Mac Monterey Cannot Be Installed on Macintosh HD Fix

The new operating system of Apple, macOS Monterey, is finally available to everyone. And as with every new OS, various errors and bugs arrive along with it. There are many users who want to experience the macOS Monterey on their Macs but sometimes the installation gets stuck due to various reasons. In this guide, I will explain how you can fix “Mac Monterey Cannot Be Installed on Macintosh HD” error below.

How to fix Mac Monterey Cannot Be Installed on Macintosh HD error

There are many people who are getting an error message while installing macOS 12 Monterey. If you are also getting this kind of error messages like “macOS Monterey cannot be installed on Macintosh HD” or “Failed to personalize the update. Please try again” or “An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running this application again”, then Mac Monterey will not install on your device. To fix this issue, follow the steps given below.

Fix 1: Try to run macOS Recovery

If you are using a Mac with an Intel CPU, then follow the steps given below.

• First of all click the Apple logo at the top and select Restart.
• Once your Mac is restarting, then hold down Command + R keys together on your keyboard.
• Release the keys when you see the macOS Utilities window.
• At this point, click the option of “Reinstall macOS” and then follow the onscreen instructions.

If you are using an M1 Mac, follow the steps given below.

• First, click on the Apple logo and then select the Shut Down option.
• After that, press and hold the Power button.
• Release the Power button when you see an option of “Loading startup options.”
• Select Options and then choose Continue.
• Finally, click on the “Reinstall macOS” option, and your Mac will try to load the last functional system you had on your system.

Also, check the workarounds given below to fix the error messages:

1. It could be possible that macOS Monterey is not able to boot from an external drive that you are using, so check the drive first for any issue.
2. Check if you have not deleted your Mac’s startup disk, if so then you will need to make one again.
3. Check whether the boot drive is formatted in the wrong format; if so then format it in the correct format and then try to install Mac Monterey.
4. Try the workarounds given in this guide to fix Mac Monterey installation failed.

That is everything you need to know about how to fix the “Mac Monterey Cannot Be Installed on Macintosh HD” error. While you are here, check out our other macOS Monterey Guides to get the latest tips around the new Apple operating system.