Fix the 'Required Firmware Update Could Not Be Installed' Error on macOS Monterey

Fix the Required Firmware Update Could Not Be Installed Error on macOS Monterey

You may fail to install macOS Tahoe on Mac Studio or other models and receive one of the following firmware update errors:

A required firmware update could not be installed. Compatible internal storage is required in order to update.
A required firmware update could not be installed.

In most cases, the error is caused by not having the original Apple hard drive installed on your Mac. But that doesn't mean it won't happen on Macs with the original Apple hard drive. In fact, it does, and it also occurs on Hackintosh computers. In this post, we'll provide the solutions to help you fix the error "A required firmware update could not be installed."

How to fix 'A required firmware update could not be installed' on Mac?

This section will show you what to do when receiving the error "A required firmware update could not be installed" on a Mac with or without the original Apple hard drive.

Use the original Apple hard drive

As a necessary step to install or upgrade to macOS Monterey, an EFI update is required, which won't install unless there's an original Apple hard drive.

So, before allowing you to upgrade to macOS Monterey or its successor, macOS Ventura, the EFI Boot ROM included in the OS will verify your hard drive to ensure it's original. If it can't find the original drive, the installation will fail with an error like "A required firmware update could not be installed."

Accordingly, if you're not using the original Apple hard drive, you need to switch to it and install the macOS update on it to get the firmware update. Then reinstall your third-party SSD and repeat the installation process.

Note: Make sure you research how to replace the hard drive of your Mac model before taking off the lid if you decide to do it yourself. Otherwise, visit a local technician or a genius at the nearby Apple Store. They may also be able to provide a genuine Apple hard drive if you don't have one. Besides, you can purchase one from eBay, or ask if the manufacturer of your third-party hard drive can loan you one.

If your original Apple hard drive still contains an operating system and can boot up your Mac regularly, you can just plug it in and do the update. However, if it was erased and no longer has the operating system, take the following steps:

This time, you will be able to complete the upgrading without the error "A required firmware update could not be installed".

If you're not sure whether your Mac has an Apple hard drive, follow the steps below to verify it:

Press Command + Space to activate Spotlight Search.
Type "system information" and hit Enter.
Select Storage from the left sidebar.
Check the value next to "Device Name." An original one should say APPLE SSD with a model number if your Mac was produced in 2015 or later. Otherwise, it's labeled with the manufacturer's name.

Manually update the firmware

If you don't have access to the original Apple hard drive, try manually updating the firmware and then update your Mac. Apple enabled firmware updates through third-party SSDs with firmware version 195.xxx. Therefore, if your Mac has firmware version 195.0.0.0.0 or later installed, it's possible to manually upgrade the firmware using the EFI firmware file found in your target macOS version, Monterey or Ventura.

Here's how to check your current firmware version and model identifier:

Press Command + Space, type "system information" and press Enter.
In the System Information app, ensure the Hardware section from the left is selected.
Check the value after "Model Identifier" and "System Firmware Version."

Then, follow the steps below to install the EFI firmware update for macOS Monterey.

Fix "A required firmware update could not be installed" on macOS Monterey/Ventura:

Use OpenCore Legacy Patcher

Another solution to try if you're unable to use an original Apple hard drive is to update your Mac with a bootable installer created by OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP). It's a boot loader that enables users to install macOS versions on unsupported Macs or PCs. Although your Mac is eligible for the macOS releases you want to install, using it can help you eliminate the firmware update error.

To create the bootable installer, you need to prepare an external drive like USB with more than 16GB of capacity. Be reminded that this external drive will be erased, so ensure data on it is backed up or not important.

After the OS is installed, you need to make sure your internal hard drive is selected as the startup disk. Otherwise, you may get a folder with a question mark at reboot. It's worth mentioning that these steps won't update the firmware.

To change the startup disk on macOS Ventura: Open the Apple menu > System Settings > General > Startup Disk, then click the icon of the disk you want to use and click Restart.

To change the startup disk on macOS Monterey: Open the Apple menu > System Preferences > Startup Disk, then tap the yellow lock to unlock the preference pane and select the disk intended as the startup disk and click Restart.

If the error persists, continue with the other fixes below.

Install macOS on your external drive first

Some Mac users without the original Apple drive were able to update to macOS Monterey by installing Monterey on an external SSD on another Mac that runs Monterey and booting from it. If you have an SSD or another external storage media with enough space, you can give it a try.

Make sure you have downloaded the macOS installer to your Mac.
Find a Mac with macOS Monterey installed.
Connect your external SSD with your Mac.
Open Disk Utility and click View > Show All Devices.
Select the external disk and click Erase.
Name it and set the format to APFS and scheme to GUID Partition Map.
Click Erase.
After the drive is formatted, run the macOS installer from your Applications folder.
When it asks you to select a destination disk, click "Show All Disks" and select your external drive.
Wait for the installation to finish.
Restart your Mac, then press the Option key when the screen turns black.
Select your external drive and click the Up arrow.
When your Mac boots up, download the macOS installer you wish to install from App Store.
Run the installer from your Applications folder.
When asked where to install macOS, select your internal Mac hard drive.

Update your Mac from App Store

Alternatively, you can update your Mac by running the full installer downloaded from App Store. Note that you need to delete the failed-to-update installer and empty the trash first if there's an "Install macOS (version)" application in the Applications folder.

How to update macOS from App Store to bypass the "A required firmware update could not be installed" error:

Open App Store on your Mac.
Type the target macOS in the search box, such as macOS Monterey.
Click Get to download the installer.
Wait for the installer to be downloaded.
Run the installer from the Applications folder.

Upgrade to an earlier version first

If you're upgrading from an older macOS version, consider updating to macOS Mojave or another version that's later than your current OS but earlier than the version you want to upgrade to first, then upgrade to your target macOS. Besides getting the installer from App Store, you can also follow the steps below to install other updates available to your Mac.

Open System Preferences > Software Update.
Click the blue text that says "More info…"
Choose the software update you wish to install.
Click "Install Now."

Clean install macOS from Recovery Mode

Your Mac's EFI partition may be having issues, preventing the installer from checking the firmware. So, another potential solution to the "A required firmware update could not be installed" error is to erase your Mac to create a new EFI partition.

To erase your startup disk, you need to enter macOS Recovery. If you have an Intel-based Mac, we suggest you use macOS Internet Recovery instead, as it allows you to install the latest macOS version available to your Mac, which basically updates your Mac. If you have an Apple Silicon Mac, you can reinstall the macOS lastly installed on your Mac and update it afterward.

Back up your Mac, as erasing your Mac will delete all data.
Turn off your Mac after your important data is secured.
Boot your Mac into Recovery Mode.
Intel Mac: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold Option + Command + R until seeing the spinning globe.
Apple Silicon Mac: Press and hold the power button until seeing "Loading startup options," then click Options > Continue.
Select your account and enter the password if asked.
In the macOS Utilities window, select Disk Utility > Continue.
Click View > Show All Devices.
Select the top-level disk and click Erase.
Name your internal hard drive, set the format to APFS, and scheme to GUID Partition Map.
Click Erase again.
Close Disk Utility and select "Reinstall macOS (version)."
Follow the instructions to finish the installation.

If that doesn't do the trick, Intel Mac users can try reinstalling the OS that came with their Mac or the closest that's still available by pressing and holding Shift + Option + Command + R while startup to enter Recovery Mode. Then update to the desired macOS in Software Update, from Apple Store or an external bootable installer.

Have you managed to resolve "A required firmware update could not be installed" on macOS Monterey? Share this post to benefit others.

FAQs about 'A required firmware update could not be installer'

Firmware updates are patched inside macOS updates. So, if you want to update the firmware on your Mac, you need to update the operating system.

Firmware update failure is often caused by using third-party SSDs or damaged installers. If it's the former, you can reinsert the original hard drive and update macOS on it to get your Mac the required firmware update. If it's the latter, try other ways laid out in this post to update macOS.