softwareupdate(8) System Manager's Manual softwareupdate(8)
NAME
softwareupdate – system software update tool
SYNOPSIS
softwareupdate --list
softwareupdate --install [--recommended] [--all] [--os-only]
[--safari-only] [item ...] [--restart [--force]]
[--stdinpass] [--user]
softwareupdate --download [--recommended] [--all] [--os-only]
[--safari-only] [item ...]
softwareupdate --list-full-installers
softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer [--full-installer-version version]
[--launch-installer]
softwareupdate --install-rosetta [--agree-to-license]
softwareupdate --background
softwareupdate --schedule
softwareupdate --help
DESCRIPTION
Software Update checks for new and updated versions of your software
based on information about your computer and current software.
Invoke softwareupdate by specifying a command followed by zero or more
args.
softwareupdate requires admin authentication for all commands except
--list. If you run softwareupdate as a normal admin user, you will be
prompted for a password when required.
The following commands are available:
-l | --list
List all available updates.
-i | --install
Each update specified by args is downloaded and installed.
args can be one of the following:
-r | --recommended
All updates that are recommended for your system.
These are prefixed with a * character in the
--list output.
-a | --all All updates that are applicable to your system,
including those non-recommended ones, which are
prefixed with a - character in the --list output.
(Non-recommended updates are uncommon in any
case.)
--os-only Only macOS updates
--safari-only
Only Safari updates
item ... One or more specified updates. The --list output
shows the item names you can specify here,
prefixed by the * or - characters. See
EXAMPLES.
-R | --restart
Automatically restart if required to complete
installation. If the user invoking this tool is
logged in then macOS will attempt to quit all
applications, logout, and restart. If the user is
not logged in, macOS will trigger a forced reboot
if necessary. If you wish to always perform a
forced reboot, use --force.
--stdinpass
Collect a password from stdin without
interaction. Apple silicon only.
--user An owner user to authorize installation. Apple
silicon only.
-d | --download
Each update specified by args is downloaded but not
installed. The values of args are the same as for the
--install command. Updates downloaded with --download can be
subsequently installed with --install, or through System
Settings (as long as they remain applicable to your system).
--list-full-installers
List the available macOS Installers.
--fetch-full-installer
Install the latest recommended macOS Installer. Use
--full-installer-version to specify the version of macOS to
install (e.g. --full-installer-version 10.15). Use
--launch-installer to launch the installer automatically
after it has been downloaded.
--install-rosetta
Install Rosetta. Only applies to Apple silicon Macs. Pass
--agree-to-license to agree to the software license agreement
without any user interaction.
--background
Trigger a background check with a forced scan.
--schedule Returns the per-machine automatic (background) check
preference.
-h | --help
Print command usage.
EXAMPLES
The following examples are shown as given to the shell:
softwareupdate --list
Software Update Tool
Finding available software
Software Update found the following new or updated software:
* Label: MacBookAirEFIUpdate2.4-2.4
Title: MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update, Version: 2.4, Size: 3817K, Recommended: YES, Action: restart,
* Label: ProAppsQTCodecs-1.0
Title: ProApps QuickTime codecs, Version: 1.0, Size: 968K, Recommended: YES,
sudo softwareupdate --install ProAppsQTCodecs-1.0
Software Update Tool
Finding available software
Downloading ProApps QuickTime codecs
Downloaded ProApps QuickTime codecs
Installing ProApps QuickTime codecs
Done with ProApps QuickTime codecs
Done.
Mac OS X September 11, 2012 Mac OS X
$ softwareupdate --help
usage: softwareupdate <cmd> [<args> ...]
** Manage Updates:
-l | --list List all appropriate update labels (options: --no-scan, --product-types)
-d | --download Download Only
-i | --install Install
<label> ... specific updates
-a | --all All appropriate updates
-R | --restart Automatically restart (or shut down) if required to complete installation.
-r | --recommended Only recommended updates
--os-only Only OS updates
--safari-only Only Safari updates
--stdinpass Password to authenticate as an owner. Apple Silicon only.
--user Local username to authenticate as an owner. Apple Silicon only.
--list-full-installers List the available macOS Installers
--fetch-full-installer Install the latest recommended macOS Installer
--full-installer-version The version of macOS to install. Ex: --full-installer-version 10.15
--install-rosetta Install Rosetta 2
--background Trigger a background scan and update operation
** Other Tools:
--dump-state Log the internal state of the SU daemon to /var/log/install.log
--evaluate-products Evaluate a list of product keys specified by the --products option
--history Show the install history. By default, only displays updates installed by softwareupdate.
** Options:
--no-scan Do not scan when listing or installing updates (use available updates previously scanned)
--product-types <type> Limit a scan to a particular product type only - ignoring all others
Ex: --product-types macOS || --product-types macOS,Safari
--products A comma-separated (no spaces) list of product keys to operate on.
--force Force an operation to complete. Use with --background to trigger a background scan regardless of "Automatically check" pref
--agree-to-license Agree to the software license agreement without user interaction.
--verbose Enable verbose output
--help Print this help