macOS Sequoia. An error occurred preparing the update. Failed to personalize the software update. Please try again.

I FOUND THE FIX!

For me the solution was simply to turn off "Find My Mac" and then the update should download and install (didn't even need to restart). When it's updated just sign back in.

zo_hayk wrote:

Are you kidding me?

Sorry, but I can read too, I can see what is written there!

I have several MacBooks, why can I install it on one and not on the other?

Clearly this is not an internet problem!

Kidding - NO

zo_hayk wrote:

As I wrote above, I will also write here that I tried everything.

I did everything according to the documentation.

If an error occurred while updating or installing macOS - Apple Support (CA)

And having exhausted all the options ?

Install after erasing your Mac

If no other solutions work, erase your Mac, then reinstall macOS or restore from a backup.

• How to erase a Mac with Apple silicon
• How to erase an Intel-based Mac

If the issue persists or you need help, please contact Apple Support.

If no other solutions work, erase your Mac, then reinstall macOS

• How to erase a Mac with Apple silicon

Or worst case How to revive or restore Mac firmware

If going the second route, suggest reading it Top to Bottom and everything in between

Some actions will not Remove your personal Data while Other Actions Will remove all your personal Data

Thank you guys, fiddling with "Find My Mac" worked for us, too – who knows why ...

But, I just found an email from Apple, responding to my Beta Feedback submission, saying changes had been made.

So maybe Apple fixed it ...

During the Installation Process, an Active and Reliable Internet Connection is Required

Check your internet connection

Even if you're not installing macOS from the internet, the installer needs the internet to get firmware and other information specific to your Mac. Make sure that your Mac has a working and stable internet connection.

You need to call Apple. Nobody here would have any knowledge how to fix that problem and it appears to be a server issue. They may be overwhelmed.

If you have already installed it, use that Mac to download a full installer and try copying that to the Applications folder of the Mac you want to upgrade. You could also try with a bootable USB installer.

Have the computer evaluated by the Professionals who have the Special Hardware Software and Expertise to diagnose the issue and offer possible solutions

Make an Appointment at the Apple Genius Bar or call 1 800 MyApple and have them evaluate the computer

Other location Call Centres 

 Contact Apple for support and service

Good luck 🇨🇦

And you would be wrong.

1. Turn off find my mac in icloud settings
2. Install the update

Hi, I'd just like to add a datapoint here. I'm on a MacBook Pro M1 Max attempting the update and I received both of these exact errors. I found that disabling Find My Mac was the recommended action as in this thread, however this didn't make a difference for me.

What did work was attempting the update again but from a fresh user account. If you understand what I mean by this then you don't need to read any further.

Anyone unsure by what I mean by that, here's a walkthrough.

So while leaving Find My Mac disabled, not sure if it's necessary but can't hurt as long as one remembers to re enable it after all is done:

• create a new empty Administrator account via System Settings > Users and Groups. As I was only going to have this account around for this task, I didn't add a password, but you can and maybe should especially if you don't plan to delete the account straight away afterr
• log out of your usual user account entirely
• log in with the new account, clicking through as minimally on the OOB setup screens as possible (not logging in to iCloud or anything like that)
• initiate the software update via System Settings > General > Software Update
• The update restarts once or twice and is done!
• Re-enable Find My Mac if you disabled it at any point for troubleshooting
• Remember to log out of the new account and back in with your original account and delete the new account (from Settings > Users and Groups) unless you've added a secure password and/or security is not a major concern. Some people may want to keep the clean user account around for troubleshooting purposes in the future so they don't have to go through the setup steps again in the event that it's necessary again.

Hope this is of help to anyone. Apple Silicon blessings to all

this is what I did to resolve because I had a folder Rosetta sitting in my /Library/Updates folder which seemed to be hindering things, I also couldn't remove SIP to remove the folder and after looking a several different solutions came up with these steps to resolve:

1) removed appleID from the system , system settings/select ID, remove account

2) booted into safe mode, opened terminal and disabled SIP using: csrutil disable

3) rebooted into safe mode and cleared the folders (in my case Rosetta) from 'VloumeName/Library/Updates' leaving just the plist files in there in my case command was sudo rm -R '/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Library/Updates/Rosetta'

4) rebooted again into safe mode and requested update via terminal sudo softwareupdate -i -a -R

5) system rebooted a couple of times

6) logged into new 15.1 beta 4 (this will vary depending on your upgrade track)

7) rebooted again into safe mode, then turned SIP back on using csrutil enable in terminal

8) rebooted normally and added my iCloud/appleID back to system

hope this helps you or someone else

cheers

Rocky1922 wrote:

I FOUND THE FIX!

For me the solution was simply to turn off "Find My Mac" and then the update should download and install (didn't even need to restart). When it's updated just sign back in.

Find My Mac was off when I went to sign out of my AppleID account.

MacbookProRetinaGuy wrote:

1. And you would be wrong.

Turn off find my mac in icloud settings

2. Install the update

Not sure what I was wrong about. Find My Mac was already off and I was still getting the same error.

This is a pain, but I'm certain it will work. It worked on ALL of my 2018 Macbook Pro's, and I have lots of those machines:

1) IMPORTANT: make a full Time Machine B/U of your Mac

2) Restart your Mac in Recovery Mode using ONLY the key combo: Option+Command+R, hold these keys down until the Apple shows up asking which WiFi network you want to use

3)Select "Reinstall MacOS Sequoia", and follow the prompts to do so. DON'T WORRY! Using this restart key combination will install the LATEST MacOS your machine is compatible with, and it will NOT delete or overwrite your applications or your data!! (But you have the Time Machine B/U anyway) If you end up with Sequoia 15.0.2, then your machine can't handle 15.1.1. (HIGHLY Unlikely) Be prepared for this to take literally hours (all day or overnight), depending on the throughput speed of your WiFi.

4) Once finished, go to the Apple>about this Mac and check the MacOS installed. It should now be 15.1.1. For some reason downloading and installing from Recovery Mode work where using the Software Update option in Setting does not.

Hope this helps!