How to update all your Mac applications

App updates offer new features, security fixes and improve the stability of existing software. Unfortunately, not all Mac applications update the same. Some take care of themselves, while others need a push from you. Here's what you need to know to keep all your Mac software up to date.

How to update apps from the Mac App Store

Applications installed through the Mac App Store are updated using the same storefront. You don't need to worry about doing this manually, as long as you have activated automatic updates. Your Mac will check for updates periodically and then download and apply them as needed.

Despite this, you can still check for updates manually if you want. To do it, abra Mac App Store haciendo clic en él en el Dock o en la carpeta “Applications”, or looking for it in Spotlight. Click on “Upgrades” en la barra lateral para ver las que están pendientes.

Verá un botón “To update” junto a las aplicaciones con actualizaciones pendientes; click on it to manually trigger the update. If there are no updates, the Mac App Store will show you the most recently installed apps, along with a brief description of what was changed. Click on “Plus” junto a cada entrada para obtener más información.

You can enable automatic updates by launching the Mac App Store, clicking on Mac App Store> Preferencias en el menú en la parte de arriba y después seleccionando “Automatic Updates”.

How to update apps that you didn't buy from the App Store

Apps you have installed outside of the Mac App Store may or may not be updated. This varies from application to application. Despite this, the most common popular free apps, like Chrome, such as Transmission BitTorrent client, and paid apps that are actively being developed will likely notify you of any pending updates.

You may see a notification when you start an application that tells you that a new version is available. Often, you can click on “To update” para cerrar la aplicación y actualizarla. Additionally you may have the option to delay or cancel the update entirely. Despite this, not all apps will notify you of a pending update.

For some, tendrá que buscar en los menús de la parte de arriba para hallar la opción “Search for updates”. With more frenquency, you can click Help> Search for updates, but it can also be in the menu with the name of the application. In Transmission, as an example, I would click Stream> Search for updates.

Some apps don't actively check for updates, and there's not much you can do beyond remembering to do it yourself. Also not all apps update properly. Some will offer to download and apply the update, while others will take you to the home page of the app so that you can manually download the new version.

Sometimes, you will be notified when a new version of an app is available, but you will have to download it yourself. This will also require you to replace the old version manually. For best results, haga clic con el botón derecho en la versión anterior en la carpeta “Applications” y después elija “Move to Trash” (even if you don't empty the Trash yet).

After downloading the new version, copie el archivo de la aplicación en la carpeta “Applications” y después ejecute la aplicación para asegurarse de que funcione como se esperaba. If you see an error like the one below, you may need to bypass Gatekeeper restrictions.

If the new version doesn't work or the changes aren't ideal for your workflow, you can delete the new version and restore the old one from Trash. To do it, simplemente haga clic con el botón derecho en el archivo y después seleccione “Relocate”.

When the application is working as expected, you can empty the Trash, just right click on the icon in the Dock.

Some applications depend on other ecosystems

You must update some applications through their own application store or loader. Some examples of this include the Adobe suite, which depends on the Creative Cloud desktop app, and games installed through Steam.

In general, these apps cannot be updated manually, so you will need to open the launcher to see and install any pending updates.

How to update Safari extensions

If you are running macOS Catalina or later, Safari extensions are installed through the Mac App Store. Se actualizan a través de la página “Upgrades”, just like any other app on the Mac App Store. They will also be updated without a notice., siempre que las “Automatic Updates” estén habilitadas.

In macOS versions prior to Catalina, you may need to check for updates manually in Safari> preferences> Extensions. Simplemente haga clic en una extensión y después haga clic en “Search for updates” si esa opción está allí.

Do you use Chrome or Firefox? Your extensions must be managed by the browser itself. Chrome tends to deal with these on its own terms, but it can also force Chrome to update the extensions, If you prefer.

How to update Homebrew applications

Homebrew is a command line based package manager that enables you to install popular applications via the command line. Homebrew works much like Linux package managers. Makes downloading and updating apps quick and easy without having to manually download or click anything.

To update apps through Homebrew, you will need to install them through Homebrew. If you don't already have Homebrew installed on your Mac, this will not really apply. Despite this, if it does, you can force an update check for all Homebrew apps with a single command.

First, abra “Terminal” buscándolo en “Spotlight” o navegando a Aplicaciones> Utilities. Type the following and press Enter to update Homebrew:

brew update

Homebrew will update itself and its app catalog if necessary. Next, type the following and hit Enter:

brew outdated

This will look for outdated apps. Then you can run the following to update everything:

brew upgrade

To update a specific application, debe conocer su “formula”. This is the label that Homebrew uses to identify applications. As an example, Firefox utiliza “now.”. Then, to update Firefox specifically, I would execute the following:

brew upgrade firefox

You can see the Homebrew documentation for more commands.

You can always check versions manually

Si no está seguro de si una aplicación está actualizada y no puede hallar el botón “Search for updates” en ninguna parte, you can always check it manually.

To do it, start the application and then click on the menu with your name at the top of the screen. Click on “In relation to ” para ver información sobre la aplicación, including its version number.

You can now head over to the app's home page and check if a new version is available. If there is, puede descargarlo y actualizarlo de la forma que describimos en la sección anterior “Cómo actualizar aplicaciones que no compró en la App Store”.

It is essential to keep the software up to date and the same goes for macOS. You can learn how to update macOS to the latest version to keep your machine as secure as possible..

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