How to Update All Mac Apps at Once on macOS

Why there's no single built-in "update everything" on macOS

The App Store's Update All button only covers apps installed from the App Store. On most Macs that is a fraction of what lives in /Applications — the rest arrived as Homebrew casks, Sparkle-updating apps, vendor-installed suites, or plain direct downloads, and macOS has no built-in command that updates those.

Apple's own command-line tool does not help either: softwareupdate --list shows pending macOS updates, not third-party apps. Every other channel ships its own updater. Homebrew tracks the casks it installed, Sparkle apps check their own feeds, Microsoft, Adobe, and Google run their own update services, and direct-download apps expect you to fetch a new build yourself.

So updating all Mac apps at once really means running several small routines back to back, in a sensible order, without missing a source. Here is that routine, followed by how macCurrent collapses it into one reviewable sweep.

The manual bulk routine: App Store and Homebrew

Start with the two sources that already support true batch updates.

Open the App Store and select Updates in the sidebar.
Click Update All to install every pending store update in one pass.
Optionally turn on automatic updates in App Store settings so store apps stay current on their own.

If you install GUI apps as Homebrew casks, two commands cover the whole set:

brew outdated --cask
brew upgrade --cask

By default Homebrew skips casks marked as self-updating (auto_updates or version :latest), because those apps are expected to update themselves. Add --greedy to include them, knowing it may re-download apps that are already current:

brew upgrade --cask --greedy

Run brew list --cask to see which apps Homebrew actually manages, and use plain brew outdated and brew upgrade for command-line formulae. The mechanics and edge cases are covered in the Homebrew cask update guide.

Sparkle apps, vendor updaters, and direct downloads

Apps built on the Sparkle framework check an appcast feed when they launch or when you choose Check for Updates from their menu. The manual bulk method is blunt but effective: launch each Sparkle app, let it check, and approve the updates you want.

Vendor updaters batch their own suites. Microsoft AutoUpdate updates Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams together; Adobe apps update through Creative Cloud; Chrome and other Google apps update through Google Software Update in the background. Each one covers its vendor's apps and nothing else, so you visit them one by one.

Whatever remains is direct-download territory: check the vendor's site, grab the new build, and replace the copy in /Applications. When the vendor publishes a checksum, verify it before installing:

shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/App.dmg

One reviewable sweep instead of five routines

macCurrent runs that entire routine as a single scan. It inventories the apps you have installed, labels each one's update source, and checks versions against its hosted catalog, so App Store, Homebrew, Sparkle, vendor-managed, and direct-download updates land in one list instead of five.

The sweep is review-first, not blind. Before anything is replaced you see the source, app identity, signing identity, and version direction; direct replacements get an automatic backup; and updates that are safer to run through the app's own updater are handed off instead of forced. The reasoning behind those checks is covered in how to update Mac apps safely.

If you want more automation, an optional setting can install the updates macCurrent can automate safely after scheduled scans — trusted direct and Sparkle-style downloads, Homebrew-backed updates, and supported vendor tools — while App Store, administrator-required, and vendor-interactive updates stay queued for review. macCurrent is a free beta through July 31, 2026, delivered as one universal app for Apple silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 15 or later. Install macCurrent and run your first sweep.

A safe bulk update order

Bulk updates go wrong when a workflow-critical app changes underneath an active project. Order the batch so a bad update costs you minutes, not a workday. Start by making sure you can roll back — a completed Time Machine snapshot plus per-app bundle backups, as described in how to back up a Mac app before updating.

Back up first: let a Time Machine snapshot finish and confirm bundle backups exist for apps that will be replaced directly.
Save your work and quit the apps you expect to update — replacing a running app's bundle invites trouble.
Update low-risk utilities first to confirm the routine works end to end.
Run the batch sources next: App Store Update All, then Homebrew upgrades.
Leave workflow-critical apps for last, and read their release notes before approving.
Launch each updated app to verify it opens cleanly, and keep the backups until everything checks out.

A sweep in that order takes barely longer than a blind one, and it leaves you with an escape hatch at every step.

Frequently asked questions

Can one Mac app update tool update everything?

Not completely. App Store, Homebrew, Sparkle, vendor updaters, and direct downloads all work differently. A safer tool should find updates and choose the right path for each source.

Is macCurrent an automatic updater?

macCurrent focuses on safe review first. It can help with eligible direct updates, but risky or vendor-managed paths are opened for review instead of blindly replacing apps.

Does brew upgrade --cask update every app on my Mac?

No. Homebrew only upgrades apps it installed as casks, and casks marked as self-updating are skipped unless you add the --greedy flag. Apps from the App Store, vendor installers, and direct downloads are outside Homebrew's view.

What order should I update apps in during a bulk sweep?

Back up first, then update low-risk utilities, then run the batch sources like App Store Update All and Homebrew upgrades, and leave workflow-critical apps for last after reading their release notes. Keep backups until every updated app has launched cleanly.

Should I quit apps before updating them in bulk?

Yes. Save your work and quit apps that will be replaced, since swapping an app bundle while it runs can leave it in a broken state. macCurrent tries to reopen an app it replaced if the app was running before a successful update.

Update all Mac apps at once from one reviewable sweep.