How to disable Big Sur update

Download and run Etrecheck. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

Copy the report

and use the Additional Text button to include the report in your reply.

➡︎ IMPORTANT: ⬇︎ ⬇︎ ⬇︎

Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the Etrecheck's Privacy preference pane so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:

Also click and read the About info to further permit full disk access.

Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine what might be causing the problem.

Sadly not. First I've followed the OSX update while working from Catalina. Just as Apple wants it. Worked fine... no errors during install. I even used the same User name and information as with Catalina. After restart I ran into error messages when I tried to open xlsx, docx or pptx files. And also when I tried to open Word, Excel. Often the second or third time worked. First I thought 'Yep, Microsoft! Well, just reinstall MsOffice and I'll be fine'. But then I noticed other files opening gave error messages too. Like pdf files and even graphical files trying to open Affinity Software apps. I reinstalled office nevertheless. Didn't work. I reinstalled the pdf reader, didn't solve the problem. I selected my data drive and checked the users and permissions from the 'info' file option. Selected myself as owner of all files. Made sure all files were appropriately assigned to ME. I noticed that often the user permissions area in the Info screen was indicating 'searching'. But that never ended. So I added myself as new user and made myself owner for all data. It seemed to work... for some time and then the problem reoccured.

Then I cleaned the whole harddrive and reinstalled Big Sur from scratch and next all the necessary software. Again, the same kind of problems.

Today, I cleaned the Mac again to install Catalina again from scratch on a fresh disk. I finished installing all software about two hours ago. Up until now no problem whatsoever when I open a program or a file. Sadly, I use my Mac as a working machine and don't have the time to look for solutions and try out things. I expect updates to work from the box on new iMacs.

This really seems to be something that occurs in Big Sur. Am I the only one who encountered this issue?

Couldn't find anything on the www. Except that the option to check and repair all permissions on my disks from the disk utility is no longer an option provided by Apple. I'm still wondering if there is another tool to repair all permissions in the Mac.

iMac Retina 5K, 27" 2019. 3.7 ghz, 16gb memory, Intel core i5. Bought in May 2020. So I would assume this machine is capable of running Big Sur without problems.

Reality check: Computer says no!

Nobody forces you to update. You can and SHOULD keep auto-update OFF for everything but the security updates. I sure do.

That will depend on a lot of things. Hardware and software. Apparently your experience is not what most people are seeing.

I suggest you start a new thread and post an Etrecheck report. Most of the time the problem has to do with stuff that is installed and that doesn’t work right in the new system.

FWIW, Big Sur is smooth as silk on my 16” MBP.

Sadly, I have to agree with Imayhew26! And I'm running a brand new iMac about three months old!!!

16gig memory, SSD disk, P5 processor, runs smoothly on Catalina, comes across several errors around rights to open files and programs like MsOffice Mac on Big Sur. I reinstalled Big Sur as a fresh install. Same problems. Often lagging opening files or programs, rights errors from time to time. Today I downgraded towards Catalina. Computer runs smoothly again with no errors. Can't recommend Big Sur at this moment and I'd like to tell Apple: you've done a bad job guys (and girls). I expect more from you when I get a wonderful Mac and you offer a major update OSX.

AlexanderGrunn wrote:

All apps I'm using are the latest version and up to date. This is not an Affinity, Microsoft, PDF Expert, or any other app I'm using problem. It is a Big Sur problem.

Not for me it isn't. I have Big Sur installed on four different Macs from 2013 to 2020.

By that reasoning, you'd expect to be able to upgrade every year, year after year, and have everything always work and never break. Software is not like that.

Software is built with a certain SDK, for a certain version of the OS. The OS evolves. Software that works in one version may not work in another. But APIs are deprecated, new ones are added. At some point, old software no longer works. That's a simple fact of software life.

You can blame the update all you want. A clean Big Sur install works fine. Upgraded systems mostly work, but may not.

I upgraded to Big Sur when it was launched, as a staunch Apple Product user, (I'm on my 4th iPhone and 3rd MacBook, currently a MacBook Pro Touch Bar) I was sure it would be OK. From the beginning it was a disaster, and I spent all day on Sunday reverting back to Catalina.

And even though I had backed up every month (Just a casual user, no business use) the last before I UPGRADED??? I lost about six months of backups to my personal files. Luckily all my photo's were in iCloud. Nothing works as it should, simple tasks that I used to perform with ease are beyond my ability all of a sudden.

My question is now how can I get rid of the annoying RED 1 in system preferences on my toolbar. as I have no intention of Upgrading to Big Sur now or in the near future!

Yes turned off automatic updates, but system préférences still show 1 which is annoying

as to back ups when I tried to launch my separate hard drive as a back up it would not download the last backup which was October 30th 2020 instead it gave me a back up from March 2020, don’t ask me how or why cos I don’t know I’m a 73 year old technophobe who has trouble remembering his own name. 🤣

Does anyone have a way of disabling the "upgrade" (more like a downgrade) to Big Sur in System Preferences?

The pain I went though with the Catalina "upgrade" was appalling. A new 16" Mac forced me to use it, but I struggled for months - it wasn't until 10.15.6 before the intermittent Thunderbolt screen problems were fixed. There's no way I'm going to try Big Sur for some time yet: not least that many of my applications would need (paid for) updates, that I need my machine for *work* and there's nothing of benefit in Big Sur to make the considerable pain and risk worth it.

Your answer is exactly why people hate Apple products and the people who use them, and I'm going to tell you why in the hope that you will change the way you think.

Strike 1

Telling someone that "your experience is not what most people are seeing" is condescending and sends the message that you think the other person is an idiot because they can't get their computer to work. It also shows that you don't understand the very broad variety of uses to which people put their computers.

Strike 2

Your second paragraph is even worse, you say "most of the time the problem has to do with stuff that's installed and doesn't work right in the new system." The problematic part of that statement is that you have the computer-user paradigm completely backward. We don't use macintoshes so we can bask in the genius of the OS and the beauty of the interface. We use Macs because we need to perform a job which requires a certain piece of software. In other words, that "stuff" you are so dismissive of is how we earn our living.

Strike 3

Your final sentence is dismissive. Bragging about your computer's performance is the opposite of useful.

We come to these forums for accurate answers to important questions and if you don't have anything helpful to say please refrain.

[Edited by Moderator]

1 - Not at all. What you're seeing is a very small subset of those who have upgraded to Big Sur. It's like, in pre-Covid19 days, going into the emergency room of your city hospital and using what you see as a general condition of the health of the entire city. (That allegory is no longer valid in these Covid19 times).

2 - with a few exceptions the crap software that users add to their Macs are the prime cause of their problems. We've learned that thru countless topics with that end conclusion.

We're all users like yourself here and are trying to cut thru the frustration and complaining of users to get to the facts so we can start our diagnosis. As Sgt. Friday would say: "just the facts".

AlexanderGrunn wrote:

I selected my data drive and checked the users and permissions from the 'info' file option. Selected myself as owner of all files. Made sure all files were appropriately assigned to ME. I noticed that often the user permissions area in the Info screen was indicating 'searching'. But that never ended. So I added myself as new user and made myself owner for all data. It seemed to work... for some time and then the problem reoccured.

Then I cleaned the whole harddrive and reinstalled Big Sur from scratch and next all the necessary software. Again, the same kind of problems.

Today, I cleaned the Mac again to install Catalina again from scratch on a fresh disk. I finished installing all software about two hours ago. Up until now no problem whatsoever when I open a program or a file. Sadly, I use my Mac as a working machine and don't have the time to look for solutions and try out things. I expect updates to work from the box on new iMacs.

I've read through your posts trying to see clues for what might have happened. I don't think you have done anything wrong, people should be able to install things on their computers (and routinely do updates)!

What you wrote about file permissions makes me wonder if the process you used for "cleaning" (does that mean reformat the entire physical disk) and then bringing over your original user accounts are connected to what went wrong. If that account migration isn't handled properly, the user permissions would not be preserved, even if the user names are the same. It is even possible that something was amiss under Catalina but only becomes visible with the newer OS.

Reformatting a disk and installing a fresh Big Sur should result in a "new" computer like the ones in the Apple Store, which do work. Installing (or migrating over) something not compatible with Big Sur can then cause problems. Hence the usual diagnosis is done by re-installing things one or two at a time and testing to determine if the problem has returned. It's usually worth spending the time on this because otherwise you are stuck on an older system with no way to advance. Even better is to create a single new user with administrative privileges and a different username than any of your old ones, and install software under that ADMIN user. If everything still works, then migrate over user accounts using Migration Assistant (from a backup), migrating only files, not settings or applications. If then things go south it is clearly related to something in the migrated user account.

Others suggested running Etrecheck (with access to the entire system) and posting the output. That way any number of experts which much more experience than you or me can quickly determine if this is a software conflict, just be inspecting the report. If there is no software conflict, or the problems exist before you have installed ANYTHING, it is most likely a hardware problem, which is also something you would want to be aware of.

Another condescending Apple-tude.

The 'crap software' that Big Sur disabled on my MacBook is Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign. I'm fortunate enough to have the CS6 version, which I paid for once. I've been a professional in the design field for over 25 years and I have absolutely not need for a newer version.

This whole 'upgrade' game is what used to be called 'planned obsolescence' and Apple does it in spades.

That is ridiculous! CS6 is old. Adobe has switched to subscription a long time ago.

Now Apple can’t upgrade its OS because it has to keep supporting software that Adobe discontinued years ago?! By that reasoning how about CS4? Or Aldus Pagemaker?