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macOS Golden Gate

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macOS Golden Gate
Version of the macOS operating system
Desktop screenshot of macOS Golden Gate
DeveloperApple
OS family
Working stateDeveloper beta
Source modelClosed, with open source components
Latest preview27.0 beta 2[1] (26A5368g)[2] (June 22, 2026; 1 day ago (2026-06-22)) [±]
Update methodSoftware Update
Supported platformsARM64 (Apple silicon)
Kernel typeHybrid (XNU)
LicenseProprietary software with open-source components and content licensed with APSL
Preceded bymacOS Tahoe
Official websiteapple.com/os/macos
Support status
Pre-release (beta)
Articles in the series
iOS 27
iPadOS 27
watchOS 27
tvOS 27
visionOS 27

macOS Golden Gate (version 27) is the upcoming twenty-third major release of Apple's macOS operating system. The successor to macOS Tahoe, it was announced on June 8, 2026, at WWDC 2026[3][4][5] and will be released in late 2026. It will be the first version of macOS to run exclusively on Macs with Apple silicon and the last version with full Rosetta 2 functionality.[6][7]

It is named after the Golden Gate, a strait between the Presidio of San Francisco and the Marin Headlands, which connects the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.[8]

Development

[edit]

The development of the then-unnamed macOS 27 was confirmed by Apple at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 during its Platforms State of the Union event when it outlined the conclusion of the Mac transition to Apple silicon. Apple stated that macOS 27 would drop support for Intel processors and be the last version with full Rosetta 2 functionality.[9]

macOS Golden Gate was formally announced at WWDC on June 8, 2026. The first developer beta was released the same day.[10] The name "Golden Gate" was also previously used as the internal code name for macOS Big Sur.[11]

Features

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Apple said that macOS 27 Golden Gate focuses on user feedback for the previous release, fixing and refining features.

System features

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User interface

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Many aspects of the Liquid Glass design have been refined; users can now change Liquid Glass intensity with a slider.[12]

Desktop, lock screen and Control Center

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Other new features

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  • Window border shapes no longer vary depending on the app, reverting a change seen in macOS Tahoe.
  • The mouse cursor has been redesigned, with it resembling a glove as in versions before Tahoe, but more rounded.
  • The pull-to-refresh feature from iOS and iPadOS is available in Safari, Mail, News, Podcasts and Calendar.
  • The iPhone Mirroring app can be resized.
  • The Notes and Freeform apps now have Markup drawing tools to match iOS and iPadOS.[citation needed]

Removed features

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  • Golden Gate no longer uses a separate default wallpaper. It uses the same wallpaper as iOS and iPadOS.
  • Golden Gate removes support for Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), and Time Machine backups to AirPort Time Capsule routers no longer function. AFP is a core Macintosh technology dating all the way back to System 6.[13]
  • AirPort Utility, which is used to manage AirPort routers, is no longer included in new installations.[14]
  • Boot Camp, software for installing Windows, has been removed, as Golden Gate does not support Intel CPUs.
  • Golden Gate no longer places icons next to menu items.[15]

Supported hardware and features

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macOS Golden Gate runs on all Macs with an Apple M1 or A18 Pro chip or later, which includes:[16]

Apple Intelligence features are supported on all Macs, but only those with an M3 chip or later with at least 12 GB of RAM support on-device Siri AI.[17]

Golden Gate drops support for all Macs with an Intel CPU, including the Mac Pro (2019), the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, four Thunderbolt 3 ports), and the iMac (2020). Intel-based applications will still be able to be used with Rosetta 2.[9]

Release history

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The first developer beta of macOS Golden Gate was released on June 8, 2026. The Golden Gate developer betas are available to anyone with an Apple Developer account, without needing a developer subscription.

macOS Golden Gate releases
Version Build Release date Darwin version
Unsupported: 27.0 beta 1 26A5353q June 8, 2026 27.0.0
xnu-13361.0.0.501.1~2
Wed May 27 02:13:13 PDT 2026
Preview version: 27.0 beta 2 26A5368g June 22, 2026 27.0.0
xnu-13432.0.5.501.1~2
Mon Jun 15 22:59:39 PDT 2026
Legend:
Unsupported
Latest version
Preview version

See Apple's official release notes.

References

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  1. ^ Clover, Juli (June 22, 2026). "macOS Golden Gate Beta 2 Now available for Developers". MacRumors. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  2. ^ "macOS 27 beta (26A5368g)". Apple Developer. June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  3. ^ "Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference returns the week of June 8". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  4. ^ Clover, Juli (May 18, 2026). "Apple Announces WWDC 2026 Schedule, Sends Media Invites". MacRumors. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  5. ^ Rossignol, Joe (June 1, 2026). "Apple Shares WWDC26 Wallpaper, Playlist, 'Get Ready' Video, and More". MacRumors. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  6. ^ Di Benedetto, Antonio (June 8, 2026). "Apple announces macOS 27 Golden Gate". The Verge. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  7. ^ Hanson, Matt (June 8, 2026). "macOS 27 Golden Gate announced at WWDC 2026 — here's everything you need to know". TechRadar. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  8. ^ Elliot, Matt (June 8, 2026). "MacOS Golden Gate Gets Better Search, Smarter Siri, Greater Liquid Glass Control and More". CNET. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  9. ^ a b Cunningham, Andrew (June 9, 2025). "Apple details the end of Intel Mac support and a phaseout for Rosetta 2". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  10. ^ Benedetto, Antonio G. Di (June 8, 2026). "Apple announces macOS 27 Golden Gate with Siri AI and revamped Liquid Glass controls". The Verge. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  11. ^ "Remember that? We recap the features of every macOS Apple's released". Macworld. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  12. ^ Clover, Juli (June 9, 2026). "All the Liquid Glass Changes in macOS Golden Gate". MacRumors. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  13. ^ "Warning: Apple Says macOS 27 Won't Support AirPort Time Capsule Backups". MacRumors. June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  14. ^ Clover, Juli (June 22, 2026). "Apple Dropping AirPort Utility From the App Store With iOS 27". MacRumors. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  15. ^ Hillard, Wesley (June 8, 2026). "macOS Golden Gate menus revert to having no icons by each item, as it should be". AppleInsider. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  16. ^ "OS - macOS 27 Golden Gate". Apple. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  17. ^ Cunningham, Andrew (June 8, 2026). "macOS 27 requires Apple Silicon, as Apple draws down the Intel Mac era". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
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