Download macOS combo update via terminal? (curl)

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Download macOS combo update via terminal? (curl)

Is it possible to download the latest macOS combo update w/o a working browser via just the command-line in macOS terminal?

I tried using curl in terminal but it seems to stop at 1GB, like there's a limitation on either Apple's server or with the curl command itself.

I tried using wget put apparently macOS doesn't have wget.

At this point I've gotten around the issue, but I'd still like to know for the future, such as is there's another command I could have used, or a curl parameter I could have used.

iMac 21.5", macOS 10.12

Posted on Jun 10, 2019 9:30 PM

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Answer 1

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John Lockwood

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Jun 11, 2019 7:43 AM in response to rcosta887

As far as I am aware Apple's own software update tool uses curl so one would expect it to cope with large files.

It is possible to install wget but you will need to use homebrew or xcode to build it.

A command line method for installing the latest macOS updates is of course

sudo softwareupdate -i -a

It will only install the combo update if that is needed, if you are only going up one version it will pick the smaller delta update.

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Answer 2

rcosta887 Author

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Jun 11, 2019 3:12 PM in response to John Lockwood

I am aware of the command-line softwareupdate but that is still a great thing to point out for those who might not be aware of it.

In my case it was a matter specifically of wanting the combo update to try and fix some issues (w/o a browser) and not just merely the latest update via the normal software update.

However, I did take your advice and installed homebrew to install wget and that worked great.

wget https://updates.cdn-apple.com/2019/macos/041-57078-20190513-245b1623-e068-4af8-b6d7-472131543232/macOSUpdCombo10.14.5.dmg

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Answer 3

Jun 11, 2019 7:57 AM in response to rcosta887

rcosta887 wrote:

update w/o a working browser..

a limitation on either Apple's server or with the curl command itself.

Not sure why you would need cURL command if you have a functioning browser, or functioning System Preferences> Software Update.

You should always have more than one browser installed on your machine—this is how you reach out to the internet, if one browser stops functioning you want an alternative.

Download size is not the issue here, copy and paste:

curl -o Desktop/Combo10.14.5.dmg -R https://updates.cdn-apple.com/2019/macos/041-57079-20190513-bf91b25d-4d4e-4a0a-8f82-7cc90315dbcc/macOSUpd10.14.5.dmg

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Answer 4

rcosta887 Author

Level 4

3,604 points

Jun 11, 2019 3:11 PM in response to leroydouglas

Definitely good advice for everyone to have more than one browser since some sites simply don't like Safari. I have Firefox, Chrome, and Opera.

In this case was working on a friend's computer, so I made sure to get them set up w/ another browser after we fixed Safari via the combo update.

Thanks Leroy!

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Download macOS combo update via terminal? (curl)

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