MacOS Catalina Update Times Out

I get a message saying "The Request Timed Out; an error occurred while installing the update". I'm installing this over WiFi. Help, please.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Oct 7, 2019 2:42 PM

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Posted on Oct 10, 2019 12:39 PM

So what I found out that works for me is going to the App Store on your Mac, then look up "Catalina" or look at the Updates section and download it from there instead of System Preferences>Software updates.

36 replies

Oct 26, 2019 6:00 PM in response to Artotture

I had the same issue. The install from System Preferences>Software Update kept timing out and the install from the App Store said it could not find the update. I was able to install it using the first option in step 2 of this link: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/reinstall-macos-mchlp1599/mac

  • Reinstall your computer’s original version of macOS from the internet: Press and hold Shift-Option-Command-R until a spinning globe appears, then release the keys.
  • This option reinstalls the most recent version of macOS that came with your computer, including any available updates to that version.

It took about 2 hours and seemed to hang when it had 2 minutes left, I let it keep running and it took about 30 minutes after it got to the 2 minutes left mark, but it did eventually install.


Feb 13, 2020 9:25 AM in response to тамирfromulaanbaatar

I've attempted updating weekly for months on end, and would always hit this issue. The download would start at around half a GB, consistently work its way up to about 4 or so GB, and then time out.


I resolved it by bring my laptop to my work office, which has faster internet than my home, and the download went to completion on my first try. Not a very satisfying resolution, but if your SOCKS proxy was already unticked like me, and booting in Safe Mode doesn't help, I'd honestly recommend finding a location with a reliably solid internet connection.


For completeness, I have a 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. And also to save you the afternoon I ended up wasting, Apple Support's Downloads page does not have the Mojave -> Catalina upgrade we want; it only has Catalina patches.

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MacOS Catalina Update Times Out

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