How to Check for System Updates in Mac OS X

Apple often releases updates, both major and minor, for their Mac OS X operating system. These updates are always worth downloading as they can add new features to your computer as well as fix any problems that have cropped up with various programs and even with the operating system itself. If you want to check to make sure you have your computer as up-to-date as it can possibly be, you can do so by following just a few basic steps. So long as your computer has an active Internet connection you can check for updates on Mac OS X in just a couple of seconds.

Step 1

Click on the “Apple” menu at the top of your Mac OS X desktop. This will open a drop down menu of different options for you to choose from.

Step 2

Choose the “System Preferences” option. This will open a new window on your computer.

Step 3

Click the “View” tab at the top of the window. This will reveal an additional screen filled with options for you to select. One of these options will be labeled “Software Update.”

Step 4

Click once on “Software Update.” Next, click the “Update Now” button. This will tell your computer to check to see if any updates are available for any of the compatible programs on your machine, as well as for Mac OS X itself. If no updates are found a message will appear specifying this in the main window. If updates are found they will be itemized and presented to you at this time.

Step 5

Check the box next to the listing for any software update you want to download and install. Clicking on the name of an update will also tell you more about what that particular update was designed to do. Do this whenever you have any questions, or if you just aren’t sure if a particular update is worth downloading. When you’re finished, click the “Install” button in the lower-right corner of the window.

Step 6

Enter your computer’s username and password. This will allow the program to download and install any available updates. If you are prompted to do so, reboot your computer once the updates are complete to finish the installation process. If you are not prompted to do so, you can continue to use your computer normally.