How to Fix the Available Software Updates Have Changed Error on Mac?

macos tips
1

I opened the System Settings on my MacBook Air and attempted to update macOS via Software Update, but it popped up an error saying “The available software updates have changed. Try again or contact Apple support for assistance.” I want to know why this error shows up, what it means, and how can I fix it to update macOS.

2

The full error message should be “The available software updates have changed. Try again or contact Apple support for assistance. An error occurred while downloading the selected updates. Please check your internet connection and try again.” The possible reason could be:

  • Update interference: This problem can occur when Apple releases updates and removes previous updates from your system, or when a previous software update’s cache persists in the Software Update preference panel.
  • Problem with the internet: An unreliable internet connection may cause a breakdown in the communication between your Mac and Apple’s update servers.
  • Incomplete downloads: This data may become tainted and result in an error if network issues or other circumstances prevent an update from downloading completely.
3

This error message can occur for several reasons, but it seems to happen most frequently when you haven’t installed a software update available for your Mac. However, the previous software update’s cache is still there leading to a conflict. To get rid of the error message, you can update the macOS Software Update again:

  1. Quit/force quit the Software Update process.
  2. Tap the  Apple menu in the top left corner of the Mac, and select choose System Settings/System Preferences.
  3. Select General from the list of settings, then choose Software Update on macOS Ventura and later, or choose Software Update in the System Preferences pane on macOS Monterey and earlier.
  4. Wait for it to automatically search for available updates, then click Update Now/Restart to begin to install macOS.
4

Just as the error message says, there could be an internet connection issue causing the failure to download the selected updates, hence, you should first check and troubleshoot network issue on Mac.

Besides, you can apply the following solutions to fix the " The available software updates have changed" error on Mac: