Installing visionOS 27 happens entirely on the Vision Pro itself — no profile file, no Mac required to install. Both the Developer Beta and the upcoming Public Beta install free with any Apple Account, right from Settings. This guide covers both routes step by step, then which Vision Pro models qualify, troubleshooting, and how to go back to visionOS 26.
To install the visionOS 27 beta, put on your Apple Vision Pro and open Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates, then choose visionOS 27 Developer Beta (or Public Beta from July). Go back and tap Download and Install, keeping the Vision Pro on power and Wi-Fi. It’s free with any Apple Account — no profile file. Both Vision Pro models (M2 and M5) are supported. Note: a full downgrade later needs the $299 Developer Strap.
Two free routes · pick one
Both are free and install the same way from Settings on the Vision Pro. The difference is timing and stability — and downgrading needs extra hardware, so choose with care.
The earliest spatial builds, 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 fixed.
Expected: July 2026
See the stepsvisionOS 27 enrolls directly on the headset through Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates. A Mac only comes into play if you later want to downgrade — and only with the Developer Strap.
What it looks like in the headset
Inside the Vision Pro, Settings floats in front of you as a glass window. Here’s the Software Update panel and the Beta Updates picker.
Open Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates, pick visionOS 27 Developer Beta, then tap Download and Install — all without taking off the headset.
A minute of prep keeps your spatial setup safe — especially since a full downgrade later needs special hardware.
Set up automatic backups or back up manually before installing, so your data and personas can be recovered. A clean downgrade later erases the device.
visionOS can only be rolled back with the $299 Apple Vision Pro Developer Strap plus a Mac. If you don’t own the strap, treat the beta as one-way — so prefer the Public Beta if this is your only Vision Pro.
Beta enrollment is tied to your Apple Account. A free Apple Account is enough — no paid developer membership needed to install.
Keep the Vision Pro on power and Wi-Fi with enough battery so the update doesn’t stall midway.
Method 1 · available now
visionOS 27 Developer Beta 1 went live on June 8, 2026, right after WWDC. It installs on-device — free, with no profile file.
Make a backup so you can recover later. See before you install above.
Make sure the Vision Pro is signed in with the Apple Account you want for beta software. A free account works — no $99 membership required.
On the headset, open Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates.
Choose visionOS 27 Developer Beta so it’s checked, then go back to the Software Update screen.
The visionOS 27 Developer Beta 1 update appears. Tap Download and Install, keep the Vision Pro on power and Wi-Fi, and follow the prompt to take it off while it installs — progress shows on the front display.
Method 2 · expected July 2026
A few weeks after the developer build, Apple opens the Public Beta — the same visionOS 27 with the worst early bugs fixed. The safer route if the Vision Pro is your only one.
Same rule as the developer beta — back up before enrolling, because a downgrade later erases the device and needs the Developer Strap.
Sign up free at beta.apple.com with your Apple Account once the visionOS public beta opens (expected July 2026).
On the headset, open Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates.
Choose visionOS 27 Public Beta, then go back to the Software Update screen.
Tap Download and Install and keep the Vision Pro on power and Wi-Fi until it completes.
You don’t need to sign up separately. Open Beta Updates and switch to visionOS 27 Public Beta — your Vision Pro moves to the public track on the next build.
Good news here — visionOS 27 supports every Apple Vision Pro Apple has shipped.
Both Vision Pro models run visionOS 27, so the beta will appear in Beta Updates on either one once you’re signed in.
The snags people actually hit installing visionOS — and the fix for each.
Give it a minute after signing in, then reopen Settings → General → Software Update. Confirm the headset is on visionOS 26 or later and signed in with an enrolled Apple Account.
Usually temporary server load just after a build drops. Stay on stable Wi-Fi, make sure date and time are automatic, and try again in a few minutes.
Servers are busiest in the first hours after release. Keep the Vision Pro on power and Wi-Fi; if it hasn’t moved in a while, restart and start the download again.
Check Settings → General → Storage. visionOS tries to free space automatically, but removing a few large apps or downloads first helps the update go through.
Leaving the beta is two different things — stop getting new builds, or fully return to stable visionOS.
Open Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates and set it to Off. The Vision Pro stays on its current build but won’t pull new betas, and rolls into stable visionOS 27 when it ships.
This needs the $299 Apple Vision Pro Developer Strap, a Mac, Apple Configurator and a visionOS 26 IPSW. First disable Activation Lock in Settings → your name → Find My. Then connect the strap’s USB-C to the Mac, enter recovery mode, and DFU-restore the IPSW. Without the Developer Strap, there’s no way to downgrade — which is why backing up first matters.
Full visionOS firmware images for Apple Vision Pro — for recovery and downgrading with the Developer Strap and Apple Configurator. We track signing status live, so you know which visionOS 26 build can still be restored today.
Browse the IPSW libraryThe things people ask most when installing the visionOS 27 beta in 2026.
More guides and tools for the 27 cycle.