Fix macOS 10.13/10.13.4 High Sierra Update Failure/Stuck/Installation Error

"macOS 10.13 High Sierra is now available for update on Mac computers and can anyone of you tell me some tips that can help me smoothly update my MacBook Pro into latest macOS High Sierra without losing any data or meet any problems? Thank you."

If you are trying to find a simple way to update Mac OS to the latest 10.13 or 10.13.4 High Sierra or you are looking for effective solutions to fix macOS High Sierra update stuck or failure error, you are at the right place. Follow the two next parts to free download macOS 10.13/10.13.4 to install and fix the macOS High Sierra update error right now.

Part 1. Upgrade to macOS 10.13/10.13.4 High Sierra without losing data

Here Part 1, we'll show you how to upgrade to macOS 10.13/10.13.4 High Sierra without losing any data on MacBook Pro/MacBook Air/iMac etc.

Step 1. Back up Mac computer data before macOS 10.13/10.13.4 update

Here you have two options to backup Mac data before macOS 10.13/10.13.4 update: Time Machine or Mac backup software for help.

Option 1. Back up Mac data with Time Machine

1. 1. Connect an external hard drive to your Mac and launch Time Machine. (The drive should be at least the same size as your Mac drive.)
2. 2. Turn the Time Machine slider ON > Select Backup Disk to set the external hard drive as the backup destination.
3. 3. Select important data to backup now.

Option 2. Backup Mac data with Mac backup software

EaseUS Todo Backup for Mac supports backing up your Mac data in 3 steps: 

1. Download, install and launch EaseUS Todo Backup for Mac.
Click the first Backup tab or simply click the plus (+) button at the left corner of the left pane to create a backup project -- name the backup project and click OK.

2. Set up the backup destination where you want to store Mac files as backups, automatic backup frequency and click OK.

3. Add files and folders to the backup project.
Click File+ to selectively choose files and folders to back up and click the blue start button to back up your Mac data to another drive or external device.

Step 2. Download and install macOS 10.13/10.13.4 High Sierra

1. Go to the Apple store > Find macOS 10.13.10.13.4 update.
2. Click Download and fill in your Apple ID when asked.
3. After you download the macOS 10.13/10.13.4 upgrade software, install the software and update Mac computer to macOS 10.13 or 10.13.4 High Sierra by following the on-screen instructions.
If no update problems occur, restart your Mac computer and enjoy the new macOS on your device.
If you get stuck or cannot install macOS 10.13 on your device, just follow Part 2 to get the problems solved and fixed on your own.

Part 2. Fix macOS 10.13/10.13.4 High Sierra update stuck/failure or freeze error

If you cannot download or install macOS 10.13 update on your Mac, or macOS 10.13/10.13.4 gets stuck, freezes or fails to install, don't panic and just simply follow these instructions.

Fix 1. macOS Sierra 10.13/10.13.4 downloaded but won't install

If you get stuck or fail to install the downloaded macOS 10.13/10.13.4, try the tips below to get this problem fixed:

• Open Launchpad > Delete "Install macOS Sierra" file with a question mark on it.
• Reboot Mac and retry downloading a new macOS Sierra update 10.13/10.13.4.
• Click Apple Menu > Select App Store > Click Update next to macOS Sierra in the Update section.

Fix 2. macOS 10.13/10.13.4 High Sierra fails to install/gets stuck or freezes while installing

Here you have two options to fix the macOS 10.13/10.13.4 installation failure error:

Option 1. Install macOS update in Safe Mode to fix the macOS High Sierra 10.13/10.13.4 update stuck error

• Disable or uninstall any anti-virus software on your Mac.
• Ensure Mac computer has a proper and reliable internet connection.
• Install macOS Sierra in Safe Mode.
• Hold Power until your Mac shuts down > Turn your Mac on and hold the Shift key > Release Shift when the Apple logo appears > The Mac shall be booted into the Safe Mode.
• Then try to install macOS 10.13/10.13.4 update again.

If you cannot install macOS 10.13/10.13.4 in Safe Mode, try a clean installation of the new update.

Option 2. Clean installation of macOS Sierra 10.13/10.13.4 to fix macOS fails to install issue

To complete a clean installation of macOS Sierra 10.13/10.13.4 on Mac, you may need to do some pre-installation preparation:

Step 1. Create a bootable installer

• Download the macOS Sierra 10.13/10.13.4 installation package from Mac App Store.
• Connect a new USB drive with Mac > Open Disk Utility in Applications/Utilities folder > Select thumb drive in sidebar and click Format.
• Name USB as Untitled > Choose OS X Extended > Click Erase > Open Terminal once the USB is formatted and finish downloading macOS Sierra.
• Ensure USB named Untitled is connected to Mac > Type below command in Terminal and hit Enter: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/SierraBootInstall --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app --nointeraction &&say Done
• Enter the Administrator password if necessary. The command will create a bootable Sierra installer on the USB drive.

Step 2. Clean installation of macOS 10.13/10.13.4 update

• Connect a USB bootable drive to your Mac and restart the Mac by holding Option until you hear the reboot tone.
• Select the disk called Install macOS Sierra in the drive list that appears on the screen.
• Once the USB drive is booted, select Disk Utility > Choose Mac's startup from the list > Click Erase.
• Once Mac's startup disk is formatted, return to the Utilities window and select Install macOS > Choose the recently erased startup drive to install macOS > Follow onscreen prompts to complete the installation.

Extra Tip: Restore lost data due to the macOS 10.13/10.13.4 High Sierra update

If you forgot to create backups for your Mac data before the macOS 10.13/10.13.4 update, you still have a chance to restore lost data due to the update. 

Professional Mac data recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac with Bootable Media allows you to restore all lost data due to a macOS update or for other reasons. Click the tutorial page about how to create bootable media for Mac.

Step 1. Install and run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac on another Mac computer, and select "Unbootable Mac > Start".

Step 2. Then, choose a prepared USB drive to create the bootable disc. Select "Next" to start creating the bootable disk.

Step 3. The program starts to create a 2GB space and save the boot files. The rest space on the USB can be still used for storage.

Step 4. Once it completes, please follow the guide to boot the corrupted Mac from the bootable disc and start the recovery. We suggest you restore the data to an external hard drive.

Step 5. After booting the Mac, launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Select the disk location (an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Then, this recovery tool will scan for lost files automatically.

Important Note -- if your Mac hard drive uses an APFS file system, you can only use the deep scan option to scan and find all lost data on the drive