Unable to install macOS Sequoia update 15.4 on my MacBook Pro

after erase i cannot install Sequoia 15.4 on my macbook air m1, after installing and restarting the notebook says „the version of macOS on the selected disk needs to be reinstalled“

this happen over and over again

I just wanted to know why the **** is Apple not commenting on this?

It is clear that affected thousands of people.

Dreadful experience here:

Facing the same issue and it completely damaged my system .

I had the same message as OP posted, and at some point my laptop was able to restart , proceeded with the update but failed.

At this Point, I was unable to start the laptop anymore, I was stuck in a boot loop forever.

• I tried recovery mode to run some diagnose and fix but amongst all the options available Only Reinstall Sonoma was possible.
• My current Volume was marked as "unable to downgrade", so I had to create a new disk and install Sonoma there.
• For 24 hours, now I have been installing Sonoma, upgrading to Sequoia 15.3.2 and moving ALL my Data over ! Stressful and losing time unable to work !
• At this point , I have 2 systems running 15.3.2, only one is bootable though.
• The new OS is still proposing to update every once in a while but unable to upgrade to 15.4 .
• I WILL NOT risk to update it before Apple fix it for sure.

Same problem here.

M1 mac mini running 14.7.5.

The only mildly unusual things this mac mini are that (1) it's using an Apple brand USBC to VGA adapter plugged into a KVM switch connected to a VGA monitor, and (2) and I'm screen sharing using ARD.

Try using Software Update

Update to 15.4 using the Software Update Control panel: fails with a kernel panic, reboots back in 14.7.5.

Repeated: happened again.

Try with Full Installer

• Downloaded the full "Install macOS Sequoia" installer app (15GB) by going to the Mac App Store, searching for Sequoia, and clicking the "Get" button to download it. (I downloaded on another mac (M4), then copied the file over to the ~/Downloads folder using ARD, then moved it to /Applications)
• Launch the full installer app: the installer runs, asks to Restart, then reboots. Progress bar comes up saying "about 11 minutes", then 5 minutes, then 3 minutes.
• End result: it reboots back in 14.7.5 with another kernel panic:

You won't believe what happened after `sudo softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer -a --launch-installer -R`

It downloaded Sonoma MacOS and surely rejected it to launch. I have no clue why Sonoma if I'm on macOS Sequoia (MacBook Pro M3Pro)

Here's the solution: update to Sequoia 15.3.2, as 15.4 looks broken, at least on the M1 arch.

Here's how you can do this:

• Download the installer:

sudo softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.3.2 --launch-installer -R

• Run the installer and wait for it to complete.

Here is how I fixed. Maybe there is shorter path to do this.

1. run command

`sudo softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer -a --launch-installer -R`

It will download full installer into /Applications

2. Start installer Install macOS Sequoia.app from Applications

3. selected disk and proceed to the process where progress bar appeared and estimation time showed up, wait a bit and then cancel.

I think at this point it did some cleanup.

4. Went back to the System Settings and click on Update.

Now I see message to accept terms and conditions, click agree and it starts downloading update.

From this point at goes as normal.

This is precisely the problem I'm having. Earlier this year an iOS update did the same thing to my iPhone; stuck in the infinite reboot loop with no option but to wipe the system. Over 30 years using Apple products, I can't recall ever having this kind of catastrophic failure, let alone twice in six months. Sure, there were bad updates that got next-day patches, but a "you need to wipe your entire hard drive and start all over again" kind of failures just never happened.

Now I have to spend my weekend resetting and reinstalling and re-setting up the system.

This is a MacBook Pro 14" M3.

The upgrade was suggested by the system itself in Settings; I was just using the normal upgrade mechanism.

macOS 15.3.2 -> 15.4 was attempted.

After spending a lot of time, the conclusion is:

15.4 is the problem.

For anyone is encountering this issue, install 15.3.2 and wait for next update.

Do not waste anytime on this...

Many users with M1-based Macs are experiencing serious issues when trying to install or upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15.4. These include kernel panics, repeated reboots, “unable to downgrade” errors, and the message: “The version of macOS on the selected disk needs to be reinstalled.” This happens both with standard upgrades and clean installs. It appears to be a software bug introduced in macOS Sequoia 15.4, likely affecting Apple Silicon (M1/M2) systems due to low-level driver changes (e.g., AppleT8020DART).

Here is a working solution:

• Download the earlier version of macOS Sequoia 15.2 on another Mac.
• Open Terminal and run:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.2

• Create a bootable USB installer.
• Plug in a USB drive (at least 16 GB), open Disk Utility, and erase it using:
  • Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
  • Scheme: GUID Partition Map
  • Name: MyInstaller
• Then run in Terminal:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyInstaller

• Boot your M1/M2 Mac from the USB installer.
  • Shut down the Mac.
  • Press and hold the Power button until “Loading startup options” appears.
  • Select the USB installer and click Continue.
• Erase the internal disk. This step is critical:
  • In the macOS Utilities screen, open Disk Utility.
  • Click “View” and choose “Show All Devices.”
  • Select the top-level internal disk (e.g., “APPLE SSD”).
  • Click Erase, and follow the prompts.
  • On newer Macs, you’ll see a simplified prompt saying that all data on Macintosh HD will be erased and the Mac will restart.
  • Confirm and proceed.
  • Do not attempt to erase “macOS Base System” or any “macOS disk image” — these are part of the USB installer and should remain.

Important: This will permanently erase all user data on the Mac, including files, applications, and settings.

• Reinstall macOS Sequoia: After the Mac reboots, it will return to the macOS installer. Proceed with installing macOS Sequoia onto the newly erased disk.
• Once installed, your Mac should boot normally into Sequoia 15.2 without the issues seen in 15.4. Avoid upgrading to 15.4 until Apple releases a fix.
• If you already attempted to install 15.4 and are now stuck, you must erase the disk as described above. Simply trying to install an older version like 15.2 over a failed 15.4 install will usually result in errors such as “unable to downgrade."

Additional note:

Recovery Mode requires an internet connection to fully function. When entering a Wi-Fi password, your keyboard may default to a QWERTY layout, even if your usual layout is different. Changing the layout from the top-right language selector may not work, so you should type your Wi-Fi password as if using a QWERTY keyboard.

The funny thing is that if you click 'download,' MacOs shows 15.4 in the process of downloading, but I'm not sure if I want to do a full re-installation on a corporate-managed machine. Will it preserve all of my files and settings? I just wanted to update as usual, but it constantly gives me that error. I have no clue how to fix it. ( I tried literally everything.)

Had same problem: couldn't update from 15.3.2 to 15.4.

No error codes, just a message that update couldn't be installed.

Solution: shut down computer, reboot in safe mode (hold power button and when choosing volume: hold shift).

Then run update.

We've been facing this at my workplace. I spent some time testing things and the one thing that actually ended up working is running the following script:

sudo softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 15.4 --launch-installer -R

Pretty much pulls the full installer for 15.4 and will download it to your Mac. It should auto launch the installer after (Don't worry it will not wipe the device). If it doesn't auto launch the installer should be in the applications folder in finder.

I've literally given up trying to update to version 15.4

I've tried everything except DFU, because I don't have another Mac to do that with.

I'm extremely indignant that Apple has done nothing, that their support knows nothing and that we've been left in the dust.

Macbook Air M1

Edward Martz wrote:

But my heart sank. All my projects and important documents weren’t backed up, and there was no way I was about to delete everything.

Always back up your data! Time Machine is an excellent facility.

See:- Back up your Mac with Time Machine – Apple Support (UK)

This applies to everyone! 😎

Just sayin'!