Unable to install macOS Sequoia update 15.4 on my MacBook Pro

Many users with M1-based Macs are experiencing serious issues when trying to install or upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.4. These include kernel panics, repeated reboots, “unable to downgrade” errors, and the message: “The version of macOS on the selected disk needs to be reinstalled.” This happens both with standard upgrades and clean installs. It appears to be a software bug introduced in macOS Sequoia 15.4, likely affecting Apple Silicon (M1/M2) systems due to low-level driver changes (e.g., AppleT8020DART).

Here is a working solution:

• Download the earlier version of macOS Sequoia 15.2 on another Mac.
• Open Terminal and run:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.2

• Create a bootable USB installer.
• Plug in a USB drive (at least 16 GB), open Disk Utility, and erase it using:
  • Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
  • Scheme: GUID Partition Map
  • Name: MyInstaller
• Then run in Terminal:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyInstaller

• Boot your M1/M2 Mac from the USB installer.
  • Shut down the Mac.
  • Press and hold the Power button until “Loading startup options” appears.
  • Select the USB installer and click Continue.
• Erase the internal disk. This step is critical:
  • In the macOS Utilities screen, open Disk Utility.
  • Click “View” and choose “Show All Devices.”
  • Select the top-level internal disk (e.g., “APPLE SSD”).
  • Click Erase, and follow the prompts.
  • On newer Macs, you’ll see a simplified prompt saying that all data on Macintosh HD will be erased and the Mac will restart.
  • Confirm and proceed.
  • Do not attempt to erase “macOS Base System” or any “macOS disk image” — these are part of the USB installer and should remain.

Important: This will permanently erase all user data on the Mac, including files, applications, and settings.

• Reinstall macOS Sequoia: After the Mac reboots, it will return to the macOS installer. Proceed with installing macOS Sequoia onto the newly erased disk.
• Once installed, your Mac should boot normally into Sequoia 15.2 without the issues seen in 15.4. Avoid upgrading to 15.4 until Apple releases a fix.
• If you already attempted to install 15.4 and are now stuck, you must erase the disk as described above. Simply trying to install an older version like 15.2 over a failed 15.4 install will usually result in errors such as “unable to downgrade."

Additional note:

Recovery Mode requires an internet connection to fully function. When entering a Wi-Fi password, your keyboard may default to a QWERTY layout, even if your usual layout is different. Changing the layout from the top-right language selector may not work, so you should type your Wi-Fi password as if using a QWERTY keyboard.

Just updated to 15.4.1 and it worked!

If 15.4 didn’t work for you, give this one a try.

That's great to hear! 😄

There will be many folk who have been posting and reading in this thread who will be very pleased!

You might want to try clearing out any leftover update files and resetting the software update settings, those steps can sometimes fix weird issues where macOS updates fail without a clear error. There's a guide that walks through those and a few other things worth checking: Fix macOS Sequoia Not Installing on Your Mac

Wow! It did help to solve my issue. Mac started to download 6,17 GB update, during installation it restarted 5-7 times and now I'm on macOs 15.4!

The only thing I needed to change is the terminal command to download eaxctly 15.4 version:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.4

But I needed to wait till the download completes, go to Applications folder and launch the installer manually.

I think I could have just adjusted your command to

sudo softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer-version 15.4 -a --launch-installer -R

Do not Update to 15.4 - this will fail for ever regardless what method you choose. Update specifically to 15.4.1, which was an "emergency"-update to fix this problem on M1 MacBook Pros. Or go to 15.5 anyway, which is the most recent version - no trouble there.

Good luck!

A possible solution for those who have encountered a problem similar to mine.

I was unable to install a clean 15.4 system from a bootable USB stick. After installation, the computer asked to reinstall the system again.

I had to install macos Sonoma (14.7.5). From sonoma, I also could not install the sequoia version 15.4.

I also tried to download version 15.2 and install it - the result is also unsuccessful.

The solution that worked for me:

1. Boot into safe mode - this may not be necessary, but it is not at all difficult.

2. Download the full installation version 15.3.2:

sudo softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.3.2

3. Install it. I was able to install it by running the installer from Sonoma and via a bootable USB flash drive.

I will not install the 15.4 update for now. I have spent a lot of time, I do not want to anymore. I will wait until the company fixes the problems.

Try this. I was in the same situation with my M1 Pro and I was able to restore it from a Mac Mini M2. Mini I was able to upgrade it to 15.4. Now all good with M1 Pro. It has 15.4 and works perfectly.

How to revive or restore Mac firmware - Apple Support

So I was able to perform the DFU restore of the M1 from my new M4 running 15.4. Followed the Apple instructions and it did the whole thing in about 20 minutes. Thanks all.

I was having the same problem, but Apple has released MacOS Sequoia 15.4.1 and it installed perfectly on my M1 MacBook Pro. It worked for me, maybe it'll work for you too. Hope that helps.

How much free space on your system drive?

I've experienced the same error yesterday and I've tried the command this morning. Here's the result

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.4

Scanning for 15.4 installer
Install failed with error: An error occurred while running scripts from the package “InstallAssistant.pkg”.
Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=112 "An error occurred while running scripts from the package “InstallAssistant.pkg”." UserInfo={SUErrorUpdateTitle=macOS Sequoia, NSURL=file:///Library/Updates/082-16524/InstallAssistant.pkg, PKInstallPackageIdentifier=com.apple.pkg.InstallAssistant.macOSSequoia, NSLocalizedDescription=An error occurred while running scripts from the package “InstallAssistant.pkg”., SUErrorRelatedCode=SUErrorCodeInstallFailure, NSFilePath=./postinstall.sh, SUErrorUpdateProductKey=082-16524}

This morning, I contacted Apple Support to continue troubleshooting after backing up my important documents. I explained the steps I had taken and shared insights I found online from the apple forum. They informed me that I would need access to another Sequoia Mac in order to attempt further recovery methods. Unfortunately, my only remaining option would be to wipe and reinstall, although they cautioned that this might not resolve the issue, as the M-series chips don’t allow downgrades.

As an alternative, they recommended scheduling a Genius Bar appointment, where they would have the necessary tools to explore additional recovery options before resorting to a clean install. I’m heading in this afternoon to see if any progress can be made before taking that final step.

Yes, Apple just release 15.4.1 and it worked. I just test it on my MacBook and it worked.

Update successfully completed.

Just updated to 15.4.1 and it worked!

If 15.4 didn’t work for you, give this one a try.

15.4.1 Fixed this issue for me. Good luck everyone!