macOS Monterey Cannot Be Installed on Macintosh HD

Can Macintosh HD run macOS Monterey?

Yes, the macOS Monterey release of Apple’s desktop operating system for Mac is compatible with Macintosh HD. In fact, all macOS updates should be installed on this drive, since this is the default startup disk for every Mac. We sometimes find, however, that a lack of storage space, disk errors, and other macOS Monterey issues can prevent a smooth installation.

Why can’t macOS Monterey be installed on Macintosh HD?

We’ve found the “macOS connect be installed on Macintosh HD” error can appear for lots of different reasons. The most common causes tend to be internet issues that prevent the update from being downloaded, and not enough space on the Macintosh HD.

Other reasons for macOS installation problems include:

• Hardware incompatibilities
• macOS firewall interferes with the download
• Potentially corrupt USB drives
• Third-party software prevents installation.

A note from our experts: 

 

The quickest and easiest way to deal with macOS installation issues is with the help of our professional team. Contact MacKeeper’s Premium Services developed by Clario Tech, and we can walk you through the steps you need to fix whatever issue is preventing macOS Monterey from being installed successfully. We’re available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week in just a few clicks.

 

Try this:

1. Download and install MacKeeper from Clario Tech and install the program on your Mac.
2. When MacKeeper opens, select Premium Services in the sidebar, then click Chat Now.
3. Describe the problem you’re facing in the chat box to get expert help quickly.

How to download macOS Monterey on Macintosh HD

If you’re keen to try to figure out why macOS Monterey cannot be installed on Macintosh HD yourself, here are the solutions we recommend for downloading and updating successfully:

• Check internet connection: You’ll need a fast and stable network to download the macOS Monterey update.
• Check compatibility between macOS Monterey and Mac: Ensure your Mac is compatible with Apple’s macOS 12 Monterey release before installing it.
• Free up storage space: If there’s not enough space on the Macintosh HD to download and unpack macOS Monterey, the update will fail.
• Update and restart your Mac: See if earlier macOS updates are available to install first and restart your system.
• Check firewall settings: Confirm that your Mac’s firewall settings aren’t preventing Monterey from downloading.
• Check the bootable USB drive for errors: If you’re trying to install macOS Monterey from a bootable USB drive, we recommend checking it isn’t corrupted or encountering errors.
• Install macOS Monterey in Safe Mode: Boot your Mac into Safe Mode and try installing Monterey from there.
• Check startup disk in Recovery mode: We can boot into Recovery mode and run First Aid on the Macintosh HD to fix errors that could stop the Monterey update.

1. Check internet connection

When you encounter errors installing a macOS update, we always advise checking your internet connection first. If it’s not stable, you’ll likely find that downloading macOS 12 Monterey fails before you can even attempt to install it. Here’s what to do:

1. In your browser, go to speedtest.net and check your internet speed and stability.
2. If your speed seems decent, and you don’t notice any stability issues, attempt to download macOS Monterey again.
3. If your connection is slow and unstable, try these fixes:
   1. Go to System Preferences > Network and confirm you’re connected to the right network.
   2. Try restarting your router to fix potential connectivity issues.
   3. Connect your Mac to your router using an Ethernet cable if possible.
   4. If you’re using a VPN, disable it temporarily to see if this fixes your connectivity issues.
4. If you’re unable to improve your Wi-Fi speed or reliability yourself, try using another network when possible.

There is no minimum internet speed for downloading a macOS update. However, we’ve noticed a greater number of issues and failed update attempts when using slow connections. Therefore, we typically recommend using a network that’s at least 5 Mbps, and ideally above 50 Mbps.

2. Check compatibility between macOS Monterey and Mac

We sometimes find that macOS Monterey cannot be installed on Macintosh HD because the Mac itself is just incompatible with the update. Check the list of compatible machines below to ensure your Apple computer supports the Monterey update:

• Mac mini — 2014 and later
• iMac — later 2015 and later
• iMac Pro — all models
• Mac Pro — late 2013 and later
• Mac Studio — all models
• 12-inch MacBook — early 2016 and later
• MacBook Air — early 2015 and later
• 13-inch MacBook Pro — early 2015 and later
• 14-inch MacBook Pro — 2021 and later
• 15-inch MacBook Pro — mid-2015 and later
• 16-inch MacBook Pro — 2016 and later

If your Mac doesn’t appear here, or it’s older than those listed, it’s not compatible with macOS Monterey. You may be able to use unofficial tricks to force the update, depending on which Mac you have, but we generally don’t recommend these as they can be unstable and Apple doesn’t support them.

3. Free up storage space

A common cause of failed macOS updates is a lack of free space. If we don’t have room to download the release, we’ll just encounter errors. It’s a good idea to know how to reduce system storage on Mac, so you can ensure you always have enough free space available. Here’s one way to clear storage quickly:

1. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner and select About This Mac.
2. Select the Storage tab to see how your Mac’s storage is being used.
3. Click Manage to open a more detailed view.
4. In this window, you’ll see a Recommendations section, where you’ll find tips on freeing up space, including uploading files to iCloud Drive, optimizing your storage, and reducing clutter.
5. In the sidebar on the left, select a category—such as Applications, Documents, and Photos—to manage it.
6. Select any items you no longer want or need, then click Move to Trash to delete them.
7. When you’re done deleting all the files you don’t need, right-click the Trash icon in the dock and then select Empty Trash to completely remove them from your Mac.

A hint from our team: 

 

When readers ask us how to clean MacBook storage, we suggest dealing with the largest files first, as this allows you to free up space faster. Uninstall apps you no longer use, then delete unwanted files from the Documents and Mail categories, as these can eat up a ton of data. If you take lots of images and videos, which can also be major storage hogs, be sure to remove unwanted files from the Photos section.

4. Update and restart your Mac

Sometimes, we’ll see that a macOS update fails to install due to issues with the existing macOS installation. This can sometimes be fixed by installing earlier macOS updates before upgrading to Monterey, if any are available. Try this:

1. In System Preferences, select Software Update.
2. Under the macOS Monterey update, look for a notice that says Another update is available. If you see this, click More Info.
3. Try installing whatever alternative version of macOS is available to you—this should be an updated version of your current macOS install—to fix any issues the operating system may have.
4. Once this update is complete and your Mac has restarted, return to the Software Update menu and try to install macOS Monterey again.

5. Check firewall settings

If macOS Monterey refuses to download, it may be that your firewall settings are blocking it. Try disabling the firewall temporarily until the update has finished downloading, like so:

1. In System Preferences, select Security & Privacy.
2. Click the Firewall tab, then choose Turn Off Firewall if it’s enabled.
3. Go back to Software Update and try downloading macOS Monterey again.

Once the update has finished downloading successfully, you can re-enable the firewall on your Mac if you prefer to have it turned on.

6. Check the bootable USB drive for errors

If you’re trying to clean install macOS from a bootable USB drive, installation issues can be caused by drive errors, corruption, and general hardware failures. Try performing First Aid on the drive in Disk Utility like so:

1. In Finder, go to Applications > Utilities and then launch Disk Utility.
2. Select your bootable USB drive in the sidebar, then click First Aid.
3. Click Run to confirm, then wait for Disk Utility to scan the drive and repair any errors.

If your bootable drive doesn’t appear in Disk Utility, it means your Mac isn’t detecting it. This suggests a potential hardware failure. Try the drive in another port to rule out any USB problems, or on another Mac to see if it’s the drive itself. If it doesn’t appear, we recommend using another USB drive.

If Disk Utility sees your USB, but no errors are found when you run First Aid, we suggest recreating the bootable USB from scratch by following these steps:

1. Download the macOS Monterey installer from the App Store.
2. Plug your USB drive into your Mac. It should be at least 16GB.
3. Change the name of the drive to MyVolume. Don’t skip this step, otherwise the Terminal commands we’ll use shortly won’t work.
4. In Finder, go to Applications > Utilities and launch Terminal.
5. Copy and paste the following command into Terminal: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
6. Press enter.
7. When prompted, type your Mac’s administrator password and press enter again.
8. Press Y and hit enter when prompted to confirm you wish to erase your USB drive and continue.

This is a rather lengthy process, but when it’s done, you’ll have a new bootable USB that’s ready to install macOS Monterey on any compatible Mac. Below, find our instructions on how to actually boot from it.

On a Mac with an Intel processor:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Plug in the bootable USB if it isn’t already plugged in.
3. Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Option key.
4. When you see a screen that shows all bootable volumes, select your USB drive, then click the arrow to continue. Note that when this screen appears, it may take a few seconds for your Mac to detect the bootable USB and for it to appear in the list of volumes.
5. Select Install macOS and then click Continue.
6. Follow the instructions on screen to install macOS Monterey on your Mac.

On a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Connect your bootable USB.
3. Press and hold your Mac’s power button until you see the startup options.
4. Select the bootable USB drive, then click Continue.
5. When the installer opens, follow the instructions on screen to install Monterey.

7. Install macOS Monterey in Safe Mode

Although it’s uncommon, we’ve found that some third-party software can interfere with macOS updates. One of the simplest ways to get around this is to boot your Mac into Apple’s Safe Mode—which stops third-party software from running automatically—then install macOS Monterey from there. Here’s how:

On a Mac with an Intel processor:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn on your Mac, then press and hold the Shift key.
3. Log in when prompted to continue into Safe Mode.

On a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Press and hold the power button until you see the startup options.
3. Select your Mac’s startup disk, then click Continue in Safe Mode.

Once you’re inside Safe Mode, try installing the macOS Monterey update from within Software Update as you normally would.

8. Check startup disk in Recovery mode

If you’ve noticed other odd behavior with your Mac, the “macOS connect be installed on Macintosh HD” error could be the symptom of a bigger issue with your Mac’s startup disk. Like any other drive, this can become corrupted over time, but we can use Disk Utility in Recovery mode to check and repair it.

First, find our steps to boot into Recovery mode below, based on the model of your computer.

On an Intel Mac:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Press the power button, then press and hold Command + R.
3. When you see the Recovery options window, choose Disk Utility, then click Continue.

On an Apple Silicon Mac:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Hold power until you see the startup options.
3. Click Options, then Continue.
4. If prompted, select your startup disk and log in.
5. In the list of Recovery options appears, select Disk Utility > Continue.

To find and fix any errors with your Mac’s startup disk with Disk Utility, follow these steps:

1. Select Macintosh HD in the Disk Utility sidebar, then click First Aid.
2. Choose Run to continue.

If any errors are found, Disk Utility will attempt to fix them. Once this process is complete, you can restart your Mac then try installing macOS Monterey again.

Conclusion

There can be many reasons why we might encounter the “macOS connect be installed on Macintosh HD” error when attempting to update to macOS 12 Monterey. We’ve found that using a faster Wi-Fi network, freeing up storage space, and updating from Safe Mode are just a few of the most effective fixes.

If you’ve tried to overcome this issue yourself, but you can’t get Monterey installed on your Mac, reach out to our team of macOS experts through MacKeeper’s Premium Services by Clario Tech. We’ll quickly help you figure out what’s preventing your Mac from updating and walk you through the steps to fix it.