. Be sure to enter the correct Apple credentials. If the account information entered is correct, the update download instigates. Just follow the onscreen prompts to install the update on your Mac.
If you still encounter errors like macOS 10.14 Mojave update failure or stuck or any other installation error, then continue to troubleshoot and rule out other factors.
Second solution: Quit all running apps or programs from your Mac.
Suspended apps or apps that are kept opened and running in the background during the update may also interrupt the updating process and thereby results to a stuck installation. To make sure this isn’t what’s causing your trouble, quit all running apps or programs from your Mac and then retry downloading and installing macOS Mojave afterwards. To force an app/program to quit on your Mac, simply perform these steps:
- Simultaneously press the Option, Command and Escape (Esc) buttons on the keyboard. The Force Quit window will then show up.
- Click to select the app to close.
- Then click on Force Quit.
If the app that you want to close isn’t responding, then you can use the Finder to force close the app instead.
- To do this, select Finder in the Force Quit window then select the option to Relaunch.
If all apps aren’t responding, then you can just force your Mac to restart.
As soon as your Mac has completely rebooted, try to download and install the update again and see if the error is no longer showing up. If it still does, then you can proceed to the next method.
If the update was successfully downloaded but will not install, try to open the Launchpad and find the install macOS Mojave file. Then, give your Mac another restart and re-download the macOS update file from the Mac App Store.
Third solution: Restart/refresh your Internet connection.
One of the possible reasons as to why your Mac won’t be able to download or install new updates is due to network connectivity error. Your Mac might have an unstable Internet connection or Wi-Fi drops. As result, network-related apps and services aren’t stable or not working at all. To rule this out, refresh your Internet connection.
Refreshing the Internet connection can be done in several ways. If you can access your wireless router or modem, rebooting it will likely solve the problem. By restarting means turning the router/modem off for a few seconds and then turning it back on again. Also referred to as “power cycle,” a modem/router restart effectively clears out random firmware errors on the modem or router that caused network connectivity issues among all connected devices.
Another way to refresh your Internet connection is by turning your Mac’s Wi-Fi feature off for a few seconds and then turn back on.
- You can check the current status of your Internet connection by navigating to System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click Network. Select your Wi-Fi network then turn it off and back on again. Wait until your Mac reconnects then retry updating.
If the update still doesn’t go through, cancel the download and then re-download the software update from the Apple Support website instead of Mac App Store. Just visit apple.com then navigate to software update page.
Fourth solution: Check and manage storage of your Mac.
MacOS updates are usually very large and therefore require more storage space. To make sure that your Mac has enough room for the update file, check the storage of your Mac by heading to Apple menu then select About This Mac. Once you’re on this section, view more details of the Used and Available storage.
If necessary, you can free up some storage space by deleting all unused apps and files from your Mac. You can also transfer some of your important files from your Mac to other external devices.
Fifth solution: Install macOS Mojave 10.14 update in safe mode.
If you still couldn’t get to update your Mac, try booting into safe mode and then update your Mac while in safe mode. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press and hold the Power button until your Mac powers off.
- Turn on your Mac by pressing and holding the Shift key until the Apple logo appears.
Wait until your device boots up in safe mode and then retry downloading the update.
Booting your mac in safe mode automatically bypasses or disables third-party apps including security software that might have interrupted the update download and installation.
Still getting stuck on installation or having macOS Mojave 10.14 installation error on your Mac?
If none of the aforementioned solutions is able to correct the update stuck or fail error on your Mac, then you may have to consider performing a clean installation of macOS Mojave 10.14 on your Mac. To do this, you will need to create a bootable installer or create a macOS Mojave Bootable USB installer drive. The USB drive must have at least 12GB of storage capacity. Once you’ve got the USB ready, format the USB drive with macOS using journaled extended format.
So here’s what you should do then:
- Download the macOS Mojave 10.14 update from the Mac App Store.
- Connect the USB drive with your Mac.
- Navigate to the Applications folder then select disk utility.
- Chose thumb drive and click the option to Format.
- Set the USB name/label as Untitled then select OS X Extended.
- Tap Erase to continue.
Once the USB is formatted completely, launch Terminal and retry downloading macOS Mojave 10.14 again.
For further assistance in formatting USB drive or creating a bootable installer for your Mac, contact Apple Support.
I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!