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How to Install macOS Tahoe Public Beta

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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple has made the macOS Tahoe public beta available for testing before the new Mac operating system's official release in the fall. Keep reading to learn whether you should install it on your Mac, and if so, how to go about it.

macOS-Tahoe-26-Thumb.jpg

Getting access to the macOS Tahoe public beta is simple, and can be done by enrolling your Mac in Apple's free Apple Beta Software Program. The steps you need to complete to install the software on your Mac are provided towards the end of this article, but before you jump ahead, here are a few things worth considering.

Should I Install the macOS Tahoe Public Beta?

With macOS Tahoe, Apple introduces a major redesign for the platform with the all-new Liquid Glass interface, along with a host of new features. These include the Phone app on Mac, powerful new Spotlight actions, further Apple Intelligence integration, a dedicated Games app, and customizable backgrounds in Messages. Live Activities from iPhone also make their way to your Mac's menu bar, which now has a fully customizable Control Center. With so many additions and a striking visual update, it's no surprise that macOS Tahoe is generating a lot of interest among Mac users.

But before you commit, bear in mind that Apple does not recommend installing macOS beta updates on your main Mac. Remember, this is beta software, which means there are almost certainly bugs and issues that can prevent software from working properly or cause other problems with the system. Indeed, one of the reasons that Apple releases the beta to developers early is so that they can feed back problems and help Apple debug them. If you have a spare Mac hanging around, by all means use that, otherwise consider holding off until the general release in the fall.

Is My Mac Supported?

macOS Tahoe is compatible with the following Mac models, according to Apple:
  • MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
  • MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
  • MacBook Pro (16‑inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Pro (13‑inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • iMac (2020 and later)
  • Mac mini (2020 and later)
  • Mac Studio (2022 and later)
  • Mac Pro (2019 and later)
macOS Tahoe officially drops support for the following Macs (earlier models than those shown are also not supported):
  • MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
  • iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)
  • iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
  • iMac Pro (2017)
  • Mac mini (2018)
Don't Forget to Back Up Your Mac

Be sure to back up your Mac using Time Machine before installing the software using the method, otherwise you won't be able to revert back to the previous version of macOS if things go wrong.

How to Install macOS Tahoe Public Beta

  1. Head over to Apple's Beta Software Program website and sign up using your Apple Account credentials, then agree to the terms and conditions if required.
    apple-public-beta-program.jpg

    Next, open System Settings on your Mac and select General ➝ Software Update.
    Look for "Beta Updates" and click the info (i) symbol next to it.
    1install-macos-26-beta.jpg

    Choose macOS Tahoe 26 Public Beta from the dropdown list.
    macos-tahoe-public-beta-update.jpg

    Click Upgrade Now to begin the update process to macOS 26.
    upgrade-to-macos-tahoe.jpg
That's all you need to do. The installation process will complete just like a standard macOS update, so sit back and let the installation finish, after which your Mac will boot directly into the macOS Tahoe beta.

Article Link: How to Install macOS Tahoe Public Beta
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/install-macos-tahoe-public-beta/
Is it the last version with intel support? Will it decrease the dev time when they will drop it?
 
Flood4 said:
Is it the last version with intel support? Will it decrease the dev time when they will drop it?
Click to expand...
The last macOS version to support Intel processors will be macOS Tahoe (version 26). Apple has announced that all future macOS releases will be exclusive to Apple Silicon Macs.

Probably not, they have kept the same cycle (more or less) for years, between various architectural changes.
 
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I'm being eeever so cautious with Tahoe. I would normally jump right on the Public Beta releases as I have in the past, but this time around I'm not convinced that:
  1. Things will work between a Beta Tahoe and a shipping Sequoia Mac (Photos, Notes, Messages, and Music databases syncing and working together, etc.) without major headaches.
  2. Apple won't be dramatically changing things, if not just the GUI, before the release in the fall.
  3. Tahoe will work with Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office apps without having problems that can't be easily worked-around.
I have a M4 Max MacBook Pro that I could install it on for playing around with; keeping my Mac Studio running smoothly with Sequoia, so I suppose there's no harm in doing it. But part of me thinks it's just not worth the time investment or the potential of it getting completely bricked until another update is provided.
 
MacGizmo said:
I'm being eeever so cautious with Tahoe. I would normally jump right on the Public Beta releases as I have in the past, but this time around I'm not convinced that:
  1. Things will work between a Beta Tahoe and a shipping Sequoia Mac (Photos, Notes, Messages, and Music databases syncing and working together, etc.) without major headaches.
  2. Apple won't be dramatically changing things, if not just the GUI, before the release in the fall.
  3. Tahoe will work with Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office apps without having problems that can't be easily worked-around.
I have a M4 Max MacBook Pro that I could install it on for playing around with; keeping my Mac Studio running smoothly with Sequoia, so I suppose there's no harm in doing it. But part of me thinks it's just not worth the time investment or the potential of it getting completely bricked until another update is provided.
Click to expand...
Probably not worth it unless you're a developer and then you'd have already done it. I used to do but most of the changes lately have been small enough that after a few weeks the thrill is over. Save yourself the hassle and wait.

There used to be sites that listed software incompatibilities with the new OSs. This was before public betas and no cost developer accounts. It seems like the changes are small enough that software isn't broken by the changes and those sites have disappeared.

And presumably the changes are small enough that you can update one of your Macs and it will still sync with the another one that isn't updated.

I'll still wait until a week after full release.
 
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darkelipse04 said:
The last macOS version to support Intel processors will be macOS Tahoe (version 26). Apple has announced that all future macOS releases will be exclusive to Apple Silicon Macs.

Probably not, they have kept the same cycle (more or less) for years, between various architectural changes.
Click to expand...
I just hope they keep support for the M1 longer than they did with Intel but not holding my breath.
 
MacGizmo said:
I'm being eeever so cautious with Tahoe. I would normally jump right on the Public Beta releases as I have in the past, but this time around I'm not convinced that:
  1. Things will work between a Beta Tahoe and a shipping Sequoia Mac (Photos, Notes, Messages, and Music databases syncing and working together, etc.) without major headaches.
  2. Apple won't be dramatically changing things, if not just the GUI, before the release in the fall.
  3. Tahoe will work with Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office apps without having problems that can't be easily worked-around.
I have a M4 Max MacBook Pro that I could install it on for playing around with; keeping my Mac Studio running smoothly with Sequoia, so I suppose there's no harm in doing it. But part of me thinks it's just not worth the time investment or the potential of it getting completely bricked until another update is provided.
Click to expand...

I usually don’t install a PB until about the 3rd or 4th release. There’s a lot of issues and lack of support typically until half way through the PB.

If you have another Mac, it’s likely fine to do so and provide feedback, but essentially it’s more for finding issues and testing your own apps.

For my iPhone, I don’t even run PB anymore.
 
Flood4 said:
Is it the last version with intel support? Will it decrease the dev time when they will drop it?
Click to expand...
last version with Intel support, Apple says it should get an additional three years of security updates.
that means it should be supported until September 2029.
 
M1 devices came out in 2020 so next year will be seven years since the M series started. But my M1 Ultra Mac Studio came out in 2022 so that pushes M1 support two more years, in theory.

Have not put OS26 betas on my MacStudio and my M4 Pro mini server as do not want issues on primary equipment.

My iDevices are all migrated to OS26 with no issues. Too many changes for an older person to comprehend and utilize effectively.
 
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Good article and easy to follow. But I think I am waiting out a bit more before testing it out.
 
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