Os X Could Not Be Installed No Packages

Summary :

When you update your macOS, the error message of macOS could not be installed on your computer means that there is something wrong with your computer. To fix the issue, MiniTool Software will show you some effective solutions in this article. You can try these solutions to help you out.

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There are a number of things you can do to fix your Mac when you see the message: “macOS could not be installed on your computer.” If the problem is that you don’t have enough space, you can use CleanMyMac X to get rid of files you don’t need. Otherwise, go through the above steps one at a time until you’re able to install a new. Was trying to instal el capitan on my macbook, the installation starts and after a few minutes stops and a messaging saying the os x could'nt be install on the computer, please contact the software editor to get help. I called apple and they said they can't give me any tech support, i guess cause my computer is too 'old'. Then, apt wanted to install a package from universe, which depended on versions available in wily/main only and thus could not be installed. – koppor Jan 23 '16 at 14:45 1 Try adding the missing package to the install command: sudo apt-get install -reinstall at-spi2-core qdbus libqt4-dbus – antivirtel Apr 2 '16 at 20:58. OS X could not be installed on your computer No packages were eligible for install. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance. Quit the installer to restart your computer and try again.

Most of the time, it will take a long time to finish a macOS upgrade process. At times, the macOS installation process may even encounter some issues, causing the installation to be interrupted. For example, you may get an error message saying macOS could not be installed on your computer.

Why does this issue happen? How to solve this issue? If you lose some important Mac files by mistake, how to get them back? Now, we will show you the related information.

Tip: macOS could not be installed on your computer is just a representative of macOS installation failure. You may face some other situations like the macOS installation couldn't be completed. This article shows you more situations and solutions: Why Can’t I Update My Mac? | Symptoms, Reasons and Solutions.

Reasons for macOS Could Not Be Installed on Your Computer

Usually, there is a hint below the error message of macOS could not be installed on your computer. For example, the above image shows that the issue happens because The path /System/Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg appears to be missing or damaged.

Of course, this is just an example. The situation you are facing may be different. Here, we summarize some common reasons:

  1. Some certain macOS installer file is corrupted.
  2. There is not enough free space to install the macOS.
  3. Something goes wrong with the Mac startup disk.
  4. A newly installed hardware is not compatible with your Mac.
  5. And more…

No matter which situation you are facing, you need to take some measures to fix the problem. Do you know how to solve this Mac OS could not be installed on your computer problem? If you don’t worry, you should now worry about it. We collect some useful solutions and introduce them to you now.

Os X Could Not Be Installed No Packages

How to Fix macOS Could Not Be Installed on Your Computer?

  1. Restart Your Mac and Try Again
  2. Make sure the Date and Time Are Set Correctly
  3. Free up Disk Space for the macOS Installation
  4. Download a New Copy of the macOS Installer
  5. Reset PRAM/NVRAM
  6. Use First Aid to Fix the Startup Disk
  7. Use Safe Mode
  8. Reinstall macOS via Recovery Mode
  9. Factory Reset Your Mac and Reinstall macOS

Fix 1: Restart Your Mac and Try Again

Sometimes, OS X could not be installed on your computer can be easily solved. You can just reboot your Mac and try to install the macOS again. This operation can fix the temporary issues and delete the temporary files on your Mac. These elements can be the causes of macOS could not be installed on your computer.

Could

This solution is worth trying because many Mac users report that they solve the issue by doing this. You can click the Apple Menu and then select Restart. If your Mac freezes, you need to force restart it by pressing and holding the Power button for a while until it shuts down. After that, you can press the Power button to restart it and then upgrade the macOS again.

If this solution doesn’t work for you, you can try the next one.

Fix 2: Make Sure the Date and Time Are Set Correctly

You also need to guarantee that your Mac date and time are set correctly according to your location. If not, Apple’s servers may go wrong, leading to the issue of macOS could not be installed on your computer.

To rule out this possibility, you can click the Apple Menu and then go to System Preferences > Date & Time. Next, click Padlock and enter your administrator password. At last, check the Set date and time automatically option.

After this operation, you can go to update your macOS to see whether the installation can complete successfully. If the issue persists, you should try the next solution.

Fix 3: Free up Disk Space for the macOS Installation

Usually, a macOS installer can take up about 5GB of disk space on your Mac. But during the macOS installation process, the installer needs more space to unpack the related files and folder. This extra space is about 15GB. Thus, the minimum free space you need to prepare for a macOS installation is 20GB.

Installed

Is there enough free space on your Mac? You can have a check.

You can click the Apple Menu and then go to About This Mac > Storage to check how much free disk space on your Mac.

If the free disk space is not enough, you need to free up disk space on Mac for the macOS installation.

However, if your Mac has enough free space but the issue still occurs, you will need to take some other measures to solve the issue. You can keep reading.

Fix 4: Download a New Copy of the macOS Installer

As mentioned above, the issue can also happen when some files in the macOS installer are missing or corrupted. Usually, you will get a hint if it is a macOS installer issue. You can download a new macOS installer from Apple’s official download center and then update your macOS.

After accessing Apple’s official download center, you can switch to the macOS section and then select a suitable one to download.

Fix 5: Reset PRAM/NVRAM

PRAM or NVRAM saves some certain settings like sound volume, display resolution, startup disk selection, time zone, and recent kernel panic information. If you can’t install your macOS successfully, you can reset PRAM/NVRAM to have a try.

It is very easy to do this job. You can just shut down or force shut down your Mac (select one method according to your situation). After that, you need to press the Power button and immediately press and hold the Option, Command, P, and R keys together. About 20 seconds later, your Mac should restart. Then, you can re-update your Mac to see whether it can finish successfully.

Fix 6: Use First Aid to Fix the Startup Disk

If you still see the error message after using the above methods, there should be something wrong with the startup disk on your Mac. You can use First Aid in Disk Utility to repair the drive.

  1. Press the F4 button to open Launchpad.
  2. Go to the Other folder and then select Disk Utility.
  3. Select the startup disk you want to fix and then click First Aid.
  4. Click Run on the pop-up interface to run First Aid.

After disk repairing, you can go to check whether the issue of Mac OS could not be installed on your computer persists.

However, if First Aid shows the startup disk is OK, you need to use another method to solve the issue.

Fix 7: Use Safe Mode

Another method to fix OS X could not be installed on your computer is to update your macOS in Safe Mode.

In Safe Mode, your Mac can run under a pure environment without the interruption of hardware failure and startup items. It can also solve some issues on your Mac.

How to enter Safe Mode on Mac? Here are two guides for two situations:

Packages

If you are using an Intel-based Mac:

  1. Shut down your Mac completely.
  2. About 10 seconds later, press the Power button and immediately press & hold the Shift key.
  3. Release the Shift key when you see the login window.
Os x could not be installed no packages were eligible

If you are using a Mac with Apple silicon:

  1. Shut down your Mac completely.
  2. About 10 seconds later, press & hold the Power button until you see the startup disks and Options.
  3. Press and hold the Shift Next, click Continue in Safe Mode.

Then, you can update your macOS again in Safe Mode.

Fix 8: Reinstall macOS via Recovery Mode

If the above 7 methods can’t solve your issue, you can consider reinstalling macOS via Recovery Mode. Many users report that they solve the issue of OS X could not be installed on your computer in this way. You can also have a try.

  1. Shut down your Mac computer.
  2. Press the Power button, and immediately press & hold Command-R.
  3. Release the keys when you see the Apple logo. You need to type your password if prompt.
  4. Click Reinstall macOS on the macOS Recovery interface and follow the guide to reinstall macOS.

Os X Could Not Be Installed No Packages Were Eligible

Fix 9: Factory Reset Your Mac and Reinstall macOS

Your last choice to fix macOS could not be installed on your computer is to erase your Mac and then reinstall macOS. This can fundamentally solve the problem as long as your Mac disk is not physically damaged.

After the Mac factory reset, you can use your computer as a new one. Of course, you need to reinstall macOS on your Mac for further use. You can click here to know what to do before, while, and after restoring your Mac to factory settings.

Bonus Tip: How to Recover Your Mac Data?

If you lose some important Mac files by mistake, do you want to get them back? If yes, how to do the job? You need to use a professional Mac data recovery software. You can use Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.

This software is specially designed to recover your lost and deleted Mac files on your Mac computer. However, the files can be recovered as long as they are not overwritten by new data. So, when you discover that you delete or lose some files by mistake, you should stop using your Mac as soon as possible to prevent these files from being overwritten.

How To Fix No Packages Were Eligible For Install

This software has a trial edition. You can use it to scan the Mac drive you want to recover files from. Then, you can check whether it can find your needed files. If yes, you can use a full edition of this software to recover all your needed files without limits.

You can go to the MiniTool Download center to get this software.

After downloading and installing this software on your Mac, you can follow this instruction to recover your Mac files:

1. Open the software.

2. Select the data types you want to recover and then click Next to continue.

3. Select the drive you want to recover data from and click Scan to start the scanning process. If you want to perform a deep scan, you need to manually turn on the button for Deep Scan (at the left bottom side of the software).

4. When you see the scan results, you can go to the Deleted List section to find the files you want to recover (of course, you also access Classic List and File List to find your needed file based on your situation). If you are not sure whether it is the file you want to recover, you can even double-click it to preview it.

5. Upgrade this software to a full edition and select your needed files to recover.

Bottom Line

Now, you know how to fix macOS could not be installed on your computer. Should you have any related issues, you can let us know in the comment. Besides, you can also contact us via [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible.

macOS Could Not Be Installed on Your Computer FAQ

You can press the Option, Command, and Esc keys at the same time to call out the Force Quit Application window and then select the installer to force quit it.
How do I update my Mac when it says no updates available?
You can go to the Apple Menu > Software Update to check for updates. If there is an available update, you can click the Upgrade Now button to update your Mac immediately. If the Software Update interface shows your Mac is up-to-date, there is no need to upgrade your Mac.
It is legal. But, it violates Apple’s End-User License Agreement (EULA).
If your Mac is 8-year old or even older, it is not suitable to upgrade your macOS.

A new version of macOS is always exciting. But it can quickly become frustrating if, instead of being presented with a brand new Mac, ready to use, you see an error message like “macOS could not be installed on your computer.” Fortunately, you can do lots of things to fix the problem, so let’s get started.

Before you try to install a new version of macOS

It’s essential that before you perform any major upgrade, say from Catalina to Big Sur, that you backup your Mac. One of the steps described below involves a complete reinstall of the operating system, resulting in erasing data from your drive. It’s best to do the backup using Time Machine, as you can then use Recovery Mode to restore your Mac from the backup. But if you don’t want to use Time Machine, create a bootable clone of your startup disk using a tool like SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner.

Macos Could Not Be Installed

Why does “macOS could not be installed on your computer” appear?

There are several reasons you might see this error message. Here are some of the most common.

  • Your Mac doesn’t support the version of macOS you’re trying to install
  • There was a problem downloading the installer
  • You don’t have enough space to install a new version of macOS
  • There’s a problem with the disk on your Mac
  • A piece of software like a launch agent or launch daemon is interfering with the upgrade

Before you try to fix the error

Check if your Mac is compatible with the version of macOS you’re trying to install. The best way to do that is to launch the App Store app, search for the macOS version you’re trying to install, and scroll down the Compatibility section. You should see a message that says, “works on this Mac.” Alternatively, go to Apple’s website support pages and search for the minimum system requirements. You might need to reboot in Safe mode, see below, to check because if you do a normal restart, your Mac may immediately relaunch the installer.

How to fix “macOS could not be installed on your computer”

Mac Os Cannot Be Installed

1.Restart your Mac in Safe mode

Safe mode disables startup items, launch agents, and everything else except the bare minimum macOS needs to function. Restart your Mac from the Apple menu or by holding down the power button, and press Shift until you see the Apple logo.

2. Try running the installer again while in Safe mode

If the problem were that launch agents or daemons were interfering with the upgrade, Safe mode would fix that. If it works, you should restart your Mac normally after the installation and remove any launch agents and daemons you don’t need.

The simplest way to remove launch agents is to use CleanMyMac X.

Here’s how:

  1. Download, install and launch CleanMyMac X.
  2. Choose Optimization from the sidebar on the left.
  3. Select View all items.
  4. Check the box next to Launch Agents
  5. Press Run.

3. Free up space

You’ll need up to 20GB of free space on your main drive to download and install an update to macOS. If you don’t have that much free space, it’s time to clear out the junk and free up space. I’ve found that the quickest and easiest way to do that is to use a popular app CleanMyMac X by MacPaw. It can free up tons of gigabytes of space with a couple of clicks.

Install CleanMyMac X, then launch it — download free edition here.

  1. Choose Smart Scan from the sidebar.
  2. Press Scan.
  3. When it’s finished, press Run to delete files immediately or Review Details to see what it has found.

4. Reset the NVRAM

The NVRAM on your Mac stores data even after your Mac shuts down or restarts, unlike regular RAM, which is flushed every time you restart. NVRAM persists, thanks to a small amount of power supplied by your Mac’s internal battery. Resetting NVRAM rarely has any effect, but it can do in some situations, and as it won’t do any harm, it’s worth trying. It’s quite tricky to do, so that you might need some help.

Restart your Mac while holding the Command + Option (Alt) + P + R keys and wait until you hear a startup chime. It may take a little longer than normal to restart twice, but the NVRAM will have reset once it's done.

5. Try the combo updater

If you can restart in Safe mode and quit the installer, try downloading the combo updater from Apple’s website. The combo updater contains all the files necessary to install macOS on all Macs, whereas the version downloaded from the App Store only has the files for your specific Mac. It may be that the combo updater works, where the Mac App Store version doesn’t.

6. Install in Recovery Mode

This is the last resort if nothing else works.

  1. Restart your Mac while holding Command + R until you see the Apple logo.
  2. When you see the macOS Utilities window, you have two choices. You can either restore your Mac from a Time Machine backup if you have one, which will take you back to where you were before you started. Or you can Reinstall macOS.
  3. Choose the option you want.
  4. If you chose Reinstall macOS, wait for your Mac to restart, then go to System Preferences > Software Update and update your Mac to the latest available version.

There are a number of things you can do to fix your Mac when you see the message: “macOS could not be installed on your computer.” If the problem is that you don’t have enough space, you can use CleanMyMac X to get rid of files you don’t need. Otherwise, go through the above steps one at a time until you’re able to install a new version or update to macOS.