Editing MacOS (section)

=== Updating methods ===
{{Anchor|Functionality|Software Update}}

macOS can be updated using the Software Update settings pane in [[System Settings]] or the <code>softwareupdate</code> [[command line]] utility. Until [[OS X Mountain Lion|OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion]], a separate [[List of macOS components#Software Update|Software Update]] application performed this functionality. In Mountain Lion and later, this was merged into the [[Mac App Store]] application, although the underlying update mechanism remains unchanged and is fundamentally different from the download mechanism used when purchasing an App Store application. In [[macOS Mojave|macOS 10.14 Mojave]], the updating function was moved again to the Software Update settings pane.

Most Macs receive six or seven years of macOS updates. After a new major release of macOS, the previous two releases still receive occasional updates, but many security vulnerabilities are only patched in the latest macOS release.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |date=2022-10-27 |title=Apple clarifies security update policy: Only the latest OSes are fully patched |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/apple-clarifies-security-update-policy-only-the-latest-oses-are-fully-patched/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212160619/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/apple-clarifies-security-update-policy-only-the-latest-oses-are-fully-patched/ |url-status=live }}</ref>