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5 things to know about the macOS Monterey 12.3 update

Apple has released its macOS Monterey 12.3 update and the software brings a variety of significant changes to Mac users around the world.

macOS Monterey 12.3 is a landmark release and includes brand new features, improvements, bug fixes and security fixes. It's a substantial upgrade for Mac.

With that in mind, we want to walk you through everything you need to know about the macOS Monterey 12.3 update and its release for Mac.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the performance of the macOS Monterey 12.3 update, the current list of macOS Monterey 12.3 issues, the best places to find macOS Monterey 12.3 issue feedback, and more.

We'll start with some impressions of the performance of the macOS Monterey 12.3 update on Mac.





Review of macOS Monterey 12.3

If your Mac is currently running macOS Monterey 12.2.1, you'll still see a fairly large download. The exact macOS Monterey 12.3 download size varies depending on the Mac model and the version of macOS it is currently running.

If your Mac is running macOS Monterey 12.2.1, installation should take less than 15 minutes. It took about 13 minutes on a MacBook Pro (2017).

To learn more about downloading and installing macOS Monterey 12.3, check out our guide.

We've been using the macOS Monterey 12.3 update on a MacBook Pro (2017) for several days now and here's what we've learned about its performance so far:

If your Mac is having trouble with macOS Monterey 12.2.1 or an earlier version of macOS, you can install macOS Monterey 12.3 on your Mac today.

If you need help deciding, check out our reasons for installing and not installing the macOS Monterey 12.3 update.

macOS Monterey 12.3 issues

The macOS Monterey 12.3 update is causing issues for some Mac users.

We hear about installation issues, UI lag, issues with first and third party apps, abnormal battery drain, Wi-Fi issues, Bluetooth issues, issues with external monitors, issues with Xbox and PlayStation controllers, battery life issues, and a number of other issues.


Mac users who had their computer's motherboard replaced say the macOS Monterey 12.3 update bricked their devices. They also complain about boot loops and errors.

If you download macOS Monterey 12.3 on your Mac and are having bugs or performance issues, here are some resources that might help.

Before contacting Apple Customer Support, check out our list of fixes for the most common macOS Monterey issues. We've also posted a walkthrough that tells you how to fix macOS Monterey battery life issues.

If you can't find what you're looking for in our guides, head over to Apple's Discussion Forums . If they can't help you, you might want to get in touch with Apple Support via Twitter or Customer Support via Apple's website .

If you still can't resolve your problem(s), you can schedule an appointment to see a Genius at your local Apple Store if it's open.

macOS Monterey 12.3 Update: What's New

Apple's major updates (xx) usually bring a number of changes and macOS Monterey 12.3 is no different. Here is the full macOS Monterey 12.3 changelog:

Improvements

macOS Monterey 12.3 also brings a staggering 45 new security patches to Mac. You can read more about these on Apple's Security Site .

You can downgrade from macOS Monterey 12.3

If you're having trouble on macOS Monterey 12.3, you can downgrade your Mac's software to an older version if you think that might help.

There's no time limit for this to expire, so if you decide you need to move your Mac to older software, it's easy enough to do if you're prepared. Here is our downgrade guide and it will help you understand the process and make the move.

And after

macOS Monterey 12.3 was the last known macOS update in Apple's pipeline, so it's unclear when the next version will roll out.

That being said, we expect Apple to put a new version of macOS Monterey into beta testing in the near future, so keep an eye out as we move forward through the month.