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Typically, updating macOS doesn't delete your data or erase your disk. So, does updating macOS erase everything? The answer is no.
Everything You Need to Know About macOS Updates
What comes to mind when you think about macOS updates? How much do you know about them? This article could be the most comprehensive guide about macOS updates on the web...
How do I update macOS?
Once you've enabled automatic update notifications on your Mac, it will alert you whenever Apple releases a new version of macOS, whether it's a major or a minor update. You can choose one of two ways to install the latest macOS version by going to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update.
Tip: You can also get macOS updates from the App Store.
- Update now
"Update Now" refers to an update within the same major system version, such as from Monterey 12.1 to Monterey 12.2.
- Upgrade Now
An “immediate update” is one between versions, such as from Catalina to Big Sur, or from Big Sur to Monterey.
While it's downloading, Safari, Messages, Music, Photos, FaceTime, and Calendar also update to their latest versions. The total time from download to installation on your MacBook can take from 35 minutes to a few hours, depending on the condition and performance of your Mac's disk.
While it is a good practice to update your personal data regularly, it is your responsibility to create backups before any update! Never trust a machine to protect your data. Trust yourself.
Data Loss Due to macOS Update
This is why we strongly advise users to back up their important files on a Mac using Time Machine or a reliable third-party Mac backup software. As mentioned above, upgrading to the next major version of macOS should not affect your user data. However, in very rare instances, the update installation process may fail and damage your hard drive. As a result, you might lose access to your data.
Approximately 27% of Mac users experience unexpected data loss when updating macOS, and in over 90% of those cases, the reason is insufficient free space on the internal hard drive.
The remaining 10% of data loss cases are due to various errors that lead to an interrupted or failed macOS update. In a nutshell, the above instances are related to the negative answer to “Does updating macOS delete everything?”
- Lack of available space on your Mac's hard drive
- An incomplete installation of macOS
- Very slow download speeds for updates on your Mac
How to Recover Lost Data After Upgrading to macOS Monterey
If you have successfully upgraded to the new macOS version, congratulations but remember to backup before the next update. Assuming you are one of the unfortunate few where the update didn't go through, make sure to secure your lost data and prevent any new data from being written to avoid overwriting the lost data.
Next, download the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. It's designed for users who need to recover deleted files, format a hard drive, or retrieve data from an unbootable Mac.
With just 3 steps, you can recover all types of files on macOS Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, and earlier.
Note: You can create a backup by first clicking on "Disk Backup" on the left. This allows you to recover data from the backup image when the disk is damaged or data on the disk is accidentally deleted or lost.
Step 1: Choose a location
Select the disk from which you lost data after upgrading to macOS Sonoma/Ventura/Monterey/Big Sur, and then click “Search Lost Files.”
Step 2: Look for the lost data after the scan.
“Data Recovery Wizard for Mac” will scan the disk volume you select immediately, and display the results in the left pane. You can search for the needed data on your Mac by file type and file path.
Step 3: Restore Data After macOS Update
Select the target files that were accidentally lost during or after the update, and click the “Recover” button to get them all back.
