Enabling automatic updates has become the norm in almost every operating system these days. This has its benefits – you don’t need to download app updates manually, all critical security patches are automatically downloaded to your phone or computer.
Enabling automatic updates on your smartphone won’t really bother most people. Occasionally, apps may start crashing after an update, but in general, apps continue to work as expected after an update. You’re also less likely to be using a bunch of apps at the same time. However, this is not the case on a Mac or PC.
At any given time, we had at least eight apps open. Enabling automatic updates is convenient, but not the best idea since the application must be closed before installation can begin. This prompt tends to interrupt our workflow and we’d rather not deal with it in the middle of the workday.
First, let’s learn how to enable or disable automatic updates on Mac.
- click apple logo in the upper left corner and open System Preferences.
- Click app store. Now you will see a bunch of options related to automatic updates on macOS.
- To disable automatic updates, click the checkmark next to Automatically check for updates Uncheck it, it is checked by default.
- To enable automatic updates, click the empty box next to Automatically check for updates. You will now see a checkmark in the box.
macOS automatic update options
This covers the basics. If you follow these steps, you will enable or disable the system’s automatic checks for app and macOS updates. There are additional options here that let you choose when to download and install updates.
The first option is Download available updates in the background. When this feature is enabled by default, macOS automatically downloads all updates in the background and prompts you when they are ready to be installed. If you disable this feature, you will only receive a notification that an update is available. Downloading updates in the background is usually a good idea because you don’t have to wait for the download to complete when updating manually. However, if you frequently use cellular data on your Mac, you may end up with a hefty data bill if you check this option.
The second option is Install application updates The third one is Install macOS updates. If you enable both features, all updates will be automatically installed (not just downloaded). We don’t recommend this for most people, as it tends to interrupt what you’re doing and prioritize updates. These options are not enabled by default.
The fourth option is Install system data files and security updates. This feature is also enabled by default and we recommend that you enable it. It will push important security patches to your Mac as soon as they become available, so it’s a good idea to always turn that patch on.
This should answer your questions about macOS automatic updates. When it comes to operating system updates, macOS also lets you install them automatically late at night when you’re not using your computer. This option will pop up as a notification to install updates while you’re working, but you can postpone the notification and install the updates at night.
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