A number of 2013 and 2014 MacBook Pro owners have run into issues when upgrading their machines to macOS Big Sur, finding that the update has bricked their Mac. Affected users saw the installation get stuck on a black screen during the software install.
Apple has now addressed the issue in a new support document that offers instructions on what to do to remedy the issue.
Follow these steps if you can’t install macOS Big Sur on a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) or MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014).
When you install macOS Big Sur on these Mac models, the installer might say that the update cannot be installed on this computer, or your Mac might start up to a blank screen or circle with a line through it.
If your Mac no longer starts up successfully, these steps might help resolve the issue:
- Press and hold the power button on your Mac for at least 10 seconds, then release. If your Mac is on, it turns off.
- Unplug all external devices from your Mac, including any displays and USB accessories, and remove any card inserted in the SDXC card slot. Then turn your Mac on.
- If the issue persists, reset the SMC as described for notebook computers with a nonremovable battery.
- If the issue persists, reset NVRAM or PRAM.
- If none of these solutions work, please contact Apple Support for further assistance.
Apple says it plans to update the support document as more information becomes available.
MacTrast understands the urge to update your MacBook Pro to Apple’s latest and greatest version of macOS. However, we strongly suggest owners of older MacBook Pro models from 2013 and 2014 hold off on installing Big Sur until a definite fix for the installation issues is found.
In related news, Apple on Thursday released a new version of the macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 update, but it isn’t known at this time whether the update fixes the install issues with the older MacBook Pro models.