Here’s How Long the macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 Update Takes

Apple’s macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 update is a small upgrade, but it could take quite a bit of time to install on your Mac.

macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 is the latest version of macOS Big Sur and the software is available to download right now if you’ve held off on an upgrade to macOS Monterey or if your Mac isn’t compatible with Apple’s most up-to-date operating system.

The macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 update doesn’t have any features or bug fixes on board, but it does bring a bunch of important security patches to Mac users.

If you’ll be moving your Mac up from macOS Big Sur 11.6.7, the macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 download will be fairly large. It will be 1GB+ for most Mac models.

If you’re upgrading from an older version of macOS to macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, the download could be a lot larger. The installation could also take a lot longer.

While some of you might want to skip macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 for the time being, most people should install the software right now or at some point in the near future.

If you decide to install macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 on your Mac, you’ll want to set aside some time to get the upgrade properly installed on your computer.

Moving your device from one version of macOS to another can cause problems so you’ll want to monitor the download and installation.

We can’t tell you exactly how long the process will take because it will vary. That said, we can help you approximate how much time you should set aside should you choose to install the firmware on your device.

If you’ve prepared for the move, and you’re on a fast Wi-Fi connection, it could take less than 20 minutes to complete.

Pre-Installation

Make sure you’re prepared before you start the macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 download.

If you don’t know how to properly prepare for a macOS upgrade, take a look at our pre-installation guide. It’ll walk you through the most important steps to take before you initiate the process.

You might be able to get through these steps in 30 minutes, but it all depends on your skill level and the current state of your Mac.

If you haven’t backed up your data in awhile or you if you aren’t familiar with macOS Big Sur 11.6.8, the pre-installation process could take you a lot longer.

You don’t need to follow every single step in the guide, but at the very least you’ll want to make sure your Mac’s data is backed up properly.

macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 Download

Once you’ve prepared, it’s time to start the download process.

Again, the exact size of your macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 download will depend on your model and the version of macOS you’re currently running. If your Mac is connected to a fast Wi-Fi network, the download could finish up in less than 10 minutes.

If your connection is slower, you’re downloading at peak hours, or if you’re moving to macOS Big Sur from older macOS software, you’ll probably be looking at a much longer process.

macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 Installation

Once your device is done pulling macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 from Apple’s servers, the installation process will begin.

The macOS Big Sur 11.6.8 installation could take around 10 minutes to complete. It took just around that to install the software on a MacBook Pro (2016).

Your Mac might reboot itself a couple of times during the installation process, but this is perfectly normal. Your device should boot up normally once the installation process completes.

Post-Installation

After the installation finishes up, you might need to spend time logging into iCloud, signing into your device’s various apps and services, and/or setting up Apple Pay.

You also might want to spend some time checking your important data (photos, music, etc) to make sure it carried over properly to the new version of macOS Big Sur.

After you do that, make sure you test your core applications and services to ensure they’re working normally. If you notice an issue with one or more of your apps, try downloading the latest version. Developers are rolling out support updates.

You’ll also want to poke around your Mac for bugs and performance issues. If you notice something take a look at our list of fixes for common macOS problems.

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