Apple fixes issue causing some Macs to fail to start up after macOS Monterey installation

News
By Oliver Haslam
published

Macos Monterey Review Hero
Macos Monterey Review Hero (Image credit: Bryan M. Wolfe / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Some users previously reported their Macs would refuse to start up after updating to macOS Monterey.
  • Apple says that it has fixed a bug and that it was related to its T2 security chip.

Apple says that it has fixed a bug that prevented some Macs from starting up properly after being updated to macOS Monterey. The bug, which only seemed to impact those machines running an Apple T2 security chip, was lighting up social media and Apple's support channels.

According to Apple, via a statement provided to Rene Ritchie, says that the bug has now been fixed and that those impacted should contact Apple for help.

We have identified and fixed an issue with the firmware on the Apple T2 security chip that prevented a very small number of users from booting up their Mac after updating macOS. The updated firmware is now included with the existing macOS updates. Any users impacted by this issue can contact Apple Support for assistance.

These are the Macs that have the Apple T2 Security Chip built in:

  • iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
  • iMac Pro
  • Mac Pro (2019)
  • Mac Pro (Rack, 2019)
  • Mac mini (2018)
  • MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
  • MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)

None of this impacted the latest M1 Pro or M1 Max notebooks that ship with macOS Monterey already installed, thankfully. Those machines are among the best Mac notebooks ever made and we can only imagine what Apple silicon we will see in the future. Hopefully showstopping macOS Monterey bugs will be a thing of the past, however.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.