Software Update's badge won't disappear after the update to Catalina 10.15.4

[fixusc]

Hi everybody,
I just registered to make this post. I could fix the problem by deleting ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist, then booting into safe mode and then rebooting normally. Automatic updates are still enabled but the badge is gone.
Thank you so much! This is an awesome community.

 

[eddiepacs]

Hi everybody,
I just registered to make this post. I could fix the problem by deleting ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist, then booting into safe mode and then rebooting normally. Automatic updates are still enabled but the badge is gone.
Thank you so much! This is an awesome community.

Hi Everybody!
I also just registered to reply . I updated last night from Mojave and experienced the same issue.

My steps:
1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

I hope this helps.

Thank you to everybody contributing here!!! It's very much appreciated.

 

[JULESCO]

Hello! I am having this same issue, but am not tech savvy. I see that the way to fix this, as said previously is to go to library preferences. Would someone be able to give me more specific instructions on how to get there? Thanks!

 

[eddiepacs]

Hello! I am having this same issue, but am not tech savvy. I see that the way to fix this, as said previously is to go to library preferences. Would someone be able to give me more specific instructions on how to get there? Thanks!

Hi @JULESCO ; to get to the folder:

1. Go to Finder
2. While in the Finder window, from the top menu bar, click "Go" and then click on "Computer"
3. Double click on Macintosh HD
4. Here you will see the Library folder

Then follow my original steps:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete (drag the file to the trash) com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

 

[JULESCO]

Hi @JULESCO ; to get to the folder:

1. Go to Finder
2. While in the Finder window, from the top menu bar, click "Go" and then click on "Computer"
3. Double click on Macintosh HD
4. Here you will see the Library folder

Then follow my original steps:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete (drag the file to the trash) com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

Thank you very much! That worked for me, too!

 

[Derekeys]

Hi Everybody!
I also just registered to reply . I updated last night from Mojave and experienced the same issue.

My steps:
1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

I hope this helps.

Thank you to everybody contributing here!!! It's very much appreciated.

That did it! You the human!

 

[r3cgm]

Me too! Had the same problem, and the solution worked (removing the file from Library/Preferences).

I've never used MacRumors before but registered for an account just because of this success story. Seems like this community is really helpful.

Thanks again!

 

[jakerobb]

Booting into Safe Mode appears to have fixed the issue for me.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

This did the trick for me as well. Many thanks!

 

[Dave380]

As of April 10, there's a 'Catalina Supplemental Update' available. Once that is downloaded (1.38Gb) and installed, the badge icon disappeared (at least it did for me!).

To get the update to show, I had to uncheck the 'Automatic update' box, then check for update.

Guess someone was listening..!

 

[Eli Kabong]

Does anyone experience the same issue? Would anyone here be able to help to guide me to make the badge disappear?

I am running the latest Catalina on mid-2012 Macbook Pro. Just updated it from Mojave. It is a little annoying to see the red badge on the System Preferences all the time after the update.

I had this same problem, I have just finished rectifying it. I used a cloned copy of my Mojave installation & restored to that installation & then used a copy I made of Catalina 10.15 (the original) to get started with Catalina.
Next I used a downloaded macOS 10.15.4 Combo Updater to bring the system up to 10.15.4.
This was followed by use of a downloaded copy of the Catalina 10.15.4 Supplemental Updater.

It would seem that incremental updates to Catalina don't suffer from the same glitches as going straight from Mojave to Catalina 1o.15.4, as you did & as I also did.

 

[Dusey]

Well, according to Apple’s update catalog for Catalina (long link) 061-90745 is SecUpd2020-002Mojave and 061-61260 is Safari13.1MojaveAuto.
It think, for whatever reason, Software Update is showing you updates for Mojave, that it can not obviously install on Catalina.
Check /Library/Updates/, if folders named 061-90745 and 061-61260 are present, delete them.
Delete ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist and run from Terminal sudo softwareupdate -l

Signed up for an account just to say that this worked for me (after a reboot - and it actually showed up for a few moments after the reboot! Then disappeared.)

Thank you so much @bogdanw !

 

[Efsane61]

Try

rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist
sudo rm -f /Library/Updates/ProductMetadata.plist
sudo softwareupdate -l

Today, after finally deciding to take up on the Catalina update, I got this persisting bug, with the updates. I have basically opened up an account, not as anybody else to tell my success story, but because mine is still happening. I have tried all the suggestions you and @jazzer15 did. Nothing seems to work. Do you have any suggestions for me?

 

[bogdanw]

Today, after finally deciding to take up on the Catalina update, I got this persisting bug, with the updates. I have basically opened up an account, not as anybody else to tell my success story, but because mine is still happening. I have tried all the suggestions you and @jazzer15 did. Nothing seems to work. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Do you have anything in /Library/Updates/?

 

[Wek]

Hi Everybody!
I also just registered to reply . I updated last night from Mojave and experienced the same issue.

My steps:
1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

I hope this helps.

Thank you to everybody contributing here!!! It's very much appreciated.

It's working for me also thank you so much.

 

[bryan.glasses]

Hi all!
Followed the steps, deleted the file, restarted and badge disappeared! Thanks for your help. Glad to be part a new user with MacRumors.

 

[ritap]

Hi @JULESCO ; to get to the folder:

1. Go to Finder
2. While in the Finder window, from the top menu bar, click "Go" and then click on "Computer"
3. Double click on Macintosh HD
4. Here you will see the Library folder

Then follow my original steps:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete (drag the file to the trash) com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

Thank you!! ))))

 

[Efsane61]

Do you have anything in /Library/Updates/?

No I had removed all of those. As stated, I had done every possible thing you guys suggested.
However, it didn't succeed.

Now after a few days, my laptop decided to do a restart and thankfully the update badge did dissapear now (I did restart earlier, so I don't know where the difference is coming from).
Anyhow, thanks for the help and reply!

 

[duffers20]

Hi Everybody!
I also just registered to reply . I updated last night from Mojave and experienced the same issue.

My steps:
1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

I hope this helps.

Thank you to everybody contributing here!!! It's very much appreciated.

Thanks so much - this fixed it for me!

 

[OldGreyGuy]

Hi @JULESCO ; to get to the folder:

1. Go to Finder
2. While in the Finder window, from the top menu bar, click "Go" and then click on "Computer"
3. Double click on Macintosh HD
4. Here you will see the Library folder

Then follow my original steps:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete (drag the file to the trash) com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

I have 3 Macs here that had different issues, two were upgraded from Mojave and they had the same problem and one new that came with Catalina (10.15.02) that did not display the problem.

Your fix worked for both of the older systems.

 

[Richdmoore]

Hi @JULESCO ; to get to the folder:

1. Go to Finder
2. While in the Finder window, from the top menu bar, click "Go" and then click on "Computer"
3. Double click on Macintosh HD
4. Here you will see the Library folder

Then follow my original steps:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete (drag the file to the trash) com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

Thanks, this worked perfectly with my wife's computer.

 

[WayOverMyHead!]

Hi @JULESCO ; to get to the folder:

1. Go to Finder
2. While in the Finder window, from the top menu bar, click "Go" and then click on "Computer"
3. Double click on Macintosh HD
4. Here you will see the Library folder

Then follow my original steps:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/
2. Delete (drag the file to the trash) com.apple.softwareupdate.plist (I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist)
3. Reboot normally
4. In my case, the badge was still there, but then when I went into Software Update, it said the same "Your Mac is up to date -- macOS Catalina 10.15.4" and then the badge disappeared!
5. Automatic updates are still enabled and the badge has not come back.

You just made my day, thank you so much for the step by step directions. As a non-technical person I could follow your directions and my issue has been resolved. You are a fine human being!

 

[Marzzz]

To clarify, the file com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist from your folder /Library/Preferences, that is /Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences

That worked for me, thanks.

 

[myred]

For me it was a hidden xcode/command tools update

showed a bunch of updates in Software Updates and once that was in, badge went away

I upgraded to Catalina and had the same problem.
Luckily, updating Xcode in Terminal by running xcode-select --install worked for me too.
Thanks

 

[psh]

That worked for me, thanks.

To clarify, the file com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist from your folder /Library/Preferences, that is /Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences
It's easier to delete from Terminal with

rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist

Are there any folders in /Library/Updates/ ?

I didn't have com.apple.preferences.softwareupdate.plist in my user library, but I did in the system library. Deleted it, and it's fixed. Thanks.

 

[Ryan Sheopersad]

Does anyone experience the same issue? Would anyone here be able to help to guide me to make the badge disappear?

I am running the latest Catalina on mid-2012 Macbook Pro. Just updated it from Mojave. It is a little annoying to see the red badge on the System Preferences all the time after the update.

check this vid out! it helped me...plz share with anyone that needs it