Mac Won T Update Apps

Jun 22, 2018  The problem is that whether I click on 'Update All' or just on an individual 'Update' by one of the updates, the App Store simply won't install any updates for me. Thanks for suggesting that net monitoring or antivirus apps might prevent updates. I have AVG AntiVirus running, but even if I temporarily disable it, the updates won't install. Nov 20, 2010  No cracked apps here. IPhone isn't even jailbroken. This is an iTunes issues on my Mac. I was able to update all 11 apps via wifi last night, then they were copied to my mac when I synced this morning. For the people that are experiencing this, how many apps do you have? Wonder if iTunes just 'gave up' on checking all the time. Oct 09, 2019  Update The macOS Version From Terminal. Terminal has a command that checks for all the available updates for macOS and allows you to download and install them on your machine. The command also lets you update Apple apps such as iTunes on your Mac. What it doesn’t do though is to install updates for the third-party apps installed on your machine.

Several users have reported that they are having problems connecting to the Mac App Store. Further, users stated that this problem started after updating their Mac devices. The error message:

“Cannot Connect to the App Store”.

You may also see similar error messages:

Mac Update Won't Install

  • An unknown error has occurred.
  • We could not complete your request.

Please note that if you are having this issue on your iPhone or iPad, please see this article.

This article explains what you can do when your Mac can’t connect to the Apple App Store and won’t download, install, or update apps.

See also: Cannot Send or Receive Messages on Your Mac?

Why can’t my Mac connect to the App Store?

  1. First, let’s make sure that there are no network connectivity issues. Make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet. Check to see if websites load in Safari or in other browsers. If not, you may try the following troubleshooting tips:
    1. Restart your Mac. (Apple menu > Restart).
    2. Restart your router/modem (Unplug the power supply, wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in).
    3. Turn off and on Wi-Fi. (Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar).
    4. Contact your Internet service provider and confirm that there are no outages.
  2. Make sure that Apple Mac App Store servers are up and running. Go to Apple’s System Status website and check. It is possible that the App Store service is having issues with its servers or systems. For instance, currently, it is saying “Mac App Store – Completed Maintenance. 1.7% of users were affected. Customers may have been unable to make purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, or Mac App Store.” As you can see, the Mac App Store was down for some users, and but now it is fixed. If this the case, there is little you can do. Just wait. You’ll know when the service is working again.
  3. Launch iTunes. From the top menu bar, click Account and then Sign out. After signing out, sign back in.
  4. Open the App Store on your Mac and then click Store (top menu bar) and click Sing Out and then sing back in.
  5. If you are using a VPN or proxy to connect to the Internet, disable them to see if that fixes your problem.
  6. Update your Mac. Make sure that your operating system is up to date. If you are running macOS Mojave or later, go to System Preferences > Software Update and then click Check for Updates. If there is an update available, update the software on your Mac by following the on-screen instructions. If you are running an earlier version of the macOS software (e.g., macOS High Sierra, etc) then you will need to open the App Store and click Updates.
  7. On your Mac, make sure that the date and time settings are done correctly. Go to System Preferences > Date & Time to check this. You may also want to check the box for “Set date and time automatically”.
  8. Restart your Mac in Safe Mode. You can restart your Mac by pressing and holding the Shift key as your Mac starts up (turn off your Mac then turn on and immediately press and hold the Shift key). Try the App Store in Safe Mode and then restart your Mac normally (this time, do not press the Shift key).
  9. On your Mac, complete the following steps:
    1. open the Keychain Access app (Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access).
    2. Click “System Roots”.
    3. Double Click “DigiCert High Assurance EV root CA”.
    4. Click “Trust” to expand it.
    5. Change “When using this certificate” from “Use System Defaults” to “Never Trust”.
    6. Now restart your Mac.
    7. And, when your Mac is on, follow the same steps to change “When using this certificate” back to “Use System Defaults”.
  10. On your Mac, follow these steps:
    1. Open Finder.
    2. From the top menu, click Go > Go to Folder and enter the following:
    3. /var/db/crls/
    4. Click Go.
    5. Delete these files: “crlcache.db” and “ocspcache.db”. You may have to enter your admin password.
    6. And then restart your Mac.

If everything above fails and the issue persists, you could contact Apple.

See also: This Item Is Temporarily Unavailable. Please Try Again Later

When macOS Mojave was announced, Apple warned that it would be the last version of macOS that would support older 32-bit apps. Apple has been phasing out 32-bit apps for the last 10 years and is now ready to take the final step, even if Mac users may not be ready to lose access to older apps.


With the release of macOS Catalina, 32-bit app support is no longer available, which means many of your older apps will no longer work if they haven't been updated to 64-bit.

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32-bit vs. 64-bit

32-bit apps date back to a time when there were 32-bit processors and 32-bit operating systems, but are now outdated. Apple has long since transitioned to 64-bit processors and macOS has been 64-bit since the launch of Snow Leopard in 2009.

Compared to 32-bit apps, 64-bit apps can take advantage of more memory and offer faster system performance. Apple technologies like Metal only work with 64-bit apps, and for Apple to ensure that Mac apps include all of the latest advancements and optimizations, support for 32-bit needs to end. In the simplest terms, 32-bit apps are inefficient.

32-bit apps can run on a 64-bit system as they've been doing for years, but Apple wants to get rid of outdated apps to make sure everything that runs on the Mac is properly optimized and isn't an unnecessary drain on system resources.

My Mac Won't Update Apps

Previous Warnings

Apple started warning Mac users about plans to end support for 32-bit apps back with macOS High Sierra. In High Sierra, users started getting warnings about a 32-bit app's future incompatibility with macOS.


A similar message was available in macOS Mojave, and if you opened up a 32-bit app while running Mojave, you saw an alert letting you know a specific app wouldn't work with future versions of macOS unless it was updated.

Alerts re-appeared every 30 days when launching an app, with Apple aiming to make sure customers would not be caught unaware when a 32-bit app stopped working in the future, so you should already know if one of your frequently used apps hasn't been upgraded to 64-bit.

Upon updating to ‌macOS Catalina‌, you'll be shown a list of 32-bit apps that no longer work on your system.

How to Check if an App is 32-Bit or 64-Bit in macOS Mojave

To determine whether an app is 64-bit or 32-bit and to see if there are 32-bit apps installed on your machine before upgrading to ‌macOS Catalina‌, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Apple symbol () in the menu bar on your Mac's desktop.
  2. Click on About This Mac.
  3. Choose 'System Report' at the bottom of the window.
  4. Scroll down to the Software list on the sidebar.
  5. Select Legacy Software.'

Anything in the list of Legacy Software applications is a 32-bit app and will not work when upgrading to ‌macOS Catalina‌.

If Legacy Software isn't an option in the sidebar, select the Applications option and then check the list of apps at the right. The column that's labeled 64-bit will show a 'No' listing for apps that are 32-bit.

How to Prepare to Update to ‌macOS Catalina‌

The first step is to make sure there aren't already available updates for apps that you have on your system, which you can generally do by updating through the Mac App Store for ‌Mac App Store‌ apps.

Apps outside of the ‌Mac App Store‌ use other update methods that can vary by app, but for many, you can click on the app's name in the menu bar and choose the 'Check for Updates' option. Some other apps have more hidden update methods, so if you do have a 32-bit app, make sure to Google how to update it to be sure there's not already new software available.

After ensuring you've updated everything you're able to update, you can contact developers and ask them to update their apps, but if that doesn't pan out, the only other solution is to start the search for an alternative app if you're committed to upgrading to ‌macOS Catalina‌ or have already done so.

32-Bit App Warnings When Installing Catalina

When upgrading to ‌macOS Catalina‌, the installer will show a list of recently used apps that are 32-bit so you know what to expect before installing.


After viewing this list, you can choose to either cancel or continue with the installation.

‌macOS Catalina‌ also shows a stop symbol over the icon of 32-bit apps in the Finder, so you know that the app isn't going to open.

Update

Aperture

With the release of ‌macOS Catalina‌, Aperture is going to stop working. Apple warned Aperture users in April 2019 that the software won't run in future versions of macOS, starting with ‌macOS Catalina‌.

If you're an Aperture user, you'll have to transition to alternate photo editing and management software, such as Adobe's Lightroom. Aperture is not 32-bit, but Apple is phasing it out all the same.

Affected Media Formats

Mac Won't Let Me Update Apps

Certain media files that use older formats and codecs are also not compatible with macOS after macOS Mojave due to the 64-bit transition, and you will need to convert some iMovie and Final Cut Pro X libraries. Incompatible media files were created using codecs that rely on QuickTime 7, and while macOS Mojave has QuickTime 7 frameworks, future versions of macOS will not.

Apple has a full list of media formats that are going to be affected by the transition available in a support document.

Continuing to Use 32-Bit Apps

In macOS Mojave and earlier versions of macOS like High Sierra, you can continue to use your 32-bit apps. If you have a 32-bit app that you absolutely depend on, you're going to want to think twice before upgrading to ‌macOS Catalina‌.

Mac Won't Download Update

Guide Feedback

Mac Won't Update Apps

Have questions about the end of support for 32-bit apps or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.