Does every macOS update require a restart?

[Faize]

The first result when googling the topic title was https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207005 which indicates that the answer is "No", yet I've had to restart to install both 14.1.1 and 14.1.2.

I was really hoping to get away from the Windows restart once a month model, but maybe there's no relief to be found from macOS in this department?

 

[bogdanw]

Yes.
Why wouldn't you shut down/restart your Mac? Are you running a server?
Regardless of OS, turning it off and on again is the best solution in IT 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Turning+it+off+and+on+again

 

[adrianlondon]

As the support doc states, many of the small updates still need a reboot in order to activate. OS updates always do, and they can take ages.

 

[waw74]

that article is not for updates
it's for rapid security repsonse updates

they're 2 different things

from that page... "Rapid Security Responses deliver important security improvements between software updates."

followed by a link

About Background Security Improvements for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS - Apple Support

Background Security Improvements delivers additional security protections between software updates.

support.apple.com

 

[Basic75]

which indicates that the answer is "No"

Older versions of Mac OS X did not always require a reboot for minor operating system updates, but that's long in the past.

 

[gilby101]

Rapid Security Responses deliver important security improvements between software updates

I do wonder if RSRs are dead. There have been recent updates to webkit (14.1.2) which you might think could have been in RSRs - but that didn't happen. Some thoughts here https://eclecticlight.co/2023/12/02/rip-rsr/