Where apps hide your files

Finding the Install macOS app and update downloads

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

A full installer you download is an app called Install macOS in /Applications, while Software Update keeps its downloads in system folders it manages. Here is how to find each, fetch a specific version and decide whether to keep it.

The location

A full macOS installer that you download yourself, from the App Store or with softwareupdate, is an app in your main Applications folder:

/Applications/Install macOS <name>.app

For example Install macOS Sequoia.app or Install macOS Tahoe.app. Apple's bootable-installer instructions say the installer should be in the Applications folder and named Install followed by the version name. To list what you have, which changes nothing:

ls -d /Applications/Install\ macOS*
du -sh /Applications/Install\ macOS*

An empty result (or "No such file or directory") means no full installer is sitting there. The Mac used for this guide had none.

Updates you install from System Settings > General > Software Update work differently: they are fetched into system folders that macOS manages itself (covered below), not saved as an app you can see in Applications.

How the installer gets there

Apple's page on downloading macOS lists three ways to get a full installer, and where each puts it:

• Terminal (macOS Catalina 10.15 or later): the download goes to the Applications folder.
• App Store: the installer lands in Applications and then opens by itself. Quit it if you only wanted the download.
• A browser: Sierra 10.12, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mountain Lion and Lion come as a .dmg, saved to Downloads by default, that holds a .pkg. Running the .pkg puts the installer in Applications.

For the Terminal route, first see which versions your Mac is offered, then fetch one by number:

softwareupdate --list-full-installers
softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version <version>

Replace <version> with one of the version numbers from the list. Without --full-installer-version, --fetch-full-installer gets the latest recommended installer, and adding --launch-installer opens it when the download finishes. The man page says softwareupdate needs admin authentication for every command except --list, so expect a password prompt. If Terminal says the version isn't found, Apple says that version isn't available for your Mac.

Apple adds that in most cases you must download from a Mac that is compatible with the macOS you want, so a Mac that is too old for a release will not complete the download.

Where Software Update puts its downloads

There are two places, and neither is meant for you to tidy.

Separate product packages, such as Safari and Rosetta updates, are kept here:

/Library/Updates

On the Mac used for this guide it held two numbered folders, each with a Safari update .pkg (one about 244 MB), a Rosetta folder and two catalogue files, 454 MB in all. Everything in it is owned by root and carries the restricted flag, which means System Integrity Protection guards it, so leave it to macOS.

macOS updates and upgrades themselves are not .pkg files there. In recent versions of macOS, Software Update fetches them as system assets. On the Mac used for this guide, the folder for those assets held only a catalogue file, because no macOS update was waiting:

/System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate

Apple does not document the staging steps, so treat this as where to look, not as something to edit. macOS also mounts a hidden volume at /System/Volumes/Update, which, as its name suggests, takes part in preparing updates.

To look without changing anything:

ls -lO /Library/Updates
du -sh /Library/Updates
ls /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_MacSoftwareUpdate

Older guides mention a macOS Install Data folder at the top of the startup disk during an upgrade. It was not present on the Mac used for this guide and Apple's pages checked here do not mention it. If you see it, an install is probably in progress, so leave it alone.

If your Mac is full and a download fails, System Settings > General > Storage shows what is taking the space. Apple's download page says Software Update can use less storage to download and install updates than the other methods, so it is the first thing to try.

Size and what to do after installing

A full installer is several gigabytes. It stays in Applications until you remove it, and Apple's download page offers to "leave the installer in the Applications folder for later use", which suits a bootable USB drive or a second Mac that needs the same version.

If you do not need it, quit the installer if it is open, then drag it to the Trash in Finder and empty the Trash. You can fetch it again as long as Apple still offers that version for your Mac. Older installers are not always offered, so keep one if you rely on an old release.

Do not delete an installer while an upgrade is running or half finished.

Making a bootable installer

Apple's instructions use the createinstallmedia tool inside the installer app, run with sudo against a USB drive renamed MyVolume. For Sequoia, Apple's command is:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

This erases that drive (Apple says it is reformatted as Mac OS Extended, Journaled), so use an empty USB drive and check the volume name twice. Other versions use the same form with their own app name; copy the line from Apple's page for your version rather than from a forum. Once the drive is made, Apple says you can delete the installer from Applications.

Which version an installer is

The app name gives the release. Selecting the installer and pressing ⌘I in Finder shows a Version field, but that is the installer app's own version number, which may not match the macOS version. For exact versions on offer, softwareupdate --list-full-installers is the reliable list.

Why a normal search misses them

/Applications is easy to see, but /Library/Updates and /System/Library/AssetsV2 are system folders, and their contents have names like Safari27.2SequoiaAuto.pkg or a bare number. A Finder search for "macOS" will find the installer app but not the update packages.

Tracking installers down later

Typing Install macOS into Everywhere lists every installer app on the startup disk, each with its folder, so a forgotten copy in Downloads or on the Desktop stands out from the one in Applications; those two folders, and any external drive, are searched once it has Full Disk Access. Typing InstallAssistant or .pkg turns up full-installer packages and update packages you saved long ago. It searches names only, and the hidden Update volume is never indexed, so an update that is mid-preparation will not show up there.

Common questions

Where does macOS download the installer?

A full installer fetched from the App Store or with softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer goes to /Applications as Install macOS <name>.app. Browser downloads of older releases arrive as a .dmg in Downloads whose .pkg puts the installer in Applications.

Where are macOS updates downloaded from System Settings?

Separate packages such as Safari and Rosetta updates go to /Library/Updates. macOS updates themselves arrive as system assets under /System/Library/AssetsV2, and both places are protected by System Integrity Protection, so leave them to macOS.

Can I delete the Install macOS app?

Yes, once no upgrade is running: quit it and drag it to the Trash. You can download it again if Apple still offers that version for your Mac, but keep it if you need it for a bootable USB drive.

How do I see which macOS installers I can download?

Run softwareupdate --list-full-installers in Terminal and enter your administrator password if asked. It lists the versions available for your Mac without downloading anything.