I am trying to download Catalina on a brand new MacBook Pro that I received with Mojave preinstalled. Every time I try to download the Catalina upgrade at some point I get a message stating: "An error occurred while installing selected updates. The network connection was lost." I do not see a partial download file in the Downloads folder and I do not have any Unfinished Downloads in my account in the App Store so I restart the computer and start the download process again. I tried to download the upgrade from the App Store but I got a message stating something like: ...This download is not available.." and then my System Preferences/Software Update window opened with the Catalina upgrade ready to "Upgrade Now". I just changed my wireless network to unhidden to see if that will help. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you.
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Why can't I download the macOS Catalina upgrade?
- Thread starter prefersmac
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- catalina mojave 10.14 upgrade
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Instead of, via Software Update, downloading the Catalina Updater, try and download the FULL Catalina Installation file from the App Store. After it downloads, stop the installation process.
If you can download that full installation file, that says there is an issue for that software process. Not sure what that would be due to.
Also, Catalina is still "buggy" at this point, and it would be wise to "move" to Catalina later on. As it is, the first Catalina update, OS 10.15.1, should be released very soon. Additionally, if you are using any third party software, you need to insure that all such software is compatible with Catalina. That might require upgrading some/all of those third party apps.
If you can download that full installation file, that says there is an issue for that software process. Not sure what that would be due to.
Also, Catalina is still "buggy" at this point, and it would be wise to "move" to Catalina later on. As it is, the first Catalina update, OS 10.15.1, should be released very soon. Additionally, if you are using any third party software, you need to insure that all such software is compatible with Catalina. That might require upgrading some/all of those third party apps.
I had the same problem. No way to re-download the Catalina installer. Software update in System Preferences just shows that the machine is up-to-date, and clicking on "Get" from the App Store just opens up System Preferences.
What worked for me was opening up a terminal window and running this command:
That downloads the full installer and places it in Applications. I'm not sure it will grab Catalina when run from a Mojave box, but it's worth a shot.
What worked for me was opening up a terminal window and running this command:
Code:
softwareupdate --fetch-full-installerThat downloads the full installer and places it in Applications. I'm not sure it will grab Catalina when run from a Mojave box, but it's worth a shot.
I have always been able to re-download the full installer file. Of course it would need to be missing from the Applications oflder.
After one downloads the full installation file, stop the installation process. Then immediately make a copy of that installation file on your machine. You can then remove it from the Applications older (why waste space?). When you run it from that location, it will not get removed. Thus you always have it, and hence would not need to re-download it (as long as it's the same version).
Yeah, you’d expect it to work that way, right? But sometimes it doesn’t and just get that “not available” error every time.
Boot to Recovery mode using command option -R and install the latest version.
support.apple.com
If you can't start up from macOS Recovery - Apple Support
Learn what to do if you can't get your Mac to start up from macOS Recovery.
That's why it is best to make a copy of that installer file in another location on your machine.
Which is valid advice for people who at one point had a good copy of the installer file, but it's not really very helpful to OP or this thread.
While not immediately helpful to the op, it is still wise advice. Also, downloading the full installer file, making a copy of it, and then proceeding with the installation gives one much more control over the process versus just doing an update via the Software Update Preference.
Yeah, that's great advice for anyone who has the ability to download the full installer without encountering the error described here. I don't really understand why you are so insistent on mentioning it here though. Can you appreciate how your recommendation might be frustrating to hear? Do you often visit threads where people are experiencing problems just to inform the world that it's not a problem you've ever faced?
Do you recognize that the Software Update Preference pane is the way a person downloads the full installer, and that the App Store technique you recommended does not work the way you think it does in Catalina? You cannot download the installer from the App Store any more, clicking "Get" just redirects the user to System Preferences.
First, why are you getting into a "pissing" contest with me? Secondly, I am not narrow minded, and I do not visit threads just to "bash" folks, not criticize them. I just make constructive, helpful statements. Statements like you are making above are definitely not informative, nor helpful.
That is not true! Read this:
"How to upgrade to Macos Catalina?
You can download and install macOS Catalina from the App Store on your Mac. Open up the App Store in your current version of macOS, then search for macOS Catalina. Click the button to install, and when a window appears, click "Continue" to begin the process."
Via the Software Update Preference Panel, one is downloading an update of the new Mac OS to the prior one. So, when that is downloaded, the installation process begins immediately, and updates the prior "eligible" Mac OS to the new one. If one instead downloads the FULL Installer, that is NOT done through that Preference pane. One does that through the App Store. For the subsequent installation, it is NOT required to have a prior Mac OS on the machine.
I always download the full installer, stop the subsequent installation process, make a copy of that installer file in another location on my machine, and then remove the one that landed in the Applications folder. After doing one final cleanup of my current system (and that new Installation file will be there), I make a SuperDuper! backup. Next, I boot from that SuperDuper! backup, use Disk Utility there to Erase and Format the internal SSD on the respective Mac, navigate to that (copied) Mac OS full installation file, and launch it. That does a full, clean, "virgin" installation of that Mac OS onto the internal SSD. Finally, I am offered the opportunity to migrate/copy needed files, folders, settings, etc. from that just completed backup, and away it goes. When I restart the Mac, I have that new Mac OS, along with all my apps, settings, etc. (I usually have 2 more tasks to do after that completes: install the new, Mac OS specific version of Onyx, and make the TechTool Pro eDrive).
I have actually done all that "kind of" in reverse, where I have done the installation of Catalina on an external SSD, then migrate/copy needed information. When I boot my Mac from that external SSD, I can use it to test out Catalina. That is what I have recently done.
Right now, the full OS 10.1.5.1 installation file is "not available" from the App Store. But no sweat, as I don't need it immediately, especially since I am still testing Catalina on that external SSD (two of my critical apps do not yet have Catalina updates available: SuperDuper!, and TechTool Pro).
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Try it. It simply opens up System Preferences. The end result is that it downloads the full installer when it works, but it's not the App Store that's doing the download. It's System Preferences. And, in the case of OP, System Preferences has a problem that prevents it from downloading the installer.
There's no way to bypass System Preferences (Well, except for the command I pasted above, and probably the recovery mode suggestion that IowaLynn mentioned).
The App Store does not appear to allow a user to download the installer any more. I know it used to work that way in the past with previous macOS versions, but that is definitely no longer the case.
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Catalina is NOT there! But when I visit the App Store and do a search for Catalina, it brings up the screen where I can "Get" Catalina (but it's still V10.15.0), but says the requested update is not available.
I have previously downloaded the FULL Catalina OS 10.15.0 installer file TWICE from the App Store. I'll just wait a little while, especially since I do not need it right away.
But it's System Preferences that says that, right? Not the App Store. The App Store just hands off to System Preferences to do the download. The App Store no longer downloads macOS installers itself.
I don't know what to tell you, it just doesn't work the way you're describing. Here's a screen capture I just took on a brand new Mac Mini running Mojave, you can see for yourself:
Notice that it initially says that the update is not available, but then immediately changes its mind and does find the update. For OP (and on some of my installs) it never gets past the "not available" error which makes the download impossible via System Preferences.
So App Store "MacOS Catalina"
Just tells Software Update to "look"
And "about this Mac" software update does the same.
Which is why I think a download from Recovery using Option + Command + R is worth a shot.
macOS Catalina
macOS Catalina gives you more of everything you love about Mac. Experience three all-new media apps: Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. Locate a missing Mac with the new Find My app. And now coming to Mac, your favorite iPad apps. You can even extend your desktop using iPad as a second...
apps.apple.com
Just tells Software Update to "look"
And "about this Mac" software update does the same.
Which is why I think a download from Recovery using Option + Command + R is worth a shot.
Look at this:
osxdaily.com
Notice the section entitled "Download Links for MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 & Security Updates for Mojave & High Sierra".
Unfortunately, that link entitled "MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 Update" does not seem to be "working" properly, as when I click on it, it shows quite a few updates for Mojave, along with other stuff. But nothing for Catalina. Also, once again when I visit the App Store and put "Catalina" in for the search term, I do get this:
Clicking on "View" gets me this:
But when I click on "Get", it (eventually) says:
I'll just wait a little longer.
MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 Update Download Available Now
Apple has released MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 update for all Mac users who are running MacOS Catalina. 10.15.1 is the first major point release software update to MacOS Catalina after Apple had previou…
osxdaily.com
Notice the section entitled "Download Links for MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 & Security Updates for Mojave & High Sierra".
Unfortunately, that link entitled "MacOS Catalina 10.15.1 Update" does not seem to be "working" properly, as when I click on it, it shows quite a few updates for Mojave, along with other stuff. But nothing for Catalina. Also, once again when I visit the App Store and put "Catalina" in for the search term, I do get this:
Clicking on "View" gets me this:
But when I click on "Get", it (eventually) says:
I'll just wait a little longer.
Sounds like you've been bit by the bug. I don't think waiting will help at all, I've got machines that have been stuck in this state for over a week now. You're in that state where System Preferences can't figure out what to download. You might try the suggestions that I and others have posted up-thread when you decide you want to upgrade.
Generally speaking the Catalina update to 10.15.1 is working fine on several of my machines. The "Update not found" error you're seeing is specific to your machine.
Understand. As I stated, though, I will not be doing an upgrade from OS 10.15 to OS 10.15.1. I will do a full, clean, fresh, "virgin" installation of OS 10.15.1 onto my "test" external SSD.
I guess I could do a restore from my Saturday SuperDuper! backup. That should have a "cleaner" Mojave on it.
Yet, according to this (via the site tidbits.com):
Apple Releases macOS 10.15.1 Catalina, watchOS 6.1, and tvOS 13.2 - TidBITS
Hot on the heels of iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2, Apple has pushed out macOS 10.15.1 Catalina, watchOS 6.1 (with support for the Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2, finally!), and tvOS 13.2. All three offer support for the new AirPods Pro and bring bug fixes.
tidbits.com
and specifically where it says:
"If you’re still running 10.14 Mojave or an earlier version, we stand by our recommendation that you hold off upgrading to Catalina for now. If nothing else, we’d like to see some indication that Apple has addressed issues with Mail (see “Beware Mail Data Loss in Catalina,” 11 October 2019)."
Catalina is STILL not stable enough. I don't use Apple Mail, as I prefer Thunderbird (and it seems to work fine with Catalina), but I suspect a number of folks use it. And with Shirt Pocket software having issues with the third beta for SuperDuper! (plus the extended amount of time it will take Micromat to release a Catalina version of TechTool Pro), definitely is best to wait.
That command does not work. Herevis what I got:
"$ softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer
softwareupdate: unrecognized option `--fetch-full-installer'"
There seems to be an issue with the phrase "--fetch-full-installer". I also tried it as "fetch-full-installer", but got the same error message.
Does that command only work with Catalina? I tried using it on my Mojave-based Mac, and got that error message.
Thank you. I'm quite sure I never had this problem downloading an OS upgrade on my MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch Late 2013 which came with Mavericks and I subsequently upgraded to Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave. I just changed my wireless network to unhidden but that did not help. I then ran Wireless Diagnostics and it made one suggestion: ..."one of the local Wi-Fi networks had the wrong country code...enable Location Services...". I did that and tried the Catalina download again and it worked. Unfortunately the connection stuck on PHY Mode: 802.11n during the entire download and since my plan is 768/128 it took about 16 hours.
Yeah, I assume that is the case. And I certainly appreciate you letting us know about that command. I will test it soon.
Yesterday I spent a good amount of time scouring both of my Mojave-based Macs for issues, but it seems this very recent restriction about preventing the download of the full Catalina installer if one is using a prior OS could be "connected" with the latest Security Update for Mojave. The reason I say that is the other day, I applied that security update to both of my machines, and that seems to be when all this started. Prior to that, I was able to download the full installer for Catalina, V10.15, twice.
However, I found another way to get it, even from my Mojave-based Macs. As I have mentioned before, TechTool Pro has a feature called an "eDrive', which is some what akin to the Recovery HD partition. Setting it up basically permits TechTool Pro to create a small eDrive partition containing the "basics" of the OS one is using, plus just about all the functionality of TechTool Pro. The eDrives on both of my Macs were created (by me, via TechTool Pro) about a month or so ago, and thus do not contain that latest Security Update. Well, yesterday while using the eDrive on my Mac Mini, I "visited" the App Store, and it did let me download the full OS 10.15.1 installer. It downloads it to the Applications folder contained within that eDrive partition, and I subsequently copied it to a flash drive.
Again, I have no firm proof that the latest Security Update for Mojave "caused" this issue, but that seems to be the case.
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Via this:
it looks like there needs to be a percent symbol, %, as the first character in that command.
OK, I am sitting at my computer desk, with both of my Macs running. Yesterday, as mentioned above, by restarting my Mac Mini via the eDrive (created by TechTool Pro), I was able to download the full OS 10.15.1 installer. Well, I have my mid 2017 13" MacBook Air running right now, and again, via the eDrive, I am downloading the full OS 10.15.1 installer.
I will definitely keep that version of the eDrive partition on both machines until I fully "migrate" to Catalina, which will be (most likely) after OS 10.15.2 or OS 10.15.3 is released. Will be interesting to see if the version of the eDrive that will be created by the Mojave-compatible version of TechTool Pro has the same "feature".
I will definitely keep that version of the eDrive partition on both machines until I fully "migrate" to Catalina, which will be (most likely) after OS 10.15.2 or OS 10.15.3 is released. Will be interesting to see if the version of the eDrive that will be created by the Mojave-compatible version of TechTool Pro has the same "feature".
no, the % is the prompt in terminal, it's not typed for commands.Via this:
it looks like there needs to be a percent symbol, %, as the first character in that command.