macOS Big Sur: How To Fix Error While Installing The Selected Updates [UPDATED]

Update: Apple has now updated its System Status page indicating the problem has now been resolved. As a result, Mac users should be able to once again try and install macOS Big Sur without encountering the “error occurred while installing the selected updates” message.

Apple has just released Big Sur, the latest version of macOS. However, some users already appear to be experiencing issues with downloading and installing the new operating system for Mac and MacBook devices. For those that are experiencing an “an error occurred while installing the selected updates” message, here’s the latest information, as well as some potential fixes.

macOS Big Sur is a highly anticipated upgrade for Mac computers, boasting many new features and improvements. However, any upgrade to an operating system comes with its own issues and it is not uncommon for devices to encounter problems. In fact, the ‘error while installing the selected updates’ is not something that’s specific to Big Sur, with users having encountered the same error when updating to previous macOS versions at launch.

At the moment, it remains to be seen why some Mac users are encountering this issue, although Apple is aware of the problem. The company’s System Status page specifically highlights a ‘macOS software update issue’ which further explains that some “users may not be able to download macOS Software Updates on Mac computers.” The message goes on to also point out that the problem is currently being investigated. Apple has also responded to various users on Twitter with a similar confirmation.

Possible Fixes For macOS Installation Error

While Apple is aware of the problem and working on a solution, as this is an issue that has surfaced before, so have fixes and workarounds. While they might not work for everyone now experiencing the installation error, they are still worth trying. For example, some users experienced the same issue in 2019 when upgrading a Mac device to Mojave and one of the recommended solutions on the official Apple Support Community was the following:

1. Restart the computer. Immediately, at or before the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears.
2. Select Disk Utility and press the Continue button.
3. Then select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list.
4. Click on the First Aid tab in the toolbar and wait for the Done button to activate. Click on it, then quit Disk Utility.
5. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
6. Try installing the update again.

If the instructions above don’t work, or are too complicated, there are some more general checks users can perform to make sure their Mac device is ready and able to download Big Sur. One very common cause is the amount of usable space that’s available at the time. For example, when Big Sur was rolling out in beta form, some early testers ran into space issues when trying to apply the update. Therefore, making sure there’s enough space available is an important check to make. Importantly, simply relying on how much free space the system says it has is not always a reliable indicator, as some space may still be occupied for various reasons. Described in an Apple Developer Forum post, one example of this is how Time Machine can sometimes take up hidden space. In this instance, simply disabling Time Machine and using Terminal to manually remove local snapshots worked.

Of course, the issue may also be simply a matter of demand. As is probably to be expected, plenty of users will be trying to download the update right now and that sudden spike in activity may also be causing issues. If that is the case, then it may simply be worth waiting before trying to upgrade to Big Sur. If none of these fixes help, then at least there is some comfort in the knowledge that this is not something that’s specific to one user or device. Not only has it popped up with previous macOS major upgrades, but many appear to be encountering the same problem now. Not to mention, Apple is aware and working on the issue.

Source: Apple

About The Author

John Finn
(827 Articles Published)

John Finn is a technology editor and writer for Screen Rant. John has been covering technology since 2014 and focuses on where tech meets the movie and TV industry. A Psychology graduate from England who now lives in the US, John previously worked in the aviation industry as an airline reviewer. You can find John on Twitter (@J_Finns) or contact directly at john [at] screenrant [dot] com.

More From John Finn