macOS Big Sur problems: does it bother you?

MacOS Big Sur was released last Thursday. It’s the biggest update to your Mac in years. If you restart your Mac after installation, you really see a lot of changes. Great fun, but in addition to the new design and new functions, the update also introduces some unforeseen problems for some users. We will discuss those macOS Big Sur problems in this article.

Old MacBook Pro completely unusable

We’ll start with the biggest problem currently being reported: the 13-inch MacBook Pro from late 2013 and mid-2014 can crash completely during the installation of Big Sur. Apple is aware, but there is no solution yet. If you have such a MacBook, it is wise not to update yet. Also read our article: macOS Big Sur: old MacBook Pros crash completely.

Not enough space for the installation

We said macOS Big Sur is a major update. This is also reflected in the number of GBs required for the installation: up to 40 GB! Don’t be surprised if your Mac reports that it is running out of space.

Want to know about your Mac’s storage? Click on the apple in the top left and then “About This Mac”. On the “Storage” panel you can see the status and how much free space you have left. Via the button “Manage” at the top right of the screen, Apple offers you various tools to quickly free up space. Deleting the sound library in GarageBand quickly adds up to several GBs of space, for example. The same goes for attachments in Messages.

Installing macOS Big Sur takes a long time!

Downloading and installing macOS Big Sur is a coming and going of Apple logos and progression bars that never seem to fill up. It takes endless! You really need to take some time, so a weekday at the office is not the right time to update your Mac. Is there still no progress after a few hours? Then it’s time to (re) start the Mac in safe mode: hold the shift key during startup and try installing macOS Big Sur again.

Apps no longer work (properly)

Apps also need to be adapted on macOS Big Sur. Many apps have already been updated to make them work – check the Mac App Store to see if you need to update apps or check through the app itself. In many other cases, app developers are still busy with the necessary adjustments. Various app updates will likely be released soon to fix the issues.

Your Mac is visibly having trouble with it

macOS Big Sur is installed, but your Mac is visibly having trouble. It gets warm, the fan blows and everything slows down. If you have a MacBook, you will notice that the battery drains very quickly. Usually things will work out again: your Mac is still organizing and calculating everything in the background, without you seeing it. This can take some time: after a day or so the weather should be fine – or even better than before.

Problems with Mail

There is a lot going on with the Mail app. On the one hand, this has to do with the new layout, as a result of which people can no longer find certain parts. For example, you have to add the trash again via the plus sign next to “Favorites”. But there are also “real” bugs in the Mail app, such as a search function that no longer works optimally, the paper clip that is sometimes gone and inboxes that are suddenly empty and have to be added again. What’s wrong is still unclear at this point, but there is work to be done for Apple here.

Handoff no longer works

Handoff allows you to start and complete a task on one Apple device on another. Start typing an email on your iPhone and continue on your Mac, for example. But under Big Sur, Handoff sometimes just stops – only to happily continue a little later. Extra confusing: the icon that makes it clear that handoff is active is now in a different place in the dock: to the right of the trash can instead of all the way to the left.