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MacOS Tahoe
22nd major version of the macOS operating system From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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macOS Tahoe (version 26) is the upcoming twenty-second major release of Apple's macOS operating system. The successor to macOS Sequoia (macOS 15), it was first announced at WWDC 2025 on June 9, 2025, with its first developer beta released the same day. In line with Apple's practice of naming macOS releases after landmarks in California, it is named after Tahoe, a lake straddling the border between California and Nevada.
Tahoe will be the last version of macOS to support Macs with Intel processors, with support further-limited to selected iMac, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro models; all future versions will only support Apple silicon.[3]
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Development
macOS Tahoe was announced by Apple's senior vice president (SVP) of software engineering Craig Federighi at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9, 2025.[4] The first developer beta was released the same day.[5]
During WWDC, Apple announced that the version numbers of its operating systems would now be unified and based on the year which follows that of their release (similarly to vehicle model years), moving them all forward to version 26. Federighi stated that macOS versions will still primarily be marketed using release names as before (in this case, "Tahoe"), since he believed macOS "demands more" than just a version number.[6][7]
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Features
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macOS Tahoe introduces several new features and improvements, mainly focused on the user interface:[8]
- The UI has been completely redesigned for the first time since macOS Big Sur to use Liquid Glass, making it more consistent with Apple's other platforms, which also receive it. The menu bar is now fully transparent by default. The cursor has been redesigned, now having a more rounded appearance. App icons have been unified with iOS and iPadOS, and can have dark and tinted variants as introduced in iOS with iOS 18/iPadOS 18, as well as a new clear variant.
- Some system sound effects are refined.
- Folder icons have been redesigned and can now have custom colors, emblems, and emojis, and can also abide to the accent color. They also now have animations.
- Spotlight Search has been redesigned and gains quick actions, "quick-key" shortcuts, menubar search, and Apple Intelligence integration.
- Many iOS and iPadOS features have been brought over to the Mac, such as Live Activities and compact brightness/audio indicators.
- The Phone and Journal apps are now included as part of macOS. The Phone app uses Continuity to integrate with the iPhone.
- The Control Center has been redesigned, now functioning like and resembling the iOS version introduced in iOS 18/iPadOS 18.
- The Launchpad, introduced in OS X Lion and mostly unchanged afterwards, has been removed and replaced by the Applications feature which is similar to the App Library, used on iOS since iOS 14 and iPadOS since iPadOS 15. It is integrated into the Spotlight interface. iPhone apps also appear in the Applications list through Continuity from the user's iPhone, and will launch through iPhone Mirroring.[9]
- Areas such as the Control Center, app opening and Spotlight Search now has increased animation.
- A Magnifier app, Vehicle Motion Cues, a system-wide Accessibility Reader, and support for Braille displays comes as part of expanded accessibility features.
- Some Lock Screen customisation features on iOS/iPadOS have been brought over to the Mac such as changing the color and font of the clock.
- Terminal gains support for 24-bit color and Powerline fonts.[10]
Removed features
- Home only supports the redesigned architecture introduced with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura and ends support for the legacy architecture.[11]
- Support for FireWire 400/800 has been removed.[12]
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Supported hardware
macOS Tahoe supports all Macs with Apple silicon and some of those with Intel's 9th generation Coffee Lake Refresh, 10th generation Ice Lake and Comet Lake, and Cascade Lake-based Xeon-W processors, including:[13][14]
- MacBook Air (M1, 2020) or later
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, four Thunderbolt 3 ports) or later
- MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) or later
- MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) or later
- Mac Mini (M1, 2020) or later
- iMac (2020) or later
- Mac Pro (2019) or later
- All Mac Studio models
During its Platforms State of the Union event at WWDC 2025, Apple announced that macOS Tahoe will be the last version of macOS that supports Intel-based Macs.[15] The only remaining Intel-based Macs supported by Tahoe are the Mac Pro (2019), the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, four Thunderbolt 3 ports) and the iMac (2020), thus ending support for Intel-based MacBook Air and Mac Mini models.[13][14]
Release history
| Previous release | Current release | Current beta release | Security response |
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See also
Notes
References
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