Over the last few months, EIT has been asking that all computers be updated to macOS 26 Tahoe. This request was because NCSU Campus IT was moving from a statewide UNCG system to an NCSU-only system for Mac management. The changeover to the NCSU system has been completed, and with the changeover come changes to how the Macs work.

We are all used to seeing a notification in the upper right of the screen that macOS has an update. Those notifications will still appear, but the text of some is different. Updates to the macOS system itself now have a timer on them. Read the notification, and you will find some have a date by which the update must be completed.

This is a big difference. You used to be able to put off updates almost indefinitely by closing the little window. Now, if you have not completed the update by that date, the computer will complete the update for you. The type of update this self-completion is used for will almost always require a reboot.

The automatic update will happen sometime on the day that was shown in the notifications. There is no way to stop the update or delay it. You will lose control of your computer for the duration of the update and reboot process. The computer chooses the update time. In reality, the start time is random, but it will almost always be at a time that is very inconvenient for you.

To prevent the update and reboot from happening at a bad time, complete the update yourself. When the computer shows the update notice, please read it. Complete the update before the listed date, if there is one. Most of the time, these mandatory updates take 15 to 45 minutes to complete.

You can complete the update by going to System Settings > General > Software Update. Once you start the update, you can leave the computer unattended while it finishes. We recommend running the updates as you are heading to lunch or at the end of the day.