Force update MacOS on all end users Machines

ahmad-kheder
New Contributor

Hi,

I tried to force update MacOS on a MacBook using this command sudo softwareupdate -ia -R --background --force

but it only showed a notification on the screen instead of starting the installation.

how can I bulk update devices using a command that doesn’t need user interaction? 

2 REPLIES 2

ljcacioppo
Contributor III

The softwareupdate command does not reliably work on newer operating systems like Big Sur and Monterey, and does not work at all really on M1 devices.

If you're trying to update devices without user interaction at all, you may want to look into sending a remote command via MDM to update:
https://docs.jamf.com/technical-papers/jamf-pro/deploying-macos-upgrades/9.96/Updating_macOS_by_Send...

 

sdagley
Esteemed Contributor II

Note that as of JSS 10.35.0 it's possible to use the MDM Remote Command approach to both identify a specific version of macOS to upgrade force an update to, and to limit the number of times a user can defer that update. (There may be limitations on both of those depending on the current macOS installed on the Macs to be upgraded)