[Update: Aug 09] Latest macOS Big Sur 11.1 update fails to install or complete download? Check out these workarounds

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on January 07, 2021) follows:

Software updates are meant to address existing bugs and bring about new features and performance enhancements. But what if the update process itself is riddled with issues?

Well, that’s exactly what macOS users that are trying to hop onto the Big Sur 11.1 bandwagon have been facing for around a month now.

My late 2013 Macbook Pro has Mac OS 11.0.1 installed. I am getting a system message to update to Big Sur 11.1. I’ve tried updating twice. Both times I briefly see black screen with a message saying the computer restarted due to an error. I still see the Apple logo and progress bar after that. When I log in, I get a prompt to enter the email and password for my cloud account. After that, once I’m fulling logged in, I find a system crash dialog with the option to send the report to Apple.
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The latest version of macOS (for now) was made available to the general public on December 14. And ever since, several users have been struggling to get their Macs updated.

According to complaints, macOS does display a prompt saying that an update to Big Sur 11.1 is available. But carrying forward with the update process leads to some unexpected behavior.

A system crash dialog is displayed soon after the process and the update simply fails to install. This is apparent from the fact that “System preferences” continues to display the macOS version as 11.0.1.

If you are one of the users facing this issue, then worry not, for it has an easy enough workaround.

OK this worked for me:
1) back everything up
2) download full Big sur 11.1 (12gb)
3) disconnect wifi/ethernet once downloaded*
4) restart in safe mode
5) install
6) job done
Apple support didn’t even try this method with me. * if wifi or ethernet is on update will fail.
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This has solved the problem for most users. To boot into safe mode, you need to hold down the Shift key before starting up the device until the login screen shows up.

There are also several reports doing rounds about the Big Sur 11.1 update failing to download completely by getting stuck on “preparing” at the end.

I’m currently running MacOS Big Sur 11.0.1 on a MacBook Pro 16in and I’m trying to update to version 11.1 but I have been stuck on “Preparing macOS Big Sur 11.1 Update…” “About 10 minutes remaining” for a few hours. I have tried restarting my MacBook Pro multiple times but I keep running into the same problem. Please help!!
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In this case, you can simply try downloading and installing the update manually through this App Store link.

Hopefully, the above-mentioned instructions have finally landed you onto Big Sur 11.1. If you are interested in more issues like these along with their resolutions, then be sure to check out our Big Sur issues tracker.

Reports coming in can confirm that the issue still persists even after the latest Big Sur 11.2 update.

macOS Big Sur 11.2 update download failed error. I tried to install the latest macOS update, I didn’t have enough space on my laptop, so I had to make some room. Now my laptop has more than enough memory, but I keep getting this error. I already tried booting up in safe mode, but I keep getting the same error.
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Below is a screenshot of the error message affected users are getting when trying to install macOS Big Sur 11.2 update.

And just like was the case with 11.1, affected users unable to switch to 11.2 can do by getting the new firmware straight from the App Store.

This worked perfectly for me. Try it: Go directly to the App Store and download Big Sur 11.2 from there. On my dock, the App Store icon is a blue square with a white A figure. It took an hour to download. You will be asked to restart the Mac. Wait 1 – 2 hours and it will be done. I watched TV until it was ready. No errors. No warnings.
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According to MacRumors, the latest macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 update has addressed the issue where some users have been unable to download and/or install the new OS.

IST 14:02 pm: New reports now indicate that some users are facing this issue when trying to update their Mac to macOS 11.5

I am trying to Install Big Sur 11.5 on my Mac but it says that I have internet problems. My internet is working. Is anyone experiencing this problem? and how can I fix it?
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One of the suggested workarounds involves opening the terminal and typing in softwareupdate -i -a --force. This should fix the bug, and has been tried with success on both my intel and M1 laptops.

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