The update volume could not be mounted for the target.

Do you see any "Errors" listed in the First Aid report or just the "Warnings"? Apple isn't clear on these things, but unfixed "Warnings" would imply no functional impact, while unfixed "Errors" will cause problems. I personally don't like seeing "Warnings" especially when it is not clear whether they are a potential problem.

Try running First Aid while booted into Recovery Mode. Make sure to run First Aid on the hidden Container. Within Disk Utility you may need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the hidden Container appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. If First Aid cannot repair "Errors" from Recovery Mode, then you will need to erase the whole physical SSD (Intel only) before reinstalling macOS & restoring from a backup.

If you still get the unable to mount error afterwards when attempting to install macOS, then you will most likely need to perform a clean install as if you had unfixed "errors" instead of just "warnings" with the First Aid scan.

It is unfortunate Apple is so terrible with their error messages within macOS. Of the two errors reported by the installer/updater, I believe the mounting issue is the main cause of the failure as it is trying to prepare the "Update" volume.

Sounds like you've got a disk fault. Either corrupted filesystem on the disk or potentially a hardware fault. Also judging from some of your comments, I would recommend you start out as clean as possible.

Make sure you have a backup of your data



1. Boot the Intel w/T2 Mac into Internet Recovery Mode
2. ⌥ + ⌘ + R held while powering on: Start up from macOS Recovery over the internet. Use this key combination to reinstall macOS and upgrade to the latest version of macOS that’s compatible with your Mac.
3. Connect to Internet Wi-Fi make sure the Mac is plugged into power
4. Click on the Utilities menu and Disk Utility. Click the View menu and Show All Devices. Highlight the Apple SSD internal disk and click Erase. Select APFS for the filesystem and name it "Macintosh HD".
5. Install macOS Ventura 13.3.1
6. Check for updates and install the Rapid Response 13.3.1(a) update
7. Restore your data during installation via the prompt to Restore from Time Machine or run /Applications/Utilities/Migration Assistant after the installation is completed.

Problem Solved. I googled "OS 13.3.1 download". This took me to apple website. It further asked me to open in App store (picture attached). I closed all other windows including Setting window on the mac before hitting the Open App store button. In the app store I clicked on Get and the download begins in the software update section in the setting.

If your symptoms are the same as the original author. Then there is some form of disk error on the internal SSD. In order to potentially repair it, you'll need to boot from a USB flash drive with the Ventura installer on it. This way the internal disk is not all in use. In order to do that on Intel w/T2 Security Chip you need to first boot into Recovery Mode unlock the disk then go to Utilities and Secure Startup option then change it to allow booting from USB. Then you hold Option while booting, select the flash drive and go to Utilities and Disk Utility. Click View -> Show All Devices. Run first aid on each volume, the container and the top level drive itself. If after several first aid runs you continue to have errors. Then that means that APFS fsck cannot fix it. At this point you can try a 3rd party disk repair utility or you can merely, erase the internal SSD completely and re-install Ventura. If you continue to see disk errors, then your hardware is faulty and requires repair via Apple or an authorized repair center.

Also, the comment about too much flicker in Recovery Mode? If your screen is flickering in recovery mode you likely have a hardware fault that will need to be fixed.

In order for Disk Utility to be able to repair a volume you must be booted into a separate volume. Therefore. boot into the Recovery volume (boot with the Command + R keys held down  - Intel Macs) or  (How to Boot an M1 Mac into Recovery Mode), select Disk Utility and run First Aid on all available volumes.

Adeldvedar wrote:

I have the exact same problem, ran first aid in safemode and in recovery mode for all containers, volumes and disks, tried to install ventura again from AppStore it shows the same error in the screenshot, tried every tip mentioned in the community, what are we missing on

That is because the OS has nothing to do with a file system issue. If First Aid is unable to fix the file system, then the only way to resolve the issue is by erasing the drive followed by reinstalling macOS & restoring from backup. Keep in mind erasing the SSD destroys all data on the SSD.

FYI, "Warnings" can probably be ignored unless you are having problems. "Errors" which are not repaired on the other hand do need to be taken care of since unfixed errors do cause problems.

Most issues with a Mac will usually either involve a hardware issue or an issue with some third party software. You may want to start your own thread detailing the other issues with your Mac.

Can you try running First Aid while in Safe Mode to see if that will work better?

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

I have the exact same problem, ran first aid in safemode and in recovery mode for all containers, volumes and disks, tried to install ventura again from AppStore it shows the same error in the screenshot, tried every tip mentioned in the community, what are we missing on

already did that but with no success

Downloading Ventura is not the problem. Problem takes place when we have to select the hard drive to run the installation.

Any update anyone?