Apple's new macOS Sierra is now out, and it brings a number of neat features and improvements, but it also has some issues that may give you a slight headache.
The download and installation process may go pretty painlessly for some users, but others may encounter some difficulties with upgrading from OS X 10.11 El Capitan. We've put together a list of the most common macOS Sierra issues and how to fix them, starting with installation problems and moving on to other common occurrences.
MacOS Sierra Crashes Or Freezes When Installing
If you're trying to install the latest macOS Sierra and your Mac suddenly crashes or freezes, fret not, as it's not a very serious problem. First off, before proceeding with the macOS Sierra installation, it's recommended to disable or uninstall any antivirus software you have installed on your Mac. Otherwise, this may cause some issues.
If it already crashed, press the power button and hold the Shift key until you can boot your Mac into Safe Mode. From there, try to install the upgrade again. If your Wi-Fi connection is not stable or strong enough, now would be a good time to shift to a wired connection before downloading and installing again.
Not Enough Hard Drive Space To Install macOS Sierra
While attempting to install macOS Sierra, you may get an error message notifying you that you have insufficient hard drive space to install the OS. Should this occur, restart your device and boot it into Safe Mode by turning it off, waiting for 10 seconds and then pressing the power button.
When you hear the startup tone, press and hold the Shift key and release it only when the Apple logo appears. In Safe Mode, you can delete files you don't need to free up some space. Once you've got that solved, restart your Mac and reattempt to install macOS Sierra.
MacOS Sierra Installed, But Will Not Start
If you've managed to install the latest OS but your Mac doesn't start, restart the device and press and hold Command, Option, P and R at the same time. This will reset the non-volatile RAM (NvRAM) and should solve the issue. Release the keys only when you hear the startup chime for the second time.
MacOS Sierra Apps Get "Damaged And Can't Be Opened' Error
After upgrading to macOS Sierra, some apps may show an error message that they're damaged and cannot be opened. Should you get this error, delete the cache by opening the Finder window > Go > Go to Folder. From there, type /Library/Caches in the text box that pops up and remove the data inside every folder. Do the same with /Library/Caches.
Next up, hold down the same combination of keys as above (Command, Option, P and R). If the apps are still having trouble loading, press and hold Command and Option when clicking the app's icon.
Mac Runs Slower After Upgrading To MacOS Sierra
If you've upgraded and you notice that your Mac is operating more slowly, there are a couple of tricks you can try to speed it up again. If the device is still running slowly even after a restart, check what apps seem to be taking a lot of RAM and force-quit them. To see which apps are gobbling up your RAM, go to /Application/Utilities and fire up Activity Monitor. To force-quit a hungry app, select it in the Activity Monitor, click the X on the left and confirm.
It may also be a good idea to delete the cache. To do so, follow the same steps described above for apps that won't start.
Slow Wi-Fi On MacOS Sierra
Some users may struggle with slower Wi-Fi speeds after moving to macOS Sierra, but this may be easily solved by deleting the current Wi-Fi preferences and restarting your Mac and router or modem afterward.
These are just the most common macOS Sierra issues users have encountered so far, but there may also be other problems affecting the experience. If you've stumbled upon some other issue not mentioned here, leave us a comment and tell us all about it.
If you have yet to take the step, you can check out our guide on how to download and install macOS Sierra.
