Soon after Apple released macOS Big Sur to the public, a lot of users reported that they cannot install macOS Big Sur on their 2013-2014 MacBook Pro. Luckily, Apple has published a new support document for this issue recently. Read on to know how to fix the 2013-2014 13″ MacBook Pro installation issues.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Update Issue on Older 13-inch MacBook Pro
To be more specific, macOS Big Sur is having compatibility issues with some older MacBook models like the 2013 and 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro. Owners of these models reported that their machines were bricked during the installation process of the new OS. After a few days of waiting, Apple finally provided instructions to fix this macOS Big Sur installation bug.
The support document contains a few steps that 2013-2014 MacBook Pro owners need to follow, if they’re unable to install macOS Big Sur on their laptop. So, whether your Mac shows an “update cannot be installed on this computer” error or it’s simply a black screen, here is what Apple recommends users to do right now:
- Press and hold the power button on your Mac for at least 10 seconds, then release. This will turn off your Mac.
- Next, unplug all external devices from your device, including any displays and USB accessories. Also, you need to remove any card inserted in the SDXC card slot.
- After that, turn your Mac back on.
- If the issue persists, reset the SMC and reset NVRAM or PRAM.
However, if none of these solutions work, the company advises us to contact Apple Support for further assistance, and it’s likely that this support article will be updated soon with more information about the problem.
Related article: How to Reset SMC on New iMac, Mac Mini, & Mac Pro with T2 Chip
Why Does this Error Only Happen on 2013-2014 MacBook Pro?
Apple hasn’t provided more details about what is causing the problem or whether the company is working on an update to fix it.
However, after digging around, we found out that the macOS installer has a distribution file inside. And, for this release, the file name is “001-83532.English.dist”.
Here, macOS Big Sur compatible Macs are listed in this file as BoardID for older devices and DeviceIDs for newer models. So, the BoardID for 2013-2014 13″ MacBook Pro is: Mac-189A3D4F975D5FFC
You can see the list of supported BoardIDs and the “Mac-189A3D4F975D5FFC” was removed from Big Sur 11.0.1 (20B50). This could be the reason why you’re not able to install this macOS on 2013-2014 MacBook Pro.
Related article: How to Fix Errors with macOS Big Sur Downloading
The Bottom Line
Despite being a major update, the macOS Big Sur is still having a lot of bugs and issues. So, if you’re unable to install this OS on your Mac, follow the above steps to see if it helps. For people who haven’t installed the new OS yet, our advice here is to hold off on updating your Mac operating system until the next update arrives.
Did you have problems when installing macOS Big Sur on your Mac? Let us know about how your experience with the new OS has been so far in the comments!
