Anyone else having trouble with Tahoe updates?

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Anyone else having trouble with Tahoe updates?

Anyone else having trouble with Tahoe updates? Ever since upgrading from Sequoia to Tahoe regular updates 26.1, 26.2 and 26.3 have all failed. No indications why. I close all running apps and apply the update. I watch it download OK. It does all the pr-update steps. Reboots a couple of times and when it is done the update has not been applied.

The only way I have been able to update my Mac Mini M4 is to do a clean reinstall and migrate my data. The OS is on an external drive. However, it was on the same external drive with Sequoia and updates applied fine. I am regretting updating to Tahoe. I don't really use any of the new features and it has only brought headaches.

[Edited by Moderator]

Mac mini, macOS 26.3

Posted on Mar 20, 2026 3:23 AM

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Answer 1

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chri5k Author

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5 points

Mar 20, 2026 1:32 PM in response to chri5k

SOLVED!

Seems like a timing issue with the Beelink Mini Mate A external SSD drive. This external drive doesn't have a power switch so it is not ON when the system first boots. it senses the power on the Thunderbolt port and powers on. I noticed its power light is about 2 seconds behind the Mac Mini power light. It works fine as a boot drive but I suspect the updates see the delay in boot drive being ready as an update error. Normal booting seems to wait or retry the boot disk and Tahoe boots fine during normal operation.

I put the Tahoe SSD into an Acasis external drive. This one powers up with the Thunderbolt port without any noticeable delay. The Tahoe 26.3.1 updated applied correctly the first time with the SSD in this external drive.

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Answer 2

Owl-53

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106,965 points

Mar 20, 2026 7:41 AM in response to chri5k

What can I say

Like Others, I do not even attempt to Create an External Bootable Installation of MacOS since about the time of macOS 11 Big Sur and especially on Apple Silicon Computer

Of which, I currently am running 3 different M-Class computers

If we might inquire ?

Why is this needed on the M4 Mac Mini ?

Did you purchase the Stock / Off the Shelf >> 256 GB / 16 GB Unified RAM

Perhaps my colleague @ Ian R. Brown, who is running Tahoe from External Drive on two machines and offer some insights ?

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Answer 3

chri5k Author

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Mar 20, 2026 6:13 AM in response to Owl-53

Followed all the external boot drive recommendations. Seems to be an issue with Tahoe as Sequoia worked fine on the exact setup. I had Sequoia on the setup for over a year. The problem has started when I upgraded to Tahoe. It would not do an in-place upgrade from Sequoia to Tahoe. I did a fresh Tahoe install and migrated data from Sequoia to Tahoe. Tahoe update 26.1 would not work in-place. I had to do a fresh install. Same with 26.2. Now 26.3 will not do an in-place upgrade. Each time I have tried the update in both regular and safe boot. In Sequoia updates worked fine every time on this setup.

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Answer 4

Owl-53

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106,965 points

Mar 20, 2026 4:40 AM in response to chri5k

According to Apple How to use an external storage device as a Mac startup disk

Based upon the posting @ by Ian R. Brown

It should work

If not, this seems to be a unique issue in your setup and / or method used to set this up

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Answer 5

Owl-53

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Mar 20, 2026 9:10 AM in response to chri5k

User wrote " Yes, 256/16 is the configuration of the machine. I use it for embedded systems firmware and cross-platform software development. "

I see, the Stock and Off the Shelf configuration

I can understand the need for a working External Drive with Tahoe

Well, without further insights from others

Using such a tiny 256 GB SSD Drive will be a challenge for what you what to do " for embedded systems firmware and cross-platform software development. "

Not to be too critical of your chose, " developing embedded system Firmware and cross-platform software development " would require a machine with at least a 1 GB SSD and possibly 32 to 48 GB of Unified RAM

Then, this would avoid the need for the External & Functioning Drive

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Answer 6

chri5k Author

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5 points

Mar 20, 2026 9:58 AM in response to Owl-53

The system worked fine under Sequoia as updates processed normally. Clean firmware compiles run under 10 seconds, cached compiles take about 1 second. Clean compile of Desktop apps takes 2 minutes while cached compiles take 10 - 15 seconds. Memory pressure shown by activity monitor is well in the green zone. No swap is being used. Looks unlikely 32- 48GB of RAM is going to meaningfully decrease those times.

Doesn't really seem like a system choice issue. Perhaps it is a timing issue. Might be Sequoia waited longer / was more tolerant of the SSD becoming ready after an update before deciding the update failed and reverting to the saved state.

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Answer 7

dialabrain

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137,277 points

Mar 20, 2026 4:14 AM in response to chri5k

No problems with any Tahoe updates. Then again, I've never had the OS installed on an external drive with any of my Macs.

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Answer 8

Mar 20, 2026 4:33 AM in response to chri5k

I boot from external drives on my M2 and M4 and have had no problems with Tahoe though I am still on 26.2

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Answer 9

chri5k Author

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Mar 20, 2026 8:36 AM in response to Owl-53

Yes, 256/16 is the configuration of the machine. I use it for embedded systems firmware and cross-platform software development.

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Answer 10

Owl-53

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Mar 20, 2026 9:28 AM in response to Owl-53

My error and should read 1 TB SSD drive

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Answer 11

chri5k Author

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Mar 20, 2026 10:01 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

What brand / model external drives are you using? I have tried 3 different Thunderbolt 4 ones; Acasis, Gigamundo and Beelink. All 3 worked fine with Sequoia.

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