Monterey upgrade can be done, but make sure you plan
In November, I wrote several columns detailing my trials and tribulations after installing macOS Monterey. Apple recently released its first bug fix update from version 12.01 to version 12.1, and several readers have asked if I still recommend waiting to upgrade to Monterey.
I’ll give you my answer before the end of this column, but first, let me bring you up to speed on my Monterey issues and how I finally resolved them.
First, I spent several days performing the steps outlined in my two troubleshooting columns (in late November) — reboot, safe boot, Disk Utility First Aid from macOS Recovery, resetting NVRAM and SMC, and running Onyx — none of which helped.
So, I disconnected all external devices — my Thunderbolt dock, USB hub, hard disks, SSDs, printer, wired keyboard and Ethernet — and then brought them back online one at a time.
It turned out that my USB hub (or its cable) was the culprit. Although it worked fine under macOS Catalina, it was causing my Mac to crash or freeze under macOS Monterey. Replacing the hub and cable resolved my problems, and Monterey has been stable ever since. I updated my Mac to Monterey version 12.1 when it released a couple of weeks ago, and everything is working correctly now.
Which brings us back to, “Is it safe to upgrade to Monterey?”
At this point, I’ll answer with a qualified “yes.”
Although most users will have a relatively smooth upgrade experience, I still recommend planning for the worst and hoping for the best.
If things go as expected, you’ll be back at work in an hour or two, enjoying your shiny new version of macOS. But in the event things go awry, here’s how I suggest you plan for the worst: First, make sure you have at least two backups and have tested their integrity before you start.
Now, since there’s no telling how long your Mac will be unavailable if your upgrade goes badly, don’t try to upgrade unless you have plenty of time to troubleshoot before needing your Mac again. I spent almost two weeks troubleshooting with my Mac crashing or freezing several times a day. Fortunately, between my old Intel MacBook Pro (which I’ve kept as a spare) and my iPad and iPhone, I was able to do most of my work while I tried to isolate the problem with Monterey on my MacBook Air. But it was neither easy nor pretty.
My point is that major upgrades to macOS may have unexpected consequences that can take hours (or days) to resolve. And that is why you should always perform such upgrades when you have plenty of time to troubleshoot if things go wrong. I like to start mine on a Friday night, so I’ll have all day Saturday and Sunday to fix any issues or revert to a backup before Monday morning.
Have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.