macOS Sierra Available as an Automatic Download Starting Today - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS Sierra Available as an Automatic Download Starting Today

Starting today, Apple is making the new macOS Sierra operating system available as an automatic download to customers running OS X El Capitan in order to encourage them to update.

Customers who have auto downloads enabled will see macOS Sierra start to download automatically, but it will not install without express user permission.

012-macos-sierra-970-80
Apple shared the news with The Loop and says the update will only be downloaded on computers that meet the specs for macOS Sierra and have an adequate amount of storage space.

Apple is also being smart about the download. If your computer is low on space, macOS Sierra will not download. In addition, if it has downloaded and your computer starts to get low on space, the download will be automatically deleted.

Customers who do not want to upgrade to macOS Sierra can manually delete the update to keep from being prompted to do the install, and the download can be turned off by disabling automatic downloads. Disabling the feature can be done by going to System Preferences -> App Store and unchecking "Download newly available updates in the background."

automaticupdatessierra
Automatic downloads of macOS Sierra will be rolling out to customers over the next week.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
iOS 27 All the New App Features

iOS 27: All the Rumored App Features

Wednesday June 3, 2026 3:48 pm PDT by
Siri is getting a major overhaul in iOS 27, but Apple also has some big updates planned for apps like Camera, Photos, and Wallet. There are multiple new AI features in the works, plus some non-AI upgrades. Camera Apple is moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the Camera app in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg. There will be a Siri mode that will be available alongside...

Top Rated Comments

Schwyz Avatar
126 months ago
*hurriedly disables auto updates*
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ToM7 Avatar
126 months ago
somebody there did homework with Microsoft
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MagMan1979 Avatar
126 months ago
OMG this place truly is troll heaven... Nothing but a bunch of whiney little bi__hes here!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
126 months ago
I bet people will complain about this below.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
126 months ago
But you're not, so no worries.

For those who are, turning off automatic updates should be already done.
It should be off default. If not it’s the wrong angle to take Mr. Holier than thou
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleFan91 Avatar
126 months ago
I don't get why people are upset about this. How is it any different than iOS? Actually the only difference is that it can be disabled as where iOS does it automatically. I guess I'm not understanding why people are complaining about it unless it's because it's Apple and people here complain more about Apple lately than on Android Central.
[doublepost=1475518967][/doublepost]
quick -- how can we spin this negative?!
Look above, somehow they already are.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)