Installing macOS 27 Golden Gate in 2026 happens entirely inside System Settings — no profile file. Both the Developer Beta and the upcoming Public Beta install free with any Apple Account on any Apple silicon Mac. This guide walks through both routes with a real on-screen view, then covers Time Machine backups, Mac compatibility, troubleshooting and how to go back to macOS 26.
To install the macOS 27 beta in 2026, back up your Mac with Time Machine, then open System Settings → General → Software Update, click the ⓘ next to Beta Updates and choose macOS 27 Developer Beta (or Public Beta from mid-July). Click Done, then Upgrade Now. It’s free with any Apple Account — no profile file and no paid developer account. macOS 27 Golden Gate needs an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or later).
Two free routes · pick one
Both are free and install the same way from System Settings. The only real difference is timing and stability — choose based on whether this is a Mac you depend on.
The earliest builds of Golden Gate, the moment Apple ships them. First out after WWDC.
Available: now · since June 8, 2026
See the stepsThe same software a few weeks later, after the roughest early bugs are smoothed out.
Expected: mid-July 2026
See the stepsThe old downloadable beta access profile for macOS is retired. Enrollment now lives in System Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates and is tied to your Apple Account — see how beta profiles changed.
Two things matter most on Mac: a Time Machine backup, and an Apple silicon Mac. Do these first.
On Mac the only clean way back to macOS 26 is to erase and restore. Connect an external drive and run a full Time Machine backup so you can recover every file if you decide to downgrade.
macOS 27 Golden Gate needs an M1 chip or later. Click → About This Mac to check. Intel Macs cannot install it. See the supported Macs list.
Beta enrollment is linked to your Apple Account. Make sure the Mac is signed in with the account you want to use — a free Apple Account is enough for both betas.
The macOS installer is large — well over 10 GB. Keep the Mac on power and stable Wi-Fi so the upgrade doesn’t stall partway through.
Developer Beta 1 is the roughest build of the cycle and some apps and drivers may not work yet. If this Mac runs your work, use a spare Mac, an external volume, or wait for the Public Beta in July.
What it looks like on screen
On Mac the whole flow lives in one window. Here’s the Software Update pane and the Beta Updates picker that replaced the old profile.
Open System Settings → General → Software Update. The beta shows up with an Upgrade Now button.
Click the ⓘ next to Beta Updates, pick macOS 27 Developer Beta (or Public Beta), then Done — no profile file involved.
Method 1 · available now
macOS 27 Developer Beta 1 went live on June 8, 2026, right after the WWDC keynote. This is the System Settings route — free, with no profile file.
Run a full Time Machine backup so you can return to stable macOS 26 later. See before you install above.
Make sure the Mac is signed in with the Apple Account you want for beta software. A free account works — you do not need the $99 Apple Developer Program.
Go to System Settings → General → Software Update and wait a moment for it to check in with Apple.
Click the ⓘ info button next to Beta Updates, choose macOS 27 Developer Beta, then click Done. This replaced the old beta profile.
The macOS 27 Developer Beta 1 upgrade appears. Click Upgrade Now, keep the Mac plugged in, and let it download and restart. The first install takes a while.
Method 2 · expected mid-July 2026
A few weeks after the developer build, Apple opens the Public Beta — the same macOS 27 Golden Gate with the worst early bugs fixed. This is the route we recommend for most people.
Same rule as the developer beta — a full Time Machine backup is your only safe way back to macOS 26 if you change your mind.
On the Mac, open beta.apple.com in Safari and sign up with your Apple Account once the public beta opens (expected mid-July 2026). One-time, free sign-up.
Go to System Settings → General → Software Update.
Click the ⓘ next to Beta Updates, choose macOS 27 Public Beta, then click Done.
Click Upgrade Now and keep the Mac plugged in until it completes.
You don’t need to sign up separately. Just open the Beta Updates picker and switch to macOS 27 Public Beta — your Mac moves to the public track on the next build.
macOS 27 Golden Gate is the first release to require Apple silicon across the whole lineup.
If your Mac has an Apple silicon chip, the beta will appear in Software Update. If it’s an Intel Mac, it won’t — that’s expected, not a bug.
The handful of install snags people actually hit on Mac — and the fix for each.
The list can take a minute after you sign in. Restart the Mac, reopen System Settings → General → Software Update, and confirm you’re on macOS 26 or later and signed in with an enrolled Apple Account. Intel Macs won’t show it at all.
Software Update can be slow to refresh. Leave the pane open for a minute, or close and reopen System Settings. A restart almost always makes the macOS 27 upgrade show up.
Apple’s servers are busiest in the first hours after a build drops. Keep the Mac on power and stable Wi-Fi; if it hasn’t moved in a while, restart and start the download again.
macOS 27 needs well over 20 GB free to install. Free up space at System Settings → General → Storage before retrying the upgrade.
Leaving the beta is two different things — stop getting new builds, or fully return to stable macOS.
Open System Settings → General → Software Update, click the ⓘ next to Beta Updates and set it to Off. Your Mac stays on its current build but won’t pull new betas, and moves to stable macOS 27 when it ships.
On an Apple silicon Mac there’s no in-place downgrade. You erase the Mac and reinstall macOS 26 — either via Recovery (if it shipped with 26 or earlier) or by DFU-restoring the macOS 26 IPSW with Apple Configurator 2 from a second Mac. Then restore your pre-beta Time Machine backup — which is why backing up first matters.
Apple silicon Macs are revived and restored with .ipsw firmware through Apple Configurator 2 in DFU mode. Our library tracks the latest macOS 26 firmware and signing status so you know exactly what can be restored today.
Browse the IPSW libraryThe things people ask most when installing the macOS 27 beta in 2026.
More guides and tools for the 27 cycle.