Apple released the first developer beta of macOS 27 Golden Gate on June 8, 2026, right after its WWDC 2026 keynote. You no longer need a paid Apple Developer Program membership ($99 per year) to get it. Anyone with a compatible Mac can install the macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta for free.
Before starting, confirm your Mac is eligible. Check the full list of Macs compatible with macOS 27, Golden Gate requires an M1 chip or newer, and Intel Macs are not supported. That includes the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports), iMac (2020), and Mac Pro (2019), all of which ran macOS 26 Tahoe. If your Mac has an M1 or later chip, you are good to proceed.
Also account for the download size. The full installer is approximately 17 GB, so set aside at least an hour depending on your connection speed.
Steps to install the macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta
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- Back up your Mac first. Developer betas carry real risk. The macOS 27 Golden Gate beta 1 release notes list known issues affecting Safari, Siri, Mail, Messages, Music, News, Writing Tools, window management, and software updates. Use Time Machine or another backup method before proceeding. One caveat: from macOS 27 onwards, Time Machine requires SMBv2 or SMBv3, which means Time Capsule hardware is no longer compatible in its stock form. Use a modern NAS or an external drive connected directly to your Mac instead.
- Create a free Apple Developer account. Go to developer.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account. Find and accept the Apple Developer Agreement. This registers you as an Apple developer at no cost. You do not need to enrol in or pay for the full Apple Developer Program.
- Open System Settings on your Mac. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings.
- Navigate to Software Update. Select General from the sidebar, then click Software Update.
- Access the Beta Updates option. Click the small “i” icon next to the Beta Updates label. A menu will appear listing available beta options.
- Select the macOS 27 Developer Beta. Choose macOS 27 Developer Beta from the list. Software Update will then check for the available release.
- Download and install. The update appears as macOS 27 Golden Gate, build 26A5353q. Click to download. The installer is approximately 17 GB. Once the download completes, installation begins automatically and your Mac will restart.
Known issues and important caveats
If the update does not appear after following the steps above, check whether Rosetta 2 is installed on your Mac. Apple is not releasing Rosetta 2 alongside macOS 27 betas, and its presence can prevent the update from showing up in Software Update. macOS 27 also automatically uninstalls Rosetta 2 if you had it installed under macOS 26 Tahoe. Users who rely on Intel-built apps should factor this in before upgrading. Rosetta 2 can be reinstalled manually after upgrading, but it will again be removed when future betas arrive until Apple resolves this.
macOS 27 installs via a Delta Update in System Settings rather than a traditional installer package. That means you cannot install from an external bootable drive the way some advanced users prefer for beta testing.
A few features require more capable hardware. Improved dictation and the custom Siri voice option both need an M3 chip or later and at least 12 GB of RAM. These features will not appear on M1 or M2 Macs regardless of the software version installed.
For a safer testing environment, Apple supports installing macOS 27 on a secondary volume using Disk Utility, which keeps your existing macOS 26 Tahoe installation intact. That is the sensible approach on a primary work machine.
The first public beta of macOS 27 Golden Gate is expected in July via beta.apple.com. The stable release is expected in September, though Apple has not announced a specific date. Developer Beta 1, build 26A5353q, is available now.
macOS 27 Golden Gate is the first version of macOS to drop Intel support entirely, and the final release to include full Rosetta 2 support before that translation layer disappears with next year’s release. If you have an M1 or later Mac and want early access to the new Siri AI experience, Liquid Glass refinements, and the other changes Apple previewed at WWDC 2026, the free developer beta is the fastest way to get there. Just back up first.
