Edit article how to check for and install updates on a mac computer. in this article: updating app store apps and system software enabling automatic updates updating apps installed without the app store upgrading to a newer os x version installing updates in legacy os x versions community q&a software updates keep your computer and programs secure, fix errors, and provide new features.. Before you perform any big update to your mac - and especially if you are installing a beta - you should back up your mac and do some other housekeeping tasks which we will address below.. A short video on how to do a software update on a mac..
Finally, if you downloaded an application from the mac app store, simply open the mac app store, click the "updates" tab, and install any available updates. those are the basics of updating software.. Updating apple's software on your mac is an important maintenance task that you should perform regularly. using the latest versions of mac os x and apple's applications can protect your mac against malicious attacks, improve sluggish system performance, and fix bugs that can cause applications to randomly crash.. If you are running any version of os x snow leopard that is older than the 10.6.8 update, you will need to update to the latest version before you can download os x yosemite..
