Problems Installing Catalina

For example, if your Mac came with macOS Big Sur, it will not accept installation of macOS Catalina or earlier. If a macOS can't be used on your Mac, the App Store or installer will let you know. For example, it might say that it's not compatible with this device or is too old to be opened on this version of macOS. I had same problem, now solved. I downloaded 10.15.7 from Apple and found I didn’t have enough HD memory to install it. Cleared lots of rubbish from downloads folder freeing up 50GB. Mac then happily installed it. Seems auto update doesn’t tell you you need to free up space for update.

While macOS Catalina 10.15 released with its perfect significant features. This time in the era of operating system macOS Catalina brought plenty of new features functions to get excited. Although with the software updates, we don’t expect that we should face any sort of issue. But again after installation, there will be the number of errors that get us puzzled how to fix that. As you know that Apple is a professionally supporting hardware range. However, in any circumstances, we are encountered and facing errors on hardware/software during the installation of macOS Catalina, ways to fix macOS Catalina 10.15 common issues.

How to Fix macOS Catalina 10.15 common issues

But I got important to guide you in this post how to fix macOS Catalina 10.15 common issues. However, macOS Catalina common issues are included this few days is macOS Catalina download problems, Gateway timed out while downloading macOS Catalina, macOS Catalina 10.15 install problems, macOS Catalina stuck on setting up your Mac, macOS Catalina login problems, macOS Catalina email problems, macOS Catalina breaks search in Mail, macOS Catalina running slowly on Mac, macOS Catalina Battery issues, macOS Catalina mouse issue, macOS Catalina MacBook Keyboard problems, macOS Catalina Bluetooth issue, macOS Catalina Boot problems, macOS Catalina finders problem, Apps problem in macOS Catalina, macOS Catalina Sidebar problems, macOS Catalina WiFi problems.

However, that is the issue nowadays macOS Catalina users are facing. While getting the first trip to macOS Catalina is existing to install it. And while upgrading to macOS Catalina is somehow straightforward. In case, you will find the macOS Catalina update through the App Store, but some of you will face issues while downloading macOS Catalina update. Since macOS Catalina is new on the list then you are trying to download it. Also, you are attempting to update directly from macOS Mojave, indeed it required a fair internet connection.

How to Fix macOS Catalina 10.15 Common issues

However, it can happen while installation macOS Catalina you face this the error that installation cannot continue. It means that the storage is less, and the macOS Catalina file is 6GB in that case, you must have at least 20GB up to 25GB to complete the installation. While installation you face this error directly navigate the Apple menu on the left corner of your screen. And click on About this Mac than Storage, after that, you have to manage some storage to continue macOS Catalina installation. Therefore, while installation, if you faced like the macOS Catalina 10.15 file, corrupted. In that case, navigate the finder menu and search for macOS Catalina 10.15 file and delete that file. After that, restart your PC then coming back try re-download the required files from Mac App Store. This is the most beginning common issue while installing macOS Catalina on your computer.

When the macOS Catalina 10.15 released in the public beta version, then most of the developers were installing on their computer using Virtual machine devices. After installing testing macOS Catalina on Virtualization boxes most of you may handle some issues that facing that in full version. According to developers, Virtualization is one of the advanced sources that you can install the beta version. Like we are having VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V, and Android version Android Studio. In plans, I will re-write the common issues on macOS Catalina on VMware, and VirtualBox.

Fix macOS Catalina Download Problems

This is the common issue that macOS Catalina download is failed. And most of you might face this problem while downloading macOS Catalina 10.15 an error appear that download has failed. This common error can be due to a network error connection, and another issue while downloading is the Installation of macOS Catalina could not continue installation required to downloading important content. And the content can’t download this time try again. However, in this case, most of the people are facing this error. Because at the same time, the Apple server is much busy on every download, due to the Store will be under pressure. The best time to download macOS Catalina or upgrading it is in the morning time.

Solution 1: Before downloading macOS Catalina from Mac App Store be sure that you have enough storage because the macOS Catalina file is enough large than it needs more storage. While downloading macOS Catalina suddenly you face low storage warning then open the Apple menu, click About this Mac, go to Storage>Manage and specify the disk space.

Solution 2: It can be issue switching from WiFi network connection to Ethernet Cable directly while downloading. Again if you are having an error on downloading macOS Catalina 10.15, where the macOS Catalina stored, install macOS Catalina 10.15 on your drive. Delete them and restart your computer and try downloading again. However, if you are facing an error on download macOS Catalina go to App Store click on View my account see if there is anything on then click restart the download from there.

Fix macOS Catalina Install Problems

Before going to install macOS Catalina’s new operating system on your Mac computer. You should know the ways how to install it, there also a related article for installation you may read it. After that, make sure your selves that your Mac computer is compatible with macOS Catalina operating system, therefore, read below list computer which is compatible with macOS Catalina.

  • MacBook 2015 or newer
  • MacBook Air & Pro 2012 or newer
  • Mac Mini 2012 or newer
  • iMac 2012 or newer
  • iMac Pro 2017 and iMac Pro 2013 or newer

There is no need to download the macOS Catalina DMG file, therefore, navigate to the application folder and search for the file of “macOS Catalina 10.15”. After that, double click on that to begin the installation process. Again if you faced any problem during macOS Catalina installation, restart your Mac computer. After that, press Control+R, these keys will boot your installation to recovery mode. Then choose “Disk Boot” for normal boot, and remove any useless files from your hard drive to free up space.

Fix macOS Catalina Sidecar Problems

You know that Sidecar is one of recent macOS Catalina feature that announced in WWDC 2019 by Apple Inc. Then if you have a new iPad addition and Mac. In case, I introduce and suggest you use your iPad or tablet as a secondary display screen in your Mac. Indeed Sidecar is multiple taskers for illustrators.

Solution: Sidecar only can support iPad 6 newer, iPad Mini 5, iPad Air 3. However, you need to download Apple’s latest iOS version in your tablet to take advantage of the sidecar. If your iPad won’t be updated to the latest version then your Mac computer will not utilize this feature. Therefore, macOS Catalina 10.15 is heavier then macOS Mojave therefore, you need to have modern Mac computers consists of fair hardware. It means to use sidecar feature you must have iMac 2015 27-inch or newer, MacBook Pro 2016 or newer, Mac Mini 2018, Mac Pro 2019, MacBook Air 2018, or early 2016 MacBook or newer.

You can find Sidecar in your Mac’s system preferences menu. You need to enable Bluetooth, WiFi, and Handoff. In case, if you are having an old version of Mac or iPad then you cannot use sidecar.

Fix macOS Catalina Apps Problems

Though Apple introduced macOS Catalina and iOS most recent Apps that are cleanly work on Mac. Including native Apple, the solution to use new Apps in macOS Catalina and there will no older Apps. Additionally, most of 32-bits Apps, like 1Password, QuickBooks, VMware Fusion, and other Apps are out of luck in macOS Catalina. Even Adobe application older version is in trouble on macOS Catalina 10.15. Therefore, several good Antiviruses have gone with this policy of Mac. However, there is a 235 application that no more in macOS Catalina. Because macOS Catalina has the replacement of old version Apps to new version 64-bits. In that case, you have to upgrade the Apps in macOS Catalina from 32-bits to 64-bits. However, if you need those applications back to use then downgrade to macOS Mojave directly.

Fix macOS Catalina WiFi Problem

Still, we are not facing any big problem in macOS Catalina WiFi hardware or software. Therefore, there could be a problem will be connecting WiFi to a personal hotspot, don’t worry it has the solution to fix in a second or minute.

Solution: Navigate to the WiFi menu bar and turn off WiFi, wait till 15-20 seconds, and turn it on again. However, while I am facing this issue then this is the solution that I am doing. Again if your problem could not be solved than restart your Mac computer and try once again to connect.

Fix macOS Catalina Battery Life Problem

After upgrading to macOS Catalina you might face that your Mac battery life is shorter than the previous version of the macOS operating system. Similarly, you don’t know why? because some of the application is running in the background that works. After a few days, your battery life should be boosted up after closing background applications and turn to normal life. Again if you faced this error it means that you should update your applications to the new version.

However, click on the Battery icon on the top menu bar after that, the list of applications will appear and show you which are running in the background. That opened application will spend too much battery life, close all of them and save the battery life. If the solution is Apps update or closes the background Apps that is fine if not? then check the other settings of your Mac computer or charger.

Fix macOS Catalina Bluetooth Problem

To fix macOS Catalina Bluetooth issue in new macOS operating system macOS Catalina. However, when the Bluetooth is not working you might search for a solution. It can be many reasons that the device which you are going to connect is not working properly, or the Bluetooth driver is not set.

Solution: Open finder then click “Go” in the top menu bar after that, go to folder type in ‘/Library/Preferences’. After that, a file will open by the name of “com.apple.bluetooth.plist”. Then delete the files, or move to another folder and restart your computer for the Bluetooth connection. After that, create a new Bluetooth user and try again if it works.

Fix macOS Catalina Finder Problem

After upgrading to macOS Catalina operating system most of the users are inclusive with finder. However, it is easy to fix this issue on macOS Catalina. Therefore, just you need to copy-paste some codes after opening the terminal.

After that, a notification highlight will pop up, then select all files and delete them. After that, if you are fixed restart your Mac computer and coming back check that.

Fix macOS Catalina Adobe Problem

If you are using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, In-design, After Effect 32-Bits it means that Apple or macOS Catalina no longer support. And Adobe Apps 64-bits can be supported by macOS Catalina.

To fix this problem you have to update your 32-bits Apps to 64-bits. In case, the upgrading is free but need to be patient and have a nice internet connection. Because Adobe Apps is having a large file size, and you have to go to the creative cloud’s latest version.

Fix macOS Catalina Notifications Problem

However, besides lots of new update features in macOS Catalina, there is new notification control that developed in macOS Catalina. Therefore, if you are notifying by macOS Catalina on any App, it means you turn it off or that is disabled. That is simple to get turn it on or enable that. Navigate to “Setting” Click on “Notifications” click on “App” Toggle the “Notifications On”. The notification is customizable change it according to your wish, the Apps you don’t want to hear the notification simply turn that Off.

Fix macOS Catalina Mail Problem

After that, macOS Catalina released in public then users installed that in their computers. But Apple didn’t know about the big issue of the macOS Catalina Mail problem. The developer Michael Tsai reported a problem to macOS users with Mail problems in Missing message or incomplete messages while sending or receiving. After that, Michael Tsai warned the people do not update there Mac to macOS Catalina. If they are upgraded again he put a solution on how to fix the Mail problem. However, you can use the time machine to get you into the previous mail version. Again if the time machine could not work for you then downgrade from macOS Catalina to macOS Mojave.

Fix macOS Catalina Log in Problem

If you are facing a log in problem after installing macOS Catalina on your Mac computer. And you are stuck to log out from macOS Catalina, then as I have experienced this below solution might help you solve the problem. However, to fix this issue restart your computer and press hold command+S keys. After pressing your computer will boot to a command prompt therefore, you have to enter this below code in command.

Press enter key and paste this below code and again press enter.

After that, you entered these commands to restart your computer. Again create a new user for your Mac, don’t worry the above code only delete the user it will don’t your data.

Fix macOS Catalina Performance Problem

After that, you updated your Mac or MacBook to macOS Catalina. Therefore, you might face that macOS Catalina is running slow on your computer. It can be also much reason that your computer hardware is not compatible with macOS Catalina, or you did not perform a clean installation. In my case, running slow is a common and normal problem for the first time.

After a few days again if your computer is running down or slow. Then restart your computer, coming back navigate to Apps folder and check that the Apps are updated to the latest version. If any of Apps is not suitable with macOS Catalan then delete it. And restart your computer check the CPU performance or RAM and the Processor. However, again if the problem not fixed then upgrade your computer hardware like RAM, Processor, and SSD if not? Then downgrade from macOS Catalina to macOS Mojave.

Read Also: How to Fix macOS Mojave errors on VirtualBox & VMware

Bottom Line

This is the common Issue the most of you facing after updating your Mac or MacBook to macOS Catalina. However, soon we will have an article about macOS Catalina problems on VMware, VirtualBox Virtualization machines. And macOS Catalina still having some bugs wait until the bugs should fix by developers, it can be risky for you. And you might face security issues or cyber-attacks to your data. I recommend you to prevent from updating to macOS Catalina. However, that’s all about how to fix macOS Catalina 10.15 common issues. I hope you have gotten something from this article, remember if the article was useful for you then don’t forget to share your ideas, suggestion and feedback below in the comment section.

Apple’s latest macOS, Catalina, has just been released to the public last October 7, 2019 and you can now install it on your Mac, as long as your device meets the hardware requirements. First revealed during the WWDC 2019 conference in San Jose, California, macOS Catalina introduces some new exciting features and functionalities.

Problems Installing Catalina

As we say goodbye to iTunes, macOS Catalina brings in new apps and features to the table, including Apple Music, Podcasts Books, and TV. Another major feature is Sidecar, which can turn your iPad into another display. For ordinary users, this means getting a secondary display for free. For developers, on the other hand, this secondary screen can be used as a drawing tablet using supported apps.

With the release of macOS Catalina 10.15, a lot of Mac users are enthusiastic to install the newest Mac operating system. Just like the previous versions of macOS, some were able to upgrade without a hitch, but several users encountered various issues during downloading and installation of the update.

Some users experienced slow downloading of the update, while others got error messages when installing Catalina, including:

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  • Storage system verify or repair failed
  • This copy of the Install application can’t be verified. It may have been corrupted or tampered with during downloading.
  • An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running again.
  • Copy of install macOS application is damaged and can’t be used to install macOS.
  • There is not enough free space on the selected volume.

This guide will give you a detailed rundown of the most common macOS Catalina installation and update errors encountered by Mac users when upgrading or installing macOS Catalina, along with the instructions on how to deal with these hiccups.

Why macOS Catalina Won’t Install

Problems installing xcode catalina

Various problems can occur during the installation of macOS Catalina. If the installation won’t start, seems to freeze midway , or never seems to complete, then it means that there must be something wrong somewhere.

The first main reason why users can’t install macOS Catalina is compatibility problem. If your Mac doesn’t support macOS Catalina, you won’t be able to proceed with the installation. You need a fairly recent Mac to be able to run macOS Catalina. Here are the Mac models that support the newest macOS:

  • MacBook (2015) and later
  • MacBook Air (2012) and later
  • MacBook Pro (2012) and later
  • Mac Mini (2012) and later
  • iMac (2012) and later
  • iMac Pro (2017) and later
  • Mac Pro (2013) and later

If your device is not on this list, then you’re sure to run into problems when installing Catalina.

Another thing you need to check before installation is your available storage space. You will need around 6.5 GB just to download the installer. Once you’ve downloaded it, the amount of space you will need during the installation depends on whether you’re doing a clean install or an upgrade.

A clean install will eat up around 20 GB of storage. On top of that, you have to make room for apps, user data, and user updates. An upgrade install, on the other hand, will only take up 6.5 GB of space for the installer, plus some installation files that the installer will copy to your startup drive.

If you’re tight on storage space, you should consider removing unneeded apps and files on your Mac. You can uninstall the apps one by one, and delete cache files and data using Mac repair app. Make sure you have at least 25 GB of free space to be able to install macOS Catalina successfully.

Aside from compatibility issues and insufficient storage, poor internet connection, incomplete or corrupted installation files, hard disk problems, and faulty software can also cause issues during the installation of macOS Catalina.

Installation Checklist for macOS Catalina

Before proceeding with the installation, it is necessary to spend some time ticking off the checklist below. These steps will not only prevent errors from happening, but also ensure that your data remains safe in case something goes wrong.

  • Back up your Mac, especially your iTunes media library since Catalina will no longer have iTunes.
  • Take note of the 32-bit apps on your Mac . You will need to update them to the 64-bit version after upgrading, or find an alternative for them.
  • Delete old Install macOS files from your Applications folder. These old macOS installation files may cause error during the upgrade.
  • Remove all external drives and accessories.
  • Plug in your Mac’s power adapter.
  • Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you can now proceed with the upgrade.

How to Upgrade to macOS Catalina

The easiest way to download and install macOS Catalina is through the App Store on your Mac. Just open the App Store and search for macOS Catalina. Click the install button to start downloading, then click Continue.

You can also visit the macOS Catalina website and download the installer from there. The installer will be downloaded to the Applications folder on your Mac. Once downloaded, the installer will open by itself. Just follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with the installation. You might be asked to log in using your admin username and password during the process.

As long as your device is compatible with Catalina and you’ve followed the instructions, you’ll be able to successfully install the new macOS on your Mac. But if you encounter any error during the download or installation, refer to our guide below to sort out the issue.

Problem Installing Catalina On Macbook Pro

How to Fix Common Download Errors for macOS Catalina

Downloading the installer is the first step of the installation process. The installer takes up 6.5GB of storage, but you will need more space to be able to run the new macOS smoothly. If you have Automatic Updates enabled, the installer might already be downloaded on your device.

If the installer has not yet been downloaded, go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update to download Catalina.

If the downloading process gets stuck or is taking a long time to complete, here’s what you can do:

  1. Go to the Apple Server status website and check if the macOS Software Update‘s button is green. If not, then there’s probably some issues with the website, so you might need to try upgrading some other time.
  2. If the macOS Software Update is green, but you’re still having download problems, check your internet connection. Consider switching to a wired internet connection if possible.
  3. If the download is stuck for a long time, cancel it by clicking the X button.
  4. Switch to a different DNS server and retry the download again.

It might take a few attempts for the downloading to be successful, especially in the early days of the release of the update.

How to Fix Errors When Preparing for the Installation of macOS Catalina

Once you have successfully downloaded the installer to your device, the system then prepares your Mac for the installation process. There are users who encountered errors during this stage and came across the Error occurred preparing the installation. Try running the applicationagain message.

The first thing you need to do when you encounter this error is to reboot your Mac. You might need to restart your system a couple of times to deal with this problem. If the error doesn’t go away after rebooting, here are some steps you can try:

Check Your Mac’s System Date and Time.

An incorrect system time usually gets in the way of a lot of system processes, including updates. To make sure your Mac’s date and time are correct, follow the instructions below:

  1. Go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Date & Time.
  2. Tick off Set Date and Time Automatically.
  3. If the option is already checked, uncheck it then reboot your Mac.
  4. Go back to the Date and Time panel and check the option again.
  5. Next, try re-installing macOS Catalina.

Re-Download the Installer.

If the step above did not work, you might have to delete the macOS Catalina installer on your Applications folder. Find the Install macOS file in the Applications folder and move it to the Trash. Empty the Trash and reboot. Once your Mac restarts, try downloading the installer and then run the install process again.

Delete the Installinfo.plist File.

If you encounter the Copy of install macOS application is damaged and cant be used to install macOS error during the preparation of the installation, the best workaround is to delete the installinfo.plist from the installer package, then try re-installing.

To delete the installinfo.plist file, check out the steps below:

  1. Go to the Applications folder and look for the installer package for macOS Catalina. It is usually named Install macOS.
  2. Right-click on the file and select Show Package Contents.
  3. Click on Contents > SharedSupport.
  4. Delete the Installlnfo.plist inside the folder.
  5. Type in your admin password to confirm the action.
  6. Click on the installer to run it again.

How to Fix Catalina Installation Errors on Mac

After preparing your Mac, the system then proceeds to the installation process. There are different errors you might encounter at this stage, so you need to take note of the error message and at which stage it happened.

Here are some of the errors you may encounter during the installation process.

Stuck at Setting Up Screen

Installing Catalina Os Problems

When you’ve been stuck with the Setting up your Mac message for several hours or you encounter the dreaded spinning wheel, the best way to deal with this is to restart your device. Press the power button to shut down your Mac, then press it again to reboot.

Storage Space Problems

If you failed to optimize your storage space before the installation, you might come across errors related to insufficient storage space. You might see the macOS Could not be installed, the target disk is too small message or the There is not enough free space on the selected volume error.

This happens because you do not have enough space on your Mac. Free up some storage first before proceeding with the installation. You might need around 20GB to 25GB of space for macOS Catalina to run efficiently on your Mac.

Network Access Error

If you see a Code=551 error anytime during the installation process, you need to check your network settings. This error happens to devices with overactive firewall or those installed with third-party security software, such as VPN and antivirus. If this happens, disable this software first before trying to reinstall macOS Catalina.

Installation Doesn’t Complete

Sometimes, your Mac gets stuck with the x minutes remaining screen during the installation. When you encounter this problem, click the X button to exit the installation process and check your console logs. It is possible that your user account is corrupted, preventing your system from completing the installation process.

The only way to deal with this is to create another admin user account and install macOS Catalina using that account.

Mac Fails to Start After Update

You might think that everything is over once you finish the installation process and your Mac restarts. But sometimes, errors can still happen even after the installation has been completed. Some users reported getting stuck with a black screen, while others encounter the spinning wheel during the restart following the update.

This error is usually caused by incompatible or corrupted kext files. Kext or Kernel Extension files are the drivers for macOS. To check whether kext files are causing the error, move all of them out of your Extensions folder before rebooting your Mac.

To move your kext files, follow the steps below:

  1. Boot your Mac into Safe Mode by holding down the Shift key until you see the Apple logo.
  2. Open Terminal under the Utilities folder, then copy-paste the following command:

mkdir ~/Extensions-Backup && sudo mv /Library/Extensions/* ~/Extensions-Backup/

Once done, restart your Mac in normal mode and see if it goes through.

If All Else Fails, Do a Fresh Install.

Problems Installing Catalina 10.15.4

If you’re still having issues despite following the guide above, you may need to do a fresh install of macOS Catalina. To do this:

  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Press Power + Command + R keys to bring up the macOS Utilities screen .
  3. Click Reinstall macOS.
  4. Select Disk Utility > Erase HDD.
  5. Install the macOS Catalina from here.

Remember that erasing your HDD will delete all of your files and settings, so make sure you have a backup before doing a fresh install. This should hopefully take care of common macOS Catalina installation problems.