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User profile for user: Donald_Grahame
Donald_Grahame Author
User level: Level 1
21 points

Where does Software Update save download files?

Neither of the answers already given to this question marked as "Solved" in the Apple Community here are not true for the download of MacOS Big Sur I'm doing to create an installation USB on a Mac that is currently running Big Sur.


The first answer given is the Library - Updates folder, and that is wrong, and the other more general one of doing a sudo search of the file name of the download using the Terminal does not work either, as since I used the App store Software interface combined with the particular URL of Big Sur (macappstores://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-big-sur/id1526878132?mt=12) to download Big Sur (otherwise it forces you to currently download the latest version of MacOS, currently Monterey) , I have no idea what the operating system and the App store named the file.

Posted on Jun 9, 2022 8:31 AM

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User profile for user: PRP_53
PRP_53
User level: Level 10
84,751 points

Posted on Jun 9, 2022 8:44 AM

In all the Big Sur and Monterey Updates and/ or UpGrades I have done.


Would use the Terminal Command to download the Full Version of Big Sur or Monterey.


It would place a new application in the Applications Folder called " Install Big Sur " or " Install Monterey "


Then would Create a Bootable Installer and use that to update or upgrade


Before Updating or Upgrading would make a copy of the " Installer " on External Drive for future usage.


Then would Drag and Drop the Installer from Applications folders to Trash and Empty Tash



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User profile for user: PRP_53
PRP_53
User level: Level 10
84,751 points

Jun 9, 2022 8:44 AM in response to Donald_Grahame

In all the Big Sur and Monterey Updates and/ or UpGrades I have done.


Would use the Terminal Command to download the Full Version of Big Sur or Monterey.


It would place a new application in the Applications Folder called " Install Big Sur " or " Install Monterey "


Then would Create a Bootable Installer and use that to update or upgrade


Before Updating or Upgrading would make a copy of the " Installer " on External Drive for future usage.


Then would Drag and Drop the Installer from Applications folders to Trash and Empty Tash



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User profile for user: Donald_Grahame
Donald_Grahame Author
User level: Level 1
21 points

Jun 9, 2022 1:06 PM in response to PRP_53

Yes, after I rebooted it appeared there, but only after rebooting.


Maybe what confused the system (and me) was that I'd already downloaded Monterey on this machine, and it was sitting in the Apps folder already ie the Install Monterey "app" was already there (all alone, even after finishing download Big Sur). Upon reboot, Monterey has disappeared completely, and now it just has Big Sur.

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Where does Software Update save download files?

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