The 12 most common problems and solutions for macOS Monterey (2023)

macOS Monterey is a great new update that we are very excited about. This version introduced many exciting features, including the Shortcuts app, Universal Control, redesigned Safari, FaceTime improvements, and other important changes. But new updates rarely work flawlessly, and sadly, macOS Monterey is no exception. Fortunately, there is a solution for almost every problem you may encounter – in this article, we will detail common macOS Monterey problems and solutions.

macOS Monterey: problems and solutions

We are going to shed some light on some common issues and issues you may experience with macOS Monterey. If you want to troubleshoot a specific problem, skip to the section that interests you:

1. macOS Monterey won't install
2. Time Machine is stuck on backup
3. Mac is slow after update
4. Mouse/touchpad input is slow
5. wifi not working
6. bluetooth not working
7. Mac cursor stuck in Monterey
8. The battery started to die
9. Hide my email doesn't work
10. Mac won't turn off
11. Mac overheats after update
12. The screen saver is broken

1. macOS Monterey won't install

If you were upgrading your Mac but the macOS Monterey installation failed, here are some things you can try:

Make sure you have enough space.

Apple recommends having around 20 GB of free hard drive space to install the new operating system update. To check how much free space you have, go to Apple menu > About This Mac. Select the Storage tab and let it calculate how your storage space is allocated. If less than 20 GB is available, click Manage and follow the tips to optimize your hard drive.

Check your Wi-Fi connection

A problem with your internet connection could be the reason why the macOS Monterey update is stuck. Change the network if you can, or switch to an Ethernet cable to avoid Wi-Fi connectivity issues.

Check Apple System Status

When Apple's servers are down, all Mac users may experience issues with the update. To check the current status of the server, visit theSystem status page.Look for a green status indicator next to "macOS Software Update." If there is a problem, "Interruption" will appear next to a red dot.

2. Time Machine is stuck on backup

If the last time you backed up your Mac was some time ago, Time Machine may take longer to prepare a backup. Giving more time should solve the problem. But, if you get stuck for a while, try stopping the backup in progress. Then uncheck the "Auto Backup" box.

Now exclude large files you don't need from the backup: Click Options and press "+" to add files.

Before restarting your backup, make sure your antivirus software does not interfere with Time Machine: either exclude the external drive from antivirus scans or close your antivirus completely while backing up your data.

3. Mac is slow after update

Some users have reported experiencing performance issues after upgrading their Macs to macOS Monterey. If this is the case on your MacBook, there is an app that can fix it.clean up my mac xis a Mac cleaning and optimization tool that performs useful optimizations and speeds things up on your computer. It disables background processes, frees up RAM, and shows you exactly what's slowing down your Mac.

• Download CleanMyMac X here- It's free to try.
• Install and run the app.
• Go to Optimization.
• Select the login items and startup agents that you want to disable.
• Click Remove.

Now go to the Maintenance tab and do some optimizations here.

CleanMyMac X saves you the time you spend running all those commands in Terminal. So if you're looking for a safe and fast way to fix your slow Mac, try CleanMyMac X - it's authenticated by Apple.

4. Mouse/touchpad input is delayed

Some early adopters of macOS Monterey reported a logon delay that occurred every five minutes and lasted anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds at a time. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't have a fix yet, but hopefully the fix will come with the next update. In the meantime, you can try the following:

Disable conflicting apps

Some programs can conflict with each other, causing trackpad or mouse lag. Quit all active applications (you can do this using the Force Quit menu: just press Option-Command-Esc to start it) and see if the problem persists. Reopen the apps one by one to identify the culprit.

Switch to macOS Big Sur

If you find it impossible to use your Mac normally, consider downgrading to an earlier version of macOS. Here are our detailed instructions on how to get back from macOS Monterey to Big Sur.

5. Wi-Fi doesn't work

If you noticed that Wi-Fi stopped working on your Mac after the update, try forgetting the network first:

1. Go to System Preferences > Network.
2. Select Wi-Fi and click Advanced.
3. Select the network you want to forget and press the “–” button.
4. Click Delete to confirm.

Reconnect to the network and see if it worked. If that doesn't help, updating your Wi-Fi preferences might fix the problem. Here is how to do it:

1. Go to the Finder.
2. Click Go > Go to Folder.
3. Enter this location and hit Go: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
4. Locate the following files and delete them:

com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

com.apple.network.eapolclient.configuration.plist

com.apple.wifi.messsage-tracer.plist

NetworkInterfaces.plist

preferences.plist

Restart your Mac and your Wi-Fi router. The new preference files will be rebuilt and Wi-Fi should be working.

Another thing with Wi-Fi is that we tend to use many different Wi-Fi networks, forgetting that some of them are free and insecure. Your Mac can reconnect to this unsecured network if it is nearby, exposing your data to further risk. Therefore, it is better to remove these networks forever.clean up my mac xhelps you do just that: it shows you the list of all open networks you have previously connected to and excludes them.

You can also explore other privacy features to gain more control over your data and stay safe.

6.Bluetooth not working

Bluetooth issues are common with the new OS - it happened in Big Sur and now Monterey. If Bluetooth keeps disconnecting or not connecting, here are some things you can do:

Reset Bluetooth module

To reset Bluetooth, press Shift-Option and click the Bluetooth icon. Here, select Reset Bluetooth Module. In the window that appears, click OK.

Reset PRAM/NVRAM Settings

NVRAM is a type of memory on your Mac that contains certain settings. PRAM, which stands for Parameter RAM, stores similar information. Resetting NVRAM/PRAM can help fix problems with sound, display, Bluetooth, and other preferences. Here is how to do it:

• Shut down your Mac.
• Turn it on and press Option-Command-P-R at Mac startup.
• Hold down the keys for 20 seconds and release.

When your Mac starts up, go to System Preferences to modify the settings that were changed.

7. Cursor stuck in Monterrey

We've seen posts about Mac touchpad issues after upgrading to Monterey. It seems to be disabled for certain user accounts while the mouse still works fine.

What can you do? One user reported that the following trick fixed the issue.

Update your accessibility settings

Open System Preferences > Accessibility > Pointer Control.

Now, uncheck the setting that says “Ignore embedded trackpad when wireless mouse or trackpad is present”.

For some reason this setting became the default in Monterey, causing the cursor to freeze.

8. Battery consumption in macOS Monterey

The increase in battery pressure is typical of the new macOS. The problem is not the battery itself; it is most likely due to a misbehaving app. Many apps have yet to tune in for Monterey.

Before taking any further steps, point and click on the battery symbol in the upper right corner. Open Battery Preferences. You will see the apps that consume the most battery.

Now you can try any of these solutions.

restart your mac

The golden rule of problem solving that solves 80% of all problems.

Check battery usage history

Go to System Preferences > Battery > Usage History.

Again, this should give you an idea of ​​how your battery is doing over time.

Find your hidden background apps

Chrome is notorious for hogging memory (and therefore battery) with its many background processes. But it is not the only application that does this. To check which apps are running secretly, you can use the free tool atclean up my mac x🇧🇷 This is a simple Mac optimizer that is authenticated by Apple.

• Download the free versiondo CleanMyMac X
• Click Optimization > Startup Agents
• Turn off some of the items you don't need.

Redefinir SMC

The system management controller controls many deep-level settings for your Mac, and the battery controller is one of them. In extreme situations, you can reset the SMC by pressing a special key combination at startup.

How to reset the SMC on a Mac with a T2 security chip

• Shut down your Mac.
• Hold down the Control, Option, and Shift keys (on the right side)
• Hold down these keys for 7 seconds. Now press the Power button.
• Hold down these four buttons for 7 seconds.
• After a few seconds, start your Mac normally.

How to reset the SMC on a Mac without T2

• turn off your mac
• Hold down the Control, Option, Shift keys and press the Power button.
• Hold down the keys for about 10 seconds.
• Drop the keys.

9. Hide my email doesn't work on macOS Monterey

Hide My Email is a tool in iCloud that creates random aliases for your email so you can keep your real details hidden. But after upgrading to Monterey, you may see the message that the feature is "not available".

Sign out of iCloud and sign back in

Your iCloud details may have been cached, and simply signing out usually fixes this.

restart your computer

This sounds very basic, but it has worked for some users on the Mac forums. Also, you can wait a few hours and try again. Apple is probably fixing things as it goes along, and the next time you sign in, the problem might be fixed.

Update your macOS Monterey

macOS Monterey will have many incremental updates aimed at fixing bugs. Go to System Preferences > Software Updates for your less buggy version of Monterey.

Network preferences prevent content from loading

Another email related problem people in Monterey are having. The issue, after a quick investigation, appears to be related to your email security settings.

Check your email preferences

1. Open the Mail app.
2. Click Preferences > Privacy
3. Try disabling Mail privacy protection from there.

Also, if you use a VPN, turn it off to see if that fixes the problem. If the problem persists, try opening:

1. Apple menu > System Preferences > Network
2. Choose a network service from the list on the left.
3. Select Advanced > Proxies.

It may be that the content of the email is restricted at the proxy level. So this dashboard can help you figure out what's going on. But be careful when modifying any settings there.

Tip: Delete outdated email attachments.

We rarely go back to the old email attachments, but after a while they can get blown out of proportion. Unfortunately, there is no way to remove all unnecessary email attachments at once. So you end up losing more and more space over time.

A little trick will do the job. You can use the app called CleanMyMac X -there is a free version you can download🇧🇷 Install the app and click on Email Attachments in the sidebar. This will quickly free up a lot of potentially wasted space in Mail.

10. Mac won't shut down in macOS Monterey

Who would have thought that macOS Monterey would be impossible to close? What prevents the shutdown are always the applications, often not visible on the surface.

Use Activity Monitor to force close running apps

• Go to Launchpad and type Activity Monitor in the search bar.
• On the Power tab, you can see the running apps.
• Use the Stop button to force close suspicious applications.

Other ideas:

Hold down the power button.

Press Command + Control + Power.

11. Mac overheating after Monterey update

Again, this problem is very common for new operating systems and it comes down to memory management. When the processor is overloaded, at its maximum capacity, the Mac gets hot. And what loads the processor are, you guessed it, applications.

• You can check your Activity Monitor to close these PUAs (see the previous step).
• Also, check your Boot Agents and Boot Items as suggested inThis article.
• If the problem persists, try resetting the SMC (find instructions in the Battery Discharge chapter of this article).

Many apps still need to be optimized for Monterey, which will make them more energy efficient.

12. Broken screensaver in macOS Monterey

If you try to use your photo as a screen saver, it won't always work in Monterey. Is it a minor bug or does the screensaver work differently now? Ken Burns and other slideshow effects appear to be unavailable with custom photos.

One explanation is that the directory where cloud photos are taken refers to a different or empty location after upgrading to Monterey. Try updating the Source link in the dropdown. You can try moving your photos to a different folder and setting a source destination.

macOS Monterey is a great new update, but things can get out of control when you update your Mac. Follow this guide to fix problems that can occur during and after installing the new macOS.