Try going on a junk file cleaning spree to free up more disk space. Even if you have the bare minimum of storage needed, it’s always a good idea to have some breathing room. Your Mac will refuse to download a system software update if it doesn’t have sufficient disk space. In most cases, your Mac should end up completing it without issues. Then, select Upgrade Now/ Update Now to re-download it. Hover the cursor over the progress bar and select the x-shaped icon to stop the download. If sitting on your hands doesn’t seem to help, try canceling and downloading the system software update from scratch. You must also expect slow or stuck downloads on the release day of a major macOS update.
If the Software Update timer starts stalling or increasing, the best course of action is to wait it out for at least an hour the download may very well end up picking steam suddenly. System software downloads usually don’t complete at optimal speeds due to various factors such as network congestion and server load. If it appears to get stuck at some point, however, here’s what you should do. Fix System Software Stuck While Downloading on Macīefore installing a system software update on the Mac, you must download it using the built-in Software Update tool.