Curious about how to apply updates to existing macOS versions such as macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina, without upgrading directly to MacOS Monterey?

Although MacOS Monterey is currently available for download by anyone who wishes to install it, not everyone might be prepared for the upgrade. Fortunately, Apple provides system software updates and security patches for the two most recent previous versions of their operating system—macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina. This means you can keep your current OS updated without moving to Monterey.

This process is quite straightforward, though it's understandable if you missed it since the interface elements resemble plain text and are small in size.

How to Get macOS Updates Without Upgrading to MacOS Monterey

The following steps work for both MacOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina:

1. Open the ? Apple menu and select “System Preferences”

2. Navigate to “Software Update”

3. Locate the small blue “More Info…” button beneath the message ‘Other updates are available’ and click on it

4. Choose the updates you want to install and click “Install Now”

5. Additionally, ensure that the option “Automatically keep my Mac up to date” is disabled (or modify settings via Advanced options so that ‘Install macOS updates’ is not selected)

In the screenshots provided, macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 was successfully installed without updating to the full MacOS Monterey 12.0.1 version.

For macOS Big Sur users, you’ll find updates like macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, Safari-related updates, Security Patches, and more.

Similarly, macOS Catalina users will see Safari updates and Security Updates listed.

Looking ahead, updates for macOS Big Sur and Catalina will likely only include Safari-related improvements and Security Patches, as Apple typically focuses its development efforts on enhancing the latest OS generation—in this case, MacOS Monterey.

Preventing Automatic Installation of MacOS Monterey

If you rely on automatic software updates in MacOS and wish to avoid installing MacOS Monterey for now, follow these steps: From the ? Apple menu, open “System Preferences”, go to “Software Update”, click on ‘Advanced’, and disable the option labeled ‘Install macOS Updates’. This prevents MacOS Monterey from being automatically installed overnight.

With settings similar to the configuration shown in the image above, your Mac will continue checking for system software updates and will install critical system files, but it won’t automatically install major macOS updates like Monterey.

If you’re not yet ready for MacOS Monterey or you're waiting for a newer release, that’s perfectly fine—just make sure not to skip over important security patches and other software updates for your current macOS version.

Are you sticking with your current macOS version? Do you have any specific reasons for doing so? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

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