MacOS – MacBook App Store not downloading or updating apps

applicationsmac-appstoremacbook promacos

When I want to download an app (clicking on the cloud with arrow icon) or when I want to update an app (like XCode), the app gets the "square in circle" icon and stays like this forever.

clicking on the square does not stop/cancel the process
signing out and back in the App Store or restarting the MacBook (Big Sur) did not help (i.e. the same behaviour when signing back in or after restart.
there is Internet (since I see and choose App Store content)

Is there a command line (in the terminal) to force cancel a started download / update?
Is there a place (log file or already installed logging app) to see the errors why App Store is stuck?

Best Answer

A common solution is retry the operation in Safe mode.

Related Solutions

MacOS – No X button on App Store downloaded apps icons in Launchpad “jiggle mode”

You don't have to use Launchpad to remove applications. Just deleting the application bundle is still a supported way to remove or uninstall an application. If you also want to remove settings or cache files, delete the directory in ~/Library/Containers/. App Store applications are not allowed to install kernel extensions or preference panes, and any executables for helper processes are inside the application bundle and not in an Application Support directory.

When you remove an application from Launchpad, it is "uninstalled" by using uninstalld from Uninstall.framework, but in practice that only removes some support files (like ~/Library/Containers/*/Data/Library/Caches/) addition to the application bundle. Other support files like preferences files or sometimes even sqlite files for user data are not removed. See this question.

MacOS – App Store not launching

Since it is not clear what is not working I recommend following steps:

Trash that Dock Icon, then go to Finder applications and start it from there.

Or use iTunes to access it.

Once running right click and keep in Dock.

Possibly just use Disk Utility and restore/Repair preferences settings.

If it still not working, try with new preferences files.

Find them in ~/Library/Preferences/

com.apple.storeagent.plist
com.apple.appstore.plist

Quit all applications on your Mac, delete the two files above, and reboot your Mac.

If still not working use cmd+r to restore your OS installation..

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MacOS – No X button on App Store downloaded apps icons in Launchpad “jiggle mode”

MacOS – App Store not launching

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