Updates are the cheapest form of insurance we ship. New versions roll security fixes forward, add formats to the indexer, and tune the scheduler. By default, macup handles all of this in the background — you do not have to think about it. This article covers the cases where you want to.
Step 1 — How auto-update works
Auto-update is on by default. Once a day, macup checks for a new release. If one is available, it downloads a delta patch — usually a few megabytes, not a full reinstall — and stages it quietly in the background. The next time you quit macup, the patch is applied and the next launch is the new version. You will not see a modal, a restart prompt, or a progress bar unless something is wrong.
Updates are signed and notarized the same way the original install is. If a staged update fails its signature check, macup discards it and tries again on the next cycle.
Step 2 — Force an update check
If you saw a release in our changelog and want it now, open the macup menu bar icon and choose Check for Updates…. You can also reach it from macup > Check for Updates… with the app in focus.
If an update is available, macup offers to download and apply it immediately. Click Install and relaunch. Your in-progress backup pauses cleanly, the app relaunches on the new version, and the backup resumes from where it left off. You will not lose progress on a multi-hour first backup.
Step 3 — Verify your current version
Two ways. From the app: macup > About macup. From the menu bar: click the macup icon, open Preferences > About. Both show the version number, the build hash, and the date of the last successful update check.
If you are ever filing a support ticket, copy the full version string from this screen — it tells us exactly what you are running.
Step 4 — Pinning a version
Most people should leave auto-update alone. But if you manage a fleet, or your security team needs to qualify releases before they reach production Macs, macup supports pinning.
Release channel
Open Preferences > Updates and set Channel to one of:
- Release. The default. Monthly feature releases plus weekly patch releases for anything security-critical.
- LTS. Long-term support. Feature updates ship once per quarter; security patches still ship weekly. Recommended for managed Macs where change windows are rare. LTS is a Business-tier feature — the toggle is disabled on Personal plans.
Pin a specific version
Under the same pane, toggle Pin to current version. macup will not auto-update until you clear the pin, but it will still notify you when newer versions are available and whether they include security fixes. This is the right setting for a Mac that is mid-project and cannot accept any change until the deliverable ships.
IT teams deploying via MDM can set the channel and the pin declaratively in a managed preferences profile. See the enterprise deployment notes on our site.
Release cadence, briefly
We ship on a predictable rhythm so your change-management calendar can trust it:
- Monthly feature releases, on the second Tuesday.
- Weekly patch releases, on Thursdays, when there is something worth shipping.
- Out-of-band releases for anything security-critical. These skip the channel delay on LTS as well.
You can see every release in the changelog at macup.app/changelog. If you would like a quieter inbox, the RSS feed on that page carries the same notes without the emails.