Mac stuck on the Apple logo or progress bar after an update

Why it happens

After a restart, your Mac installs the update before macOS starts, and the progress bar often sits still for a long time while it works. The screen may go black or restart more than once along the way. Big updates on older or nearly full Macs take the longest, so it can look frozen when it isn't.

How to fix it

1. Leave it alone and keep it plugged in. Don't close the lid or press the power button yet.

2. Give it time. Most updates finish within an hour, but a big one can take several hours, so leaving it overnight is reasonable.

3. If nothing on the screen has changed for several hours, press and hold the power button (the Touch ID button on a MacBook) for up to 10 seconds, until the Mac turns off.

4. Unplug everything except power: drives, docks, hubs and extra displays. Then press the power button to turn the Mac on. It usually carries on with the update or starts up normally.

Still not fixed?

1. If your Mac starts but the update didn't install, check you have plenty of free space, then try again in Software Update.

   General›Software Update

2. If it gets stuck again, start in safe mode and run Software Update from there. On Apple silicon, shut down, hold the power button until startup options appear, select your disk, then hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode. On an Intel Mac, hold Shift as it starts up.

3. Still stuck? Reinstall macOS from Recovery. On Apple silicon, hold the power button, click Options, then Continue. On Intel, hold Command-R at startup. Choose Reinstall macOS. It keeps your files, but back up first if you can.

4. If the Mac won't start at all, or gets stuck on the same screen after reinstalling, contact Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. It may need its startup software restored using another Mac, or a hardware repair.