Article URL: http://www.bc.edu/helpdocs/SEC-macupdates001.shtml

Summary:  Periodically, Apple releases free updates to your computer's software. These updates provide additional security or are patches to solve security vulnerabilities or performance issues. You can check for updates manually or set your computer to check for updates periodically.

To check for updates manually:

1. Log in to your computer using an account with Administrator privileges. Faculty and staff using a BC owned computer should sign in with their BC username and password. Students and others using a personally owned computer should sign in with the Administrator account (the account that came installed on your computer at the time of purchase).
2. Close all open applications.
3. Make sure you are connected to the Internet.
4. Choose Apple menu > Software Update.
   The Software Update window opens, listing any available updates (refer to Figure 1).
   
   Figure 1.
   
   
5. Click the checkbox to select the items you want to install, then click Install.
   When the updates complete, Software Update checks for updates again. It does this because some updates require that you have installed previous updates.
6. Restart your computer.

Setting your computer to check for software updates periodically

Periodically, Apple releases free updates to your computer's software. Using Software Update preferences, you can check for updates manually or schedule when your computer checks for updates.

To schedule your computer to check for software updates:

1. Log in to your computer using an account with Administrator privileges. Faculty and staff using a BC owned computer should sign in with their BC username and password. Students and others using a personally owned computer should sign in with the Administrator account (the account that came installed on your computer at the time of purchase).
2. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
3. Click Software Update:
4. Do the following on the Software Update window (refer to Figure 2):
   • Select Check for updates.
   • Choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly from the pop-up menu.
   • If you want your computer to download important updates without asking, select Download important updates in the background. When the update finishes downloading, you will be notified that it is ready to be installed.
     
     Figure 2.
     
5. When your computer detects that an update is available, you can choose to download and install the update or ignore it.