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MacUpdate Desktop 5.0.12

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(292) 4.176369863013699

Keep all your Mac software automatically updated. Shareware ($20.00)

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MacUpdate

MacUpdate Desktop is the best way to automatically keep all the software on your Mac up-to-date. Apple Software Update only updates Apple branded apps. Apple's Apple Store only updates apps that you bought from that storefront. MacUpdate Desktop updates everything on your Mac with a single click.

When you purchase MacUpdate Desktop, you'll also receive a free MacUpdate.com Membership ($20 value).A fully-functional 10 day trial is available to all users. You may use MacUpdate Desktop on up to five (5) Macs with just one membership.

Check out our guided tour, read more

What's New

Version 5.0.12:

Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.7.2 (a bug in OS X 10.7, 10.7.1 was fixed)
Holding down Option and Command keys when launching will force the cache and database to refresh
Improvements to the application information pane
Improvements when "Checking for Updates"
Other bug fixes

Requirements

PPC / Intel
Mac OS X 10.5 or later (with Spotlight enabled)
Active Internet connection
MacUpdate Desktop Member account

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MacUpdate Desktop User Discussion (Write a Review)

ver. 5.x:

(292)

Your rating: Now say why...

Overall:

(294)

sort: smiles | time

+13

Wildfox reviewed on 01 May 2012

For you grouses out there. After running MacUpdate, I toyed with the listing and learned some unexpected things. Listing by app name, I found apps that I had installed in more than one place. I reviewed my 'skip' items and discarded some of them. I sorted by date and reconsidered each app that was not supported by MU, and discarded several, as I did not recall downloading them, or I now had something better.

My remarks on the current software version:
1. As others have said, needs OS recognition.
2. I would cheerfully pay TWICE as much for MU if the really obviously bogus twit software were screened from MU. e.g., software that pretends to do tasks that are already native to OS X. Reputable reviewers comments would serve to identify these.

The grumbling complainers seem to forget the value of the MU reviews in selecting what you decide to put on your computer.

[Version 5.0.12]

+17

Seanc commented on 12 Apr 2012

Please provide a preference to distinguish between regular releases and beta releases. It's annoying to be notified by MacUpdate Desktop that Google, for instance, has released yet another beta of Chrome, but I don't want to mark it with "Don't check for updates" because that would ignore any non-beta releases. Like many, if not most people, I rarely install beta software, and when I do, it's a special situation and I rely on the developer to keep me updated.

[Version 5.0.12]

3 Replies

+90

dp8 replied on 03 May 2012

There is a preference setting to show beta releases in the Outdated listing (on by default). Some software like Chrome is *always* in beta.

+17

Seanc replied on 03 May 2012

dp8, I'm not sure that preference does anything. I just noticed that a beta version of OnyX is listed, and the current release version is listed as out of date whether that preference is on or off.

+90

dp8 replied on 03 May 2012

The preference controls if beta versions appear on the Outdated listing.

Lls reviewed on 11 Apr 2012

Love it.

[Version 5.0.12]

Thej reviewed on 01 Apr 2012

I currently use the free version of CNETs TechTracker and downloaded MacUpdate Desktop for comparison.

Good:
- finds or knows more software
- shows all found software, so you know what it is tracking
- I prefer MacUpdate's user interface
- direct link to developer's page, I prefer this to automatic
updates, since I like to read release notes first

Bad:
- OS version is ignored, it happily proposes incompatible
updates
- No distinction between free and paid upgrades
No distinction between beta and main versions

While at the same price I would switch immediately, both version tracking tools share the same shortcoming: They do not take your OS version into account and propose updates that will not work, if you're not on the latest OS version. They also do not distinguish between free updates and paid ones. Since bigger software developers often provide minor updates for at least the two latest major versions, you will still need an alternate method to check, whether you are on the latest version freely available for your setup.

I wonder, if there are any plans to improve the situation in this regard. If not it could be difficult to compete with free tools.

As a short term improvement it would be nice, if you could tell the tool to not show an application on the outdated list until the next update or the next major update.

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

+90

dp8 replied on 03 May 2012

MacUpdate Desktop does take your CPU architecture and OS into account when you actually try to install an update - you should get an alert asking if you want to continue. We are continuing to work on improvements to support update notifications that are most relevant for your OS.

thanks for the feedback

+93

Prypjat reviewed on 27 Mar 2012

I like this app, just bought it. It allows me to keep my apps up-to-date, great!

There are however some downsides:
→ Ghost Updates: MacUpdateDesktop can't distinguish between beta updates and "real" updates. Therefore it thinks Photoshop CS5 is out of date because the CS6 beta is available. If I click on "Update", the Adobe Application Manager says that no updates are available.
→ App Store: It can't distinguish between AppStore & Non-AppStore version strings. Some developers distribute apps themselves too alongside with the AppStore, so if the version number isn't the same, this app opens the AppStore - where no updates are available. Maybe check for the "Receipts" folder in AppStore apps to distinguish them? Just my two cents.

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

+90

dp8 replied on 03 May 2012

You can disable showing beta version in the Outdated listing. MacUpdate Desktop does automatically detect Mac App Store apps, and will show a small Apple icon next to their name. In cases where the developer has released a new version on their website, but Apple has yet to approve it in the Mac App Store, you will run into the issue described. This is primarily a problem with how slow the Mac App Store is, and one reason developers continue to offer direct downloads and updates. We are working on some improvements to better indicate the latest version as well as the latest MAS version in these cases.

Guizmo85 reviewed on 14 Feb 2012

I'm a power user, I prefer downloading each single software updates directly to the developper website.

MacUpdate Desktop was included in the Spring Bundle that I bought, but otherwise I would never have spend a penny for that. I just don't see the point of paying for something that you can do freely with a little more time.

Installing apps is no big deal.

[Version 5.0.12]

2 Replies

MacUpdate replied on 14 Feb 2012

Thanks for the feedback. Most users of MacUpdate Desktop enjoy the time savings and simplicity of downloading and installing updates with a single click, compared to finding out about an update, loading a page, downloading the update, locating it on your hard drive, uncompressing it or mounting a disk image, running an installer or copying files, un-mounting and/or trashing the archive or disk image, etc. MacUpdate Desktop not only handles the downloading and installing for you, but also will find *all* of your available updates for you and notify you when updates are ready - for people that use more than a few apps (and widgets, screen savers, plugins, and prefpanes), keeping track of what versions you have and what new versions are available can be very time consuming. Finally, MacUpdate Desktop enables you to create and manage Watch Lists to keep an eye on important apps that you use, or are thinking about purchasing or need to install on multiple Macs easily. Giving the app a low rating simply because you prefer to do more work and waste your time seems a bit uncalled for. Spending $1.66 a month more than pays for itself in saved time and hassle.

take care

+30

Bowlerboy_jmb replied on 14 Feb 2012

I guess some people enjoy reinventing the wheel: in contrast, I love MacUpdate Desktop! It's wheels on steroids!

I think the developer spelled out the main reasons why every Mac user (and MacUpdate Desktop Member) ought to subscribe to this software. Well said!

It ain't perfect yet, but development continues and it gets better all the time. Get it, and don't look back.

+64

pcharles commented on 30 Dec 2011

Every time a new version comes out I look to see if it manages the MacUpdate purchased applications and serials, but so far I come away disappointed. . . . . Unless I have missed it.

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

-1

MacUpdate (developer) replied on 02 Jan 2012

You can download and of your MacUpdate purchases and auto-install them with one click - they will be listed in the "Promo Purchases" folder. You can manage your serial numbers using any number of great apps including LicenseKeeper, 1Password, myApps, or AppShelf - there are "Save to..." buttons on your Promo receipt to make this process easy.

Rbastiaans reviewed on 21 Dec 2011

Works great. But on my old G5 dualprocessor machine I can't get it to work unfortunately. The app bounces but the just stops. Is there a workaround? I would like it to work because of some older PPC programs - these obviously don't work on Lion (and there's no Virtual Machine for Snow Leopard in Lion).

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

MacUpdate (developer) replied on 21 Dec 2011

Check your Console logs for any errors. You may also want to try repairing permissions. Please contact desktop@macupdate.com for further assistance.

-1

rpowellweb reviewed on 18 Dec 2011

Wish it automatically filtered out the mac app store apps

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

dp8 replied on 18 Dec 2011

Mac App Store apps are denoted with a small Apple icon, and the update buttons says, "App Store". You can filter for these apps by typing the Apple character in the filter box - 

-Chad

+15

d_tisdal reviewed on 05 Dec 2011

I purchased MacUpdate quite awhile ago and have been very happy with it. It came bundled with a MacUpdate membership which is a very good value. The plus is that MacUpdate does a very good job at keeping all your apps up to date with the exception of a few that I have but I suspect the MacUpdate will include those in the near future. MacUpdate also lets you know when there is an update in Apple App Store which is another plus. The only annoyance is that you have to be careful when updating some apps because they turn out to be paid updates and you may end up with a demo for a older product you purchased. But MacUpdate lets you know what updates are required to be paid for. Great app and a must have if you have as many apps as I do!

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

MacUpdate (developer) replied on 05 Dec 2011

Thanks for the review! If there are apps that are not covered for some reason, please use the "Submit to MacUpdate" menu option, or email desktop@macupdate.com. The application will alert you when the update is a paid upgrade or a beta version, and we are working on ways to improve things in this area as well.

Torgobob had trouble on 09 Mar 2012

This is normally a great app but for the past week (at least) it seems to have stopped working.

When I run it, it scans my apps, indicates I have 165 total installed, but only version matches 5 of them (all the rest show a dash in the version column).

I tried deleting all my preference files but to no avail... I first assumed MacUpdate may have been down temporarily but it's been a little to long for that to likely be the cause...

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

+90

dp8 replied on 03 May 2012

This might happen when your Spotlight index gets corrupted (happens a lot on 10.7) or your app database has an issue. Try rebuilding your Spotlight index, and then try launching while holding down Command and Option keys to reset the app database.

raugust had trouble on 03 Feb 2012

Since applying security update 2012-001 on my OS X 10.6.8 system yesterday, MacUpdate Desktop seems to be unable to retrieve update information. I just get an error box stating "There was an error in receiving updates." Has anyone else encountered this? Any ideas for a fix?

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

MacUpdate (developer) replied on 03 Feb 2012

We have been upgrading our servers this week - its possible you are just not connecting to the new servers. If you continue to have this problem, please contact us - desktop@macupdate.com.

David Zizza had trouble on 13 Oct 2011

This has been an issue with previous versions as well. NeoOffice and MySQL Workbench seem to have problems with their updates. NeoOffice claims to have a patch 0 with no direct download available and MySQL Workbench seems to have an issue updating version 3.2.6 to 3.2.34.

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

Macupdate (developer) replied on 13 Oct 2011

Thanks for the feedback - we'll take a look at those updates and see what can be done to improve the updating process.

-115

Higherterrain had trouble on 13 Oct 2011

Why is it that the app can not hook to Keychain like almost any other app that I run that uses the Keychain. This has been an ongoing problem from the outset of this app and never has been fixed in my view.

Also would like to clear the cache in the app and start from scratch. How to you go about this.

[Version 5.0.12]

1 Reply

Macupdate (developer) replied on 13 Oct 2011

The app does use Keychain to store your login credentials. You can clear the cache buy pressing Option and Command keys when the app is launching.

+11

Alphonse had trouble on 13 Oct 2011

disk image for 5.0.12 is corrupt (no mountable filesystems) for both the download on this page and the auto update from within the app.

[Version 5.0.12]

2 Replies

Macupdate (developer) replied on 13 Oct 2011

Please try your download again - it seems to be working properly - could just be a networking issue on your end. Contact desktop@macupdate.com if you require further assistance!

+11

Alphonse replied on 13 Oct 2011

seems to be fixed now. thanks

+42

Franz had trouble on 08 Aug 2011

Hi, Macupadte desktop seems to be fine under Lion but I have a little bug
Whenever I install a new app, the MU Desktop shows it greyed out and doesn't recognize it. After removing MU desktop completely and installing it again the problem is gone and it recognizes the newly installed app.

[Version 5.0.11]

1 Reply

+90

dp8 replied on 08 Aug 2011

If you install a new app manually (download from a browser and run the installer or copy from the disk image to your Applications folder), you need to run "Check for Updates" again in order for MacUpdate to match it up to an app in our listings. Or, you can set your update notification to be "hourly", and the background scanner will pick it up the next time it run (hourly) and it will show up. You don't need to remove MacUpdate Desktop - just run "Check for Updates"

Boz1473 had trouble on 02 Aug 2011

Stopped working today on Lion. It seems to think I only have 1 application installed (bizarrely, Team Fortress 2). Deleting the MacUpdate folder in ~/Library/Application Support has made no difference.

[Version 5.0.11]

6 Replies

+90

dp8 replied on 02 Aug 2011

Sounds like your Spotlight index may be corrupt or in the process of being rebuilt. Try searching for any app in Spotlight to test. Try rebuilding your index and then run MacUpdate Desktop again.

Boz1473 replied on 04 Aug 2011

Can find the applications using Spotlight. This is now happening on two different machines.

+90

dp8 replied on 04 Aug 2011

Try rebuilding your Spotlight index. We have had a few reports of the Spotlight index being corrupt in Lion, and rebuilding it fixed the problem.

Boz1473 replied on 04 Aug 2011

Done that, no joy I'm afraid

Boz1473 replied on 07 Aug 2011

Aha, after several unsuccessful Spotlight index rebuilds I spotted the problems:
1) I had cloned my drive prior to installing Lion, so Spotlight was picking up the applications in the Snow Leopard applications directory clone
2) Somehow ~/Applications had gone into the privacy preferences of Spotlight

Deleted the clone, fixed the Spotlight preferences and rebuilt the Spotlight index using sudo mdutil -E / and all is well

+90

dp8 replied on 08 Aug 2011

I'm glad you figured it out. The applications will not be checked if they are located in a folder or volume entered in the Spotlight privacy settings.

Cyannah had trouble on 01 Aug 2011

I love MacUpdate Desktop and have no trouble EXCEPT with Lion, I am not getting info on the software categories besides Applications that are listed in the sidebar: Screen Savers, Preference Panes and Plugins. I used to. Is there a way I can fix this? A Preferences setting lets you choose one other file to search, but only one.

[Version 5.0.11]

2 Replies

Cyannah replied on 01 Aug 2011

Oh, sorry. They are listed when I set the heading column to "All." I had it set only to read the outdated items. (There have always been one or two, but none now.)

+90

dp8 replied on 01 Aug 2011

Thanks for the update. Everything has been working great in 10.7 on our test machines and for the MacUpdate Desktop members that have moved to 10.7. Please submitted any feedback to problems to desktop@macupdate.com or use the built in Feedback menu option if you ever need support.

Northp had trouble on 24 May 2011

I seem to have a problem with 5.0.9 not reporting available updates. At the moment I have two: Box Shot 3D and VueScan. Both are showing updates on the www.macupdate.com (VueScan is in todays list, Box Shot yesterday). I also have a second computer that is running MacUpdate Desktop 5.0.8 and it shows both of the above updates.

[Version 5.0.9]

1 Reply

Macupdate (developer) replied on 24 May 2011

The updates cache is updated hourly if you Mac is on/awake. If you do a "check for updates" from the menu, you should see those updates immediately. Otherwise you will see them the next time the cache is updated.

+35

June8 had trouble on 12 May 2011

MUD should not give an update notification via Growl for a skipped application.

[Version 5.0.8]

1 Reply

Macupdate (developer) replied on 12 May 2011

You should not receive an update notification for any skipped app. Is it possible that you have more than one copy of the skipped app installed? Please contact desktop@macupdate.com if you require further assistance.

thanks!

Glooob rated on 23 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

laddeluden rated on 16 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

-2

Moccaboi rated on 16 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

greenegative rated on 13 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

SheilaE rated on 10 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

Faff rated on 03 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

Serog rated on 01 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

thelolly76 rated on 01 May 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

max1234 rated on 30 Apr 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

+102

Stickman67 rated on 24 Apr 2012

[Version 5.0.12]

Downloads:531,940

Version Downloads:70,680

Type:Utilities : File Management

License:Shareware

Date:13 Oct 2011

Platform:PPC / Intel

Price: $20.00

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