Have you ever encountered macOS Sonoma beta update not showing up? Well, that's so sad when you are excited about the new features and you don't have access to it. But don't worry, if you are facing the issue and searching for its solution, your search will certainly end here.

In this article, we will discuss everything about this issue including why is the Mac update not showing up and what is its solution. After reading this article, you will get all the Sonoma Beta Updates.

macOS Sonoma beta update not showing up
  1. Part 1: Why is My Mac Not Showing Sonoma Beta Update?
  2. Part 2: How to Fix macOS Sonoma Beta Update Not Showing Up?
  3. Bonus Tip: How to Recover Lost Data after macOS Sonoma Beta Update?

Part 1: Why is My Mac Not Showing Sonoma Beta Update?

If the macOS update not showing up in app store, there are a few reasons why this might be happening. Here are some possible explanations:

  1. You are not part of the Apple Developer Program: To access the Sonoma beta update, you need to be a member of the Apple Developer Program. If you're not a member, you will not find the macOS Sonoma beta update.
  2. You haven't enabled beta updates: If you haven't turned on the option to receive beta updates on your Mac, the Sonoma beta update won't appear in the software update section.
  3. Your Mac is not compatible: The Sonoma beta update is only available for certain models of Mac computers. If your Mac is not one of those models, macOS update not showing up when you check for software updates.

Part 2: How to Fix macOS Sonoma Beta Update Not Showing Up?

If you're experiencing macOS Sonoma beta update not showing up, there are a few methods you can try to resolve the problem.

Method 1. Check Compatibility

To ensure the macOS Sonoma Beta update is compatible with your device, follow these steps:

Step 1. Click on the black Apple icon located in the corner of your screen. Now, Select "About this Mac" from the drop-down menu.

mac os update not showing up

Step 2. You'll find detailed information about your Mac on the screen that appears.

Now that you know your Mac model, you can compare it with the following list to see if your device is compatible with macOS Sonoma:

  1. iMac (2019 or later)
  2. iMac Pro (2017)
  3. MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  4. MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
  5. Mac Mini (2018 or later)
  6. Mac Pro (2019 or later)
  7. Mac Studio (all models)
  8. macOS Ventura 13.4 or newer

If your Mac model is not on this list, it means your device is likely unable to download and install macOS Sonoma.

Method 2. Shut Down and Restart Your Mac

You can try this simple solution: shut down your Mac completely and then turn it on again. Sometimes, when the processor gets overloaded or the App Store acts up, restarting the system can help. By shutting down your Mac and giving it a fresh start, the App Store may be able to identify which apps need updates and which ones are already up to date.

Important: It's better to shut down the system fully instead of restarting it, as restarting would just reload the operating system and waste time.

Method 3. Refresh Software Updates to show macOS Sonoma updates

To refresh the Software Update on your Mac when you encounter the "Unable to check for update" error or no available updates are showing, you can try the following steps:

Step 1. Open the "System Preferences" on your Mac. You can do this by clicking on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen and selecting "System Preferences" from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. In the System Preferences window, locate and click on the "Software Update" option. This will open the Software Update settings.

macOS Sonoma beta Update Not Showing Up

Step 3. Click on the "Check for Update" button to search for the latest Sonoma updates. If the macOS Sonoma beta update is available, it should appear in the list of updates. You can proceed to click on the "Update Now" button to start the installation process.

macos software update not showing up

Method 4. Check the Internet Connection on Mac

To fix the issue of the macOS Sonoma Beta update not showing up, you can try checking the internet connection on your Mac. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you:

  1. Click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen. Select "System Preferences" from the drop-down menu.
  2. Click on "Network" in the System Preferences window. Look for the green dot next to your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, which indicates that you are connected to the internet.
  3. If you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, click on the "Advanced" button, then select the "TCP/IP" tab to view your IP address, router address, and other network information.

By following these steps, you can check your internet connection and ensure that it is functioning properly. This will increase the chance of being able to access the macOS Sonoma Beta update.

Method 5. Clear App Store Cache with the Help of Finder

Clear App store cache is another effective method to fix macOS Sonoma Beta update not showing up.

You can follow the steps below:

  1. Open a new Finder window by clicking on the Finder icon in the Dock or by pressing Command + N on your keyboard.
  2. Click on "Go" in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then select "Go to Folder..." from the drop-down menu. In the "Go to Folder" dialog box, type in the following path and press Enter: “~/Library/Caches/com.apple.appstore/”

    mac os update not showing up in app store
  3. This will take you to the App Store cache folder. Select all the files in this folder and move them to the Trash.
  4. Next, go to the "com.apple.appstoreagent" folder and remove files from there as well.
  5. Once you have moved the files to the Trash, empty it to permanently delete the cache files.

    why is the mac update not showing up

Method 6. Reinstall the macOS Sonoma Beta Profile

Now, anyone can download and install the macOS Sonoma developer beta for free!

Previously, Mac users had to pay a $99 fee to enroll in the developer program. However, Apple has made a change in their policy and now allows anyone who has signed up as a developer to freely download and install beta software, including macOS Sonoma beta, iPadOS 17 beta, iOS 17 beta, watchOS 10 beta, and tvOS 17 beta, without the annual membership fee.

If you want to install or reinstall macOS Sonoma beta, you can visit Apple's developer page and sign up using your Apple ID. Once you've done that, follow these steps to download and install the macOS Sonoma beta:

  1. Open System Settings and go to General > Software Update.

    Why is my Mac not showing software updates?
  2. Click on the info button (the one with a circle and an "i" inside) located next to "Beta updates."
  3. Choose the macOS Sonoma Developer beta.
  4. If you want to install macOS Sonoma on your main system, click on "Upgrade Now."

If you encounter an issue where the macOS Sonoma developer beta is not showing up in the System Settings, despite having a developer account, you can try the following tips:

  1. Make sure your Mac is signed in with the Apple ID you used to enroll in the Apple Developer program.
  2. Upgrade your Mac to macOS 13.4 or later.
  3. Close System Settings and check Software Update again. If the issue persists, try restarting your Mac and trying again.

Bonus Tip: How to Recover Lost Data after macOS Sonoma Beta Update?

There is always a risk of data loss when updating your operating system, especially when installing beta updates. While macOS Sonoma beta update has undergone testing and quality assurance, there is still a chance that it could cause data loss or other issues. But don’t worry, you can use 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery to recover your lost data in a few minutes. Below is the step-by-step guide to recover lost data from your hard drive on Mac with this dependable tool.

  1. First, install and open 4DDiG-Mac. Then, select a location on your computer. When you move your mouse over the chosen location, a small icon with the word "Scan" will appear in the bottom right corner. Click on "Scan" to start searching for all the files that were lost.

    Select a Location-macOS Sonoma Beta Download
  2. The scanning process may take some time as it goes through all the deleted files. Once the scanning is done, you can click on specific types of files to see more details and preview them.

    Scan and Preview-macOS Sonoma Beta Download
  3. When you've found the files you want to recover, click on the "Recover" button. Then, choose a location on your computer to save the files you've found.

    Recover Mac Files-update to macOS 14

Conclusion

So, these were a few solutions for the macOS Sonoma beta update not showing up. First of all, you need to identify why is my Mac not showing software updates. Then you can try the different solutions discussed above.

In case you reinstall the macOS Sonoma Beta Profile, there is a chance of losing the disk data. But you can easily recover the data using 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery. This software provides a very easy and convenient solution for recovering your disk data. Don't hesitate to try it!

4DDiG - Mac/Windows Data Recovery

Tenorshare 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery

Tenorshare 4DDiG Mac data recovery is a professional Mac recovery software that can recover data from Mac hard drives after emptying the trash, updating the OS, formatting the disk, etc. Over 1000+ formats are supported for Mac data recovery.

(Click to rate this post)

You rated 4.5 ( participated)