While moving away from Apple’s latest macOS Big Sur update, Mac users are complaining of various bugs and performance issues.
The latest version of macOS Big Sur has passed through Apple’s testing process, but the issues have surprisingly gone from the cracks to the final version.
The current list of macOS Big Sur issues includes abnormal battery drain, Wi-Fi issues, lag, crashes, problems with first and third-party apps, and installation issues.
Most of these issues are brand new, others are ported from previous versions/releases of macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina.
While some of these issues may require a fix from Apple in a recent version of macOS Big Sur or a visit to your local Apple Store (if it’s open), you can fix the issue(s) yourself.
In this guide, we’ll tell you the fixes for the most common macOS Big Sur problems we’ve heard of and fixed on our own.
If you notice that the battery is dead, have issues with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or are having trouble installing macOS Big Sur, take a look at these fixes before picking up the phone or taking your Mac to a store.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Download Issues
A lot of people ran into download problems while trying to install macOS Big Sur as soon as it came out. Apple’s server issues have subsided, but some Mac users are still having trouble downloading the latest software update.
If your connection is not good, you may see download problems. Lost connections and slow download speeds are two of the common problems we see.
If you run into download problems, try plugging an ethernet cable into your Mac (if you have an ethernet adapter) to download the macOS Big Sur update. This can fix some download issues and speed up slow downloads.
If you are unable to plug in the Ethernet cable or the problem persists, try restarting your router and/or your Mac. If none of this works, you should bring your Mac to a place with a faster internet connection.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Installation Issues
If you’re having trouble installing macOS Big Sur, you’ll first want to make sure your Mac is compatible with the new operating system. If not, you cannot install the software.
Here is the list of devices compatible with macOS Big Sur:
If the macOS Big Sur download is complete but you are not prompted to install the operating system on your Mac, you need to go to your Mac’s Applications folder and look for the installation file. Double-click the file and macOS Big Sur should start installing on your computer.
If you run into an issue where the installation fails because your Mac is out of disk space, you’ll want to restart your Mac and press Control + R as it boots up. This will put it into Recovery mode.
From there, you’ll want to select ‘Disk boot’ to boot your computer normally. Once this is done you will need to delete any files you no longer need to free up space.
You can also try restoring the Time Machine Update you did just before you started (if you did). This will take you back to the previous macOS version of your Mac and allow you to delete files.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Battery Life Issues
If your Mac’s battery life is struggling with macOS Big Sur, take a look at our list of tips before contacting Apple customer support.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Bluetooth Issues
If your Bluetooth connections start to cause problems in macOS Big Sur, here are a few fixes to try.
Try turning Bluetooth off and then on again first. Before doing this, make sure there is a way to connect a mouse to your computer to turn it back on.
If that doesn’t work, try removing the Bluetooth device that is giving you trouble. This is how you do it:
- Click the Bluetooth icon at the top right of your screen.
- Open Bluetooth preferences.
- Click on the device, delete it, and then start the pairing process.
If you can’t get bluetooth working at all, you may need to delete the plist file for bluetooth. To do this:
- Go to Finder.
- Click Macintosh HD.
- Click Library.
- Scroll down and go to the Preferences folder.
- Find a file named ‘com.apple.Bluetooth.plist’.
- Delete this file or move it to a safe place.
- Restart your Mac and try to connect again.
Apple also recommends restarting your Mac and then creating another user to see if Bluetooth works for a new user on the device.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Wi-Fi Issues
If you’re having trouble with your Mac’s Wi-Fi connection, try these fixes.
First click on Wi-Fi in the menu bar and turn it off. Wait 10-15 seconds and turn it back on. This has fixed issues for us many times in the past.
If you’re still having problems, see if you can connect to another Wi-Fi network. If your other devices can connect to the network that your Mac cannot connect to, try restarting your Mac and the router.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur FaceTime Issues
If you’re having trouble making or receiving FaceTime calls, Make sure Apple doesn’t have any issues. If FaceTime has a green symbol next to it, the problems are probably on your end.
Make sure your Mac is properly connected to Wi-Fi or your access point. If so, make sure FaceTime is not turned off. You can check it by entering the FaceTime app and clicking ‘FaceTime’ in the upper left corner.
If FaceTime is on and you’re connected to Wi-Fi or cellular, try restarting your Mac.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur App Issues
If your apps are not working properly on macOS Big Sur, the first thing to do is to check for updates. Developers are rolling out support updates and can help stabilize an app’s performance.
If you’re still having problems, try restarting your Mac. If that doesn’t work, you can also try deleting the app and downloading it again.
If you can’t fix the problem yourself, contact the developer of the app and see if they know the problem. If there is, there may be a manual fix or an ETA in an update that will fix the problem.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Performance Issues
If your Mac is slowing down right after you install macOS Big Sur, you’re not alone.
Generally, you should wait a day or so to see if the software’s performance improves. If it’s been a few days and you’re still having problems with macOS Big Sur, try restarting your Mac and see if things improve.
You should also try installing app updates, many of which contain optimizations for macOS Big Sur.
If your Mac is still slow, you may need to do a clean install of macOS Big Sur. A clean install can have a tremendous impact on your Mac’s performance.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Touch ID Issues
If you have a Mac with Touch ID and Touch ID isn’t working after upgrading to macOS Big Sur, there’s no need to panic. You should be able to fix the problem yourself.
Try updating your fingerprint before doing anything. Go to the System Preferences app and go through the setup process. If re-adding your fingerprint doesn’t work, Reset your Mac’s SMC.
How to Fix macOS Big Sur Mouse Issues
If your mouse no longer works in macOS Big Sur and you are sure it is not a hardware problem, you will want to delete two files on your computer.
- Go to Finder.
- Click Macintosh HD.
- Click Library.
- Scroll down and go to the Preferences folder.
- Find a file named ‘com.apple.Bluetooth.plist’.
- Delete this file or move it to a safe place.
- Find a file named ‘com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.mouse.plist’.
- Delete this file or move it to a safe place.
- Restart your Mac and try your mouse again.
Update Your Mac
Apple will periodically release new software. Point updates (macOS xxx) usually focus on fixing bugs, while milestone upgrades (macOS xx) usually offer a host of features and fixes.
The company may not list general fixes (e.g. a fix for Bluetooth issues) in an update’s changelog, but new software always has the potential to help.
For more information on the latest version of macOS Big Sur, check out our guide.
You can also try upgrading to macOS Monterey, Apple’s latest operating system. macOS Monterey comes with new features and enhancements and can have a positive impact on the performance of your Mac.
For more on macOS Monterey, check out our step-by-step guide.
downgrade
If all else fails and you can’t wait for the next version of macOS Big Sur or get a working solution from Apple customer service, you can try downgrading. This can help improve your Mac’s performance.
If you don’t know how to downgrade a Mac software, take a look at our step-by-step instructions.
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