1 Time to prepare your Mac for update 10-50 minutes (depending on the data volume of your backup and the way you choose to clean up your Mac) 2 Time to download mac. OS Big Sur 15-60 minutes 3 Time to install mac. OS Big Sur 20-50 minutes.
Another common question is “How long does it take to upgrade to macOS Mojave?”.
If you are already on mac. OS Mojave this upgrade will likely take about 30-45 minutes, but if you are on mac. OS High Sierra, it will be a larger download and take longer. On a 400Mbps down internet connection, I was able to download mac. OS Mojave 10.14.6 in about 20 minutes.
This begs the question “How long does it take to download software on a Mac?”
If your Mac is connected to a fast Wi-Fi network, the download could finish up in less than 10 minutes. If your connection is slower, you’re downloading at peak hours, or if you’re moving to mac. OS Big Sur from older mac. OS software, you’ll probably be looking at a much longer download process.
Here are some ballpark numbers people are reporting for upgrades with real life amounts of data on their macs: i. Mac / Mac Pro + SSD: 8 to 15 minutes i. Mac / Mac Pro + HD: 12 to 20 minutes Portables: 15 to 30 minutes full drives / Air with HD: 30 to 45 minutes.
Another frequent inquiry is “How long does it take to install firmware on an iPhone?”.
That said, we can help you approximate how much time you should set aside should you choose to install the firmware on your device. If you’ve prepared for the move, and you’re on a fast Wi-Fi connection, it could take less than 20 minutes to complete.
How does Mac OS X check for software updates?
Mac OS X keeps a list of all installed packages in /var/log/receipts. When software update is run it checks for updates for every (or perhaps only Apple) package individually by sending a HTTP request with a signature of the package to Apple’s servers and waiting for a reply.