Screenshot: Pranay Parab
If you find yourself avoiding macOS updates more than any other software updates, you’re not alone. Even if you haven’t faced any stability issues or other bugs, updating macOS takes so long that ignoring the update feels like the better alternative. After all, critical security updates are installed automatically by default, in the background. Most people can live without some of the new features that new macOS updates bring, so this becomes something we tend to avoid.
There’s an easy way to reduce the time it takes to update macOS, though, and it’s hidden behind an innocuous-looking button. If you use this feature, you’ll be able to reduce the time it takes to download updates, and you’ll also be able to speed up the install process a bit.
How to speed up macOS updates
The next time you want to update macOS, click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s desktop and select System Preferences. Now click Software Update to make your Mac check if there are any new updates (pro tip: rearrange System Preferences to make all options easy to find).
If a software update is available, your Mac will display some information about it, such as “Updates are available for your Mac,” followed by bullet points listing which updates are available. To reduce the size of the update, click the More Info button in the Software Update window.
Screenshot: Pranay Parab
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This will reveal additional information about each component included in the macOS update. You will see checkboxes next to each item and you can quickly uncheck the items you don’t need to install immediately. For example, you might want to skip updating to a new version of macOS, but not Command Line Tools for Xcode. You can go ahead and uncheck the macOS option, and it’ll allow you to avoid deleting files from your Mac just to make space for the update.
When you’re done selecting these items, click Install Now to begin the update. Your Mac will handle the rest. Note that you may not always have the option to uncheck updates on your Mac, but when you do, it lets you get the job done faster.
