macOS: How to Disable Rapid Security Response Software Updates - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS: How to Disable Rapid Security Response Software Updates

by

In macOS Ventura, Apple can deliver security updates to Macs without having to update the entire operating system. Keep reading to learn how it works and how you can disable it if you prefer.

Ventura Macs Feature Yellow
In the past, some of Apple's most important point releases of macOS have been linked to critical security updates that are designed to keep you and your private data safe and secure online.

Traditionally, one problem with these updates is that when a user opts to install them, the entire operating system must be updated and restarted.

In macOS 13‌ Ventura, Rapid Security Response is an option that can let you avoid the rigmarole of all that, allowing you to get important security improvements to your devices even faster, and have them applied automatically between standard software updates.

When you update to ‌macOS Ventura‌, Apple sets your Mac to install security updates automatically, but you can turn off the feature if you prefer. Here's how to do so.

  1. Click the Apple () symbol in your Mac's menu bar and select System Settings....
  2. Click General in the sidebar.
  3. Select Software Update from the menu.
  4. Click the encircled 'i' alongside Automatic Updates.
    settings

  5. Toggle off the switch next to Install Security Responses and System files.settings

That's all you need to do. From now on, your Mac will alert you to new security responses as they become available, with the option to install them manually.

Popular Stories

Apple Acquires Award Winning App Play Feature

Apple Acquires Award-Winning App 'Play'

Monday June 29, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
In February, Apple notified the European Commission that it would be acquiring certain assets from and have the right to hire certain employees from Rabbit 3 Times, the company behind the award-winning app design tool Play. The notification was published on the European Commission's website this week, following a four-month waiting period. Play was a Mac and iPhone app that allowed designers ...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

Apple 'Concerned' Over iPhone 18 Pro Data Leak From Supplier Tata

Monday June 29, 2026 11:46 am PDT by
Apple is "concerned" about a recent data leak from Tata Electronics, one of its manufacturing partners in India, reports Reuters. Tata Electronics was the target of a cyberattack, with confidential Apple documents stolen and shared on the dark web. Hackers were able to steal information about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, including a list of suppliers, parts, and images of the...
iphone 17 ceramic shield

2027 iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e to Get 9GB RAM and A20 Chip

Friday June 26, 2026 9:57 am PDT by
The lower-end iPhone 18 models set to launch in spring 2027 will feature 9GB DRAM, up from 8GB, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says the A20 chip Apple plans to use for the devices will have 1.5GB x 6 dies for a total of 9GB RAM, instead of 2GB x 4 dies as the current lower-end iPhone 17 models use. By lower-end iPhones, Kuo is likely referencing the iPhone 18 and the iPhone...