Is Your macOS Catalina Install Stuck? Here's How to Fix It

Wednesday October 9, 2019 1:31 PM PDT by Juli Clover
Apple on Monday released macOS Catalina to the public, allowing everyone to install the newest version of the operating system for the Mac.

Based on reports on the MacRumors forums, Twitter, and other social networks, some people are running into a specific problem - an installation that hangs.

Image via MacRumors reader xodbox
After downloading ‌macOS Catalina‌ and installing from the Mac App Store, some people have seen the installation process stop right at the "Setting Up Your Mac..." screen, and even after waiting for hours, it doesn't resolve.

Luckily, there appears to be a super simple fix for this issue: Just restart. Hold down the power button on your Mac until it turns off, and then power it back on.

Based on reports from MacRumors readers, this fix will send you to the login screen or to your desktop.

After the Mac gets to the "Setting Up Your Mac..." screen, the ‌macOS Catalina‌ installation is largely complete. We don't recommend restarting right away, but if sits at that screen for a half hour or more, shut it down because it's not going to resolve on its own.

The ‌macOS Catalina‌ installation takes some time so don't restart ahead of when the setup screen pops up, but based on a multitude of reports, resetting in this way if it gets stuck appears to be a safe way of getting your Mac up and running again.

Related Roundup: macOS Catalina
82 comments

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machpost
20 weeks ago
Nope. This is all I needed to see to decide that it's going to be a long time before I upgrade to Catalina.
Rating: 15 Votes
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ignatius345
20 weeks ago


Really? Thats a shame because its a rather minor issue, and the OS itself is really cool.

If the install process is that buggy it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence does it?
Rating: 11 Votes
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Northern Man
20 weeks ago
Great work Apple :confused:
Rating: 4 Votes
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Morgenland
20 weeks ago
Adobe took its latest stand-alone version Photoshop CS6 off the market in January. The 64-bit application worked under Mojave in 64-bit limited mode, I had tested it too.
But it doesn't work under Catalina anymore.

Since I don't think Adobe's current software rental is cool, I've basically separated from the company. I'm glad that there are professional others with same or better features, e.g. Affinity.



Rating: 4 Votes
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Vags8
20 weeks ago
The fact that all the 32bit apps are not supported is a big NO for me to update.
Rating: 3 Votes
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sugargliderdude
20 weeks ago
Going to wait until next year to install Catalina....
Rating: 3 Votes
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Konigi
20 weeks ago
And no news regarding the .1 beta?
Rating: 2 Votes
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Rojaaemon
20 weeks ago
It happened to me. 'It just works' if you restart it.

I regret leaping into this new OS. Would go back if I knew how.

Now dealing with annoying new podcast app. e.g. Where's the timer on the visual play tape? I see that I'm about halfway to the end of the podcast, but is that 10 minutes remaining? 30 minutes remaining? There's no running clock! Oh, place your mouse over it and the times appear! So clever--hiding useful information! Now instead of just glancing at it you have to 'ask for the info' by doing something with your hand.

Same 'improvement' in Music app. Thinking of my poor friend who doesn't have full use of his extremities...
Rating: 2 Votes
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triangletechie
20 weeks ago
It just works?
Rating: 2 Votes
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Marx55
20 weeks ago
"Hold down the power button on your Mac until it turns off, and then power it back on".

Besides NOT being a reboot but a FORCED shut down and then COLD boot, that could create serious disk directory damage or corruption that Apple Disk Utility cannot repair on APFS volumes.

Other applications like DiskWarrior, TechTool Pro and Drive Genius cannot be released to rebuild directory of APFS disks (compulsory for booting disks since macOS 10.13 High Sierra, which was released by September 2017), because Apple has not yet released documentation about how to write to such disks more than two years latter, as Alsoft states:

DiskWarrior 5.2 & Apple File System (APFS)
What’s in the works
The next major release of DiskWarrior will include the ability to rebuild APFS disks. Apple has recently released the “Read” portion of the APFS format documentation. Our developers are now waiting for the “Write” portion of documentation to update DiskWarrior to be able to safely rebuild Apple File System (APFS) disks.
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior5apfs[/URL]

And worse of all, no more macOS 10.12 Sierra security updates from now on, since macOS 10.15 Catalina has been released. Stuck on Sierra here, until Apple releases such documentation and DiskWarrior 6 is released to rebuild directory of damaged APFS disks. Then --and only then-- will upgrade to Catalina or newer (safety net).

Please, send feedback to Apple about such serious problem, both for developers (cannot update their applications) and users (cannot rebuild the directory of corrupted APFS disks; and will not upgrade to Catalina or later until that is fixed; with the corresponding huge security problem, since Sierra will not be further updated since it is too old now!!!):
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html[/URL]
Rating: 2 Votes
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