Fake Mac Update Screen
A black screen, a logo and a thin progress bar that barely moves. It looks like a macOS update, and it is only a web page. Set the update time and press Fullscreen.
Tip: double-click the screen to go full screen. The toolbar and mouse pointer are hidden in full screen. Esc exits.
Choose a system
What this screen copies
When a Mac installs a system update it restarts to a black screen with the Apple logo and a slim progress bar underneath. There is usually no text and no percentage, which makes it very easy to imitate and very hard to tell from the real thing.
How to set it up
- Enter the update time in minutes. macOS updates commonly take 20 to 45 minutes.
- Set Start at to choose how full the bar is at the beginning.
- Press Fullscreen. On a Mac you can also use the green window button or Control+Command+F to put the browser itself in full screen first.
- Press Esc to end it.
Tick Never finishes and the bar creeps towards the end without ever arriving, which anyone who has waited for a Mac update will recognise.
Tips for Macs
- MacBook screens have dark bezels, so the black page blends in perfectly.
- Turn the screen brightness to a normal level. A real update screen is not dimmed.
- Moving the pointer to the top of the screen reveals the menu bar in full screen, so keep the trackpad out of reach.
Nothing is installed and no setting is changed. Be nearby to reveal the joke before anyone holds the power button.
Fake Mac update FAQ
How do I exit the fake Mac update screen?
Press Esc. If the browser itself is in full screen, press Control+Command+F or move the pointer to the top and click the green button.
Does it work on a MacBook, iMac and iPad?
Yes. It runs in Safari, Chrome and other modern browsers on any Apple device.
Will it affect my real macOS updates?
No. It has no connection to Software Update and cannot start, stop or change real updates.
More tools
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- Fake Windows 10 UpdateThe blue "Working on updates" screen.
- Fake Windows XP UpdateThe blue "Installing Windows Updates" screen from XP.
- Fake Chrome OS UpdateThe "Firmware updating" screen for Chromebooks.
- Ubuntu 22.04 Fake UpdateThe purple Ubuntu screen with its row of loading dots.
- Ubuntu 24.04 Fake UpdateThe Ubuntu 24.04 version of the purple loading screen.
- Fake Android UpdateA system update screen for phones and tablets.
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