App Store app update failing

Just in case this happens to someone else...

The Mac App Store on my iMac indicated there was an update available. When I went to "Updates" in the sidebar, it showed the app and when I clicked on the "update" button, the little progress circle thingy went around almost the full way before a dialog popped up saying "update failed". I tried to do this update several times over a few days with system restarts in between etc. with no change.

Tonight I thought I would try a different approach. I went to the search box and searched for that same app. It found it and there was an "update" button there which worked perfectly.

I have also see app updates fail, and they never give a reason why. I generally just wait a day or three and try it again, but your alternative suggestion is a good one!

Yes, like you, I had experienced this before but it always seemed to correct itself in a day or so. This time it wasn't. One other observation from times before. It seems if an app is failing to update and then in a day or so another app is added to the list of apps for which there is an update, then both updates seem to work at that point. Nothing scientific about that statement, just what I think has happened in the past.