by: Paul Horowitz
Apple announced the next major version of MacOS, called MacOS Tahoe, versioned as MacOS 26, at WWDC 2026, and now the first beta version is available to download.
For Mac users who are enrolled in the developer beta testing program, MacOS Tahoe 26 beta 1 can be downloaded right away through the standard software update mechanism, or downloaded as a full package installer from Apple, or even as an IPSW file from Apple.
MacOS Tahoe 26 introduces a new Liquid Glass interface with more transparency and updated shinier icons, along with some new features like adding actions to Spotlight along with the ability to search your iPhone from your Mac, bringing Live Activities from iPhone to the Mac, more Apple Intelligence capabilities, the Phone app comes to the Mac, the inclusion of the Journal app, and many more smaller features, changes, and improvements.
Warning:
Remember that early developer beta versions are typically the buggiest and least stable of a beta cycle, and therefore developer beta releases are not recommended for average or casual Mac users. If you’d like to experiment with MacOS Tahoe beta, you might want to instead setup a virtual machine for that purpose, install it onto a secondary Mac, or simply wait for the public beta to arrive next month, since the public beta is further along in the beta development cycle and typically a bit more stable.
Installing developer beta system software is not appropriate for casual users or average users.