"The version of macOS on the selected disk needs to be reinstalled."

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Level 1

4 points

"The version of macOS on the selected disk needs to be reinstalled."

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to reinstall macOS on my Mac for over a week now using various methods, but I keep running into the same issue. Here's what I've done so far:

Tried reinstalling macOS through macOS Recovery (Command + R).
Created a bootable USB installer using Terminal and attempted installation from there.
Erased the drive using Disk Utility and created a new "Macintosh HD" volume.

Everything seems to proceed fine during the installation, but after the macOS installer completes and should move on to the setup screen, I’m instead shown a screen titled "Choose Startup Disk".

On that screen, I only see one option: "Macintosh HD" (the disk I created). When I select it and click "Restart", I get the following error message:

"The version of macOS on the selected disk needs to be reinstalled."

I checked Disk Utility and here's what I see:

Under Internal, I see my APPLE SSD.
Under Disk Images, there is "macOS Base System", which shows as 2.53 GB, installed with macOS 15.3.1 and listed as Bootable: YES.
I tried to eject "macOS Base System" but got an error:

"Failed to eject 'macOS Base System' because it is currently in use."

I’m completely stuck at this point and would really appreciate any help or suggestions on how to get past this issue and successfully reinstall macOS.

Thanks in advance!

Note: Macbook M1 Air 2020, OS trying to reinstall: Sequoia 15.4

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Posted on Apr 9, 2025 1:02 PM

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Answer 1

hmfaisals Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 9, 2025 9:53 PM in response to darrieus179

thank you, my issue has been resolved, i tried with an older OS version and it worked successfully.

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Answer 2

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,138 points

Apr 9, 2025 8:54 PM in response to hmfaisals

macOS Base System is the recovery system that is running the interface you are using. That’s why it is in use.

Does it allow you to reinstall macOS after the error?

Can you boot into Recovery on that drive you just installed (I.e., remove the USB installer). From there see if a reinstall works.

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Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

155,360 points

Apr 9, 2025 1:33 PM in response to hmfaisals

I understand your attempts to reinstall macOS repeatedly fail.

You're not doing anything wrong. "Choose Startup Disk" is showing the correct device, selecting it is the correct action, but you should not be getting the error that appears next:

"The version of macOS on the selected disk needs to be reinstalled."

The reason that message keeps reappearing cannot be determined. You could inspect its installation log, but its contents are not likely to be helpful.

If an error occurred while updating or installing macOS - Apple Support describes the applicable steps to follow.

"macOS Base System" is supposed to be present; don't bother with it.

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Answer 4

Apr 9, 2025 1:33 PM in response to hmfaisals

I'd erase the mac (assuming you have your data backed up) and create another bootable installer w/ a LATER version of Sequoia. Hopefully you have another compatible mac or know of someone that can let you fetch an installer real quick. 15.3.2 seems to be working just fine and stable on M1s at least. But you can pull any earlier version of Sequoia you want.

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

Once that's completed, you can attempt to fetch or install 15.4 from within the operating system.

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