TL;DR: Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate on Monday, September 14, 2026, for Apple Silicon Macs with beta Siri AI, Liquid Glass controls and performance updates.

Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate on Monday, September 14, 2026, for Macs with Apple Silicon, according to The Verge. The release brings the new Siri AI assistant, Liquid Glass improvements and improved performance, according to The Verge. The update is compatible with all Macs with Apple Silicon, but not Intel Macs, according to The Verge. Apple released its final big update for Intel-based Macs last year with macOS Tahoe, according to The Verge. The launch was part of Apple’s 2026 major annual operating-system rollout, which also included iOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and tvOS 27, according to Ars Technica.

The release arrived on the date Apple had previously announced for the Mac update, according to MacRumors. A developer beta had been available since June, while a public beta followed in July, according to MacRumors. The finished version can be installed on any compatible Mac, according to OS X Daily reporting summarized in search results. Apple Support published its upgrade guide with a published date of September 14, 2026.

Release day and what launched alongside Mac

Apple released 2026’s major annual updates for its operating systems on September 14, 2026, according to Ars Technica. The releases included iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and tvOS 27, according to Ars Technica. The public versions of iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27 were also starting to hit Apple devices, according to Engadget.

The company had said iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27 and visionOS 27 would be released on the same day as macOS Golden Gate, according to MacRumors. The coordinated release put Siri AI across iPhone, Mac, iPad, Watch and Vision Pro at the same time, with one exception, according to Ars Technica. Siri AI is the flagship feature across all these releases except one, tvOS, according to Ars Technica. TvOS completely lacks the new Siri AI features and instead focuses on tweaks or new features for the Podcasts and Music apps, plus the option to pick larger text sizes for the user interface, according to Ars Technica.

All these updates were available to supported devices starting September 14, 2026, according to Ars Technica. Starting September 14, 2026, macOS 27 Golden Gate was available for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 2020 versions with Apple Silicon or later, iMac with Apple Silicon 2021 or later, Mac mini 2020 or later, Mac Studio 2022 or later, Mac Pro 2023 or later, and MacBook Neo, according to TechCrunch. Apple Support said macOS 27 is compatible with any Mac with Apple silicon, which includes any Mac with an M-series chip or A-series chip.

Which Macs can install Golden Gate

Golden Gate requires an M-series Mac, according to Ars Technica. Macs with M1 or later support Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, according to Engadget. Other devices that support Apple Intelligence and Siri AI include iPad mini with A17 Pro, MacBook Neo with A18 Pro, iPad models with M1 or later, Mac with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch Series 9 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later and Apple Watch SE 3, according to Engadget.

MacRumors listed compatibility as MacBook Neo 2026, MacBook Air with Apple silicon 2020 and later, MacBook Pro with Apple silicon 2020 and later, iMac 2021 and later, Mac mini 2020 and later, Mac Studio 2022 and later and Mac Pro 2023 and later. MacOS 26, also known as macOS Tahoe, is the final macOS release compatible with Intel-based Macs, according to MacRumors. Intel Macs that can run macOS Tahoe, but not macOS Golden Gate, include 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020 with Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports, 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019, 27-inch iMac 2020 and Mac Pro 2019, according to MacRumors. Apple said Intel-based Macs will continue to receive security updates for three years, according to MacRumors.

Golden Gate is the last version of macOS to support Rosetta, which helps Apple Silicon and M-series Macs run older Intel-based applications, according to Ars Technica. After this cycle, many older unmaintained apps will stop working, but Apple carved out an exception for older games that were developed for Intel Macs, according to Ars Technica. MacOS 27 Golden Gate can still run Intel apps on Apple silicon, as it is the final major macOS release to include Apple’s full Rosetta translation layer, according to MacRumors.

Siri AI headlines the update

Siri AI is arguably the biggest feature in macOS 27, according to The Verge. Siri AI is a large language model-based and context-aware overhaul of the company’s Siri voice and text assistant, according to Ars Technica. The long-delayed revamp of Apple’s virtual assistant pulls personal information from various apps and uses what is on screen to bring more context to its responses, according to Engadget. The new Siri can respond to natural language requests to explain what is on the screen and search the user’s past personal context and history, like old emails and text messages, according to Ars Technica. It can also directly interact with applications when developers have added support for that, according to Ars Technica.

In macOS 27, Siri AI allows users to ask questions, search through things involving personal context like photos and emails, and take actions in apps such as Messages and Reminders, according to The Verge. Since Siri has access to files, emails and messages, users can search for a variety of things they could not before, according to TechCrunch. In testing described by TechCrunch, the reviewer pulled up membership IDs without opening files, asked for details about an upcoming trip and looked up the embargo date for an upcoming news story. You can invoke Siri anywhere on the screen, allowing it to answer questions about what it sees, summarize information or provide more details, according to TechCrunch. If looking at an item to purchase, a user could ask Siri to show alternative options, according to TechCrunch.

There is a new dedicated Siri app that keeps an archive of chats for easier reference, according to The Verge. There is now a dedicated Siri app, similar in some respects to the classic ChatGPT or Claude apps, according to Ars Technica. The company notes usage limits may apply to the new Siri app, according to Engadget.

Beta status, language and regional limits

Siri AI will initially launch as a beta and will only be available in English, according to The Verge. At first, Siri AI will only be available on supported devices that are set to English, according to Engadget. Apple will add support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish next month, according to Engadget.

Siri AI and features that rely on it across iOS, iPadOS and watchOS will not be available in the European Union at the outset, according to Engadget. Apple says it is “working hard to find a path forward that preserves its users’ privacy and security,” according to Engadget. The overhauled AI assistant is also on hold in China, where Apple says it is navigating regulatory requirements, according to Engadget. IPhone 27 support starts with iPhone 11 and later, but users need either an iPhone 15 Pro or an iPhone 16 or later to use Siri AI, according to Ars Technica.

Siri AI and other Apple Intelligence features are primarily driven by Apple-developed models, most of them labeled AFM 3, according to Ars Technica. On-device, there is AFM 3 Core with 3 billion parameters, and AFM 3 Core Advanced, a 20-billion-parameter model that “uses a sparse architecture, activating just 1 to 4 billion parameters at a time depending on the request,” according to Ars Technica. On top of that, there are AFM 3 Cloud, ADM 3 Cloud for Image, and AFM 3 Cloud Pro, more powerful models running on remote servers, according to Ars Technica.

New ways to point, select and search

Instead of having Siri look at the whole page, users can also select a part of the page via Apple’s new Visual Intelligence features, according to TechCrunch. If users press Command plus Shift plus Space, they can add the currently focused window to the context for the AI, according to TechCrunch. To select a specific part, users press Command plus Shift plus 6 to bring up a crosshair selection tool, according to TechCrunch. After this, they can directly ask a question or perform an image search, according to TechCrunch. Based on the selection, users also get shortcuts like “Select,” “Add to Contact,” and “Look up Location,” according to TechCrunch.

Apple also improved Spotlight Search on Mac, according to TechCrunch. Users can directly ask Siri questions within Spotlight to get answers from the web, and now they can also select Applications, Files, Actions and Clipboard to search within that particular area of context, according to TechCrunch. Plus, Spotlight now allows users to run Shortcuts or look up recent search history, according to TechCrunch. Other new AI features include the ability to generate Shortcut automations or Safari extensions from a prompt and additional photo editing options, according to Ars Technica.

Siri can also help with reviewing documents or performing writing tasks, according to TechCrunch. Users can select a block of text and ask Siri to proofread it, improve it or rewrite it, according to TechCrunch. Users can also ask Siri to draft something within any text box, according to TechCrunch. Safari added AI-powered page tracking, which is useful for keeping an eye on things like price drops, privacy policy changes or new blog posts on pages when there is no RSS support, according to TechCrunch. Plus, Safari can automatically organize tabs based on topics, according to TechCrunch. When downloading a file or renaming it, the system suggests a name based on context in the Finder or when saving the document, according to TechCrunch.

Liquid Glass, windows and system polish

As for Liquid Glass, Apple says the update offers “uniform refraction and improved contrast,” according to The Verge. There is a new slider that makes Liquid Glass elements more or less opaque, according to The Verge. Across both iOS and macOS, users now have a slider to affect how transparent or opaque the Liquid Glass design is across the operating system, according to Ars Technica. Beyond Siri AI, Apple is tweaking the Liquid Glass design language to make it more customizable and readable, according to Engadget.

There is one other major interface change: consistent window corner radii, according to The Verge. App windows have a more consistent corner radius, according to TechCrunch. Sidebars now stretch edge to edge and have new colorful icons, according to TechCrunch. The new operating-system update also better highlights active windows, according to TechCrunch. Apple made numerous small design tweaks to address user feedback accumulating since Liquid Glass was introduced, according to Ars Technica. There is nothing radically new in terms of design here, but this is a much-needed polish pass, according to Ars Technica.

Across all the releases, but in particular macOS and also iOS, there are quality-of-life or performance improvements, according to Ars Technica. For example, macOS now supports HDR for all system UI elements and gets more robust support for a wider range of display modes for external monitors, according to Ars Technica. The new operating systems feature performance improvements that, among other things, make app launches up to 30 percent faster, according to Engadget. MacOS 27 introduces Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence, new parental controls, and an expansive set of improvements that make the Mac even more responsive, reliable and delightful, according to Apple Support.

Safety, photos, mail and companion updates

MacOS 27 includes new child safety features and Screen Time functionality aimed at parents, according to OS X Daily reporting summarized in search results. Child Safety includes new features designed to allow easier management of content children can see, who they can communicate with, and when they have access to apps, according to OS X Daily reporting summarized in search results. Along with other iOS 27 updates, there are expanded parental controls, according to Engadget.

The OS update additionally adds features like enhanced child safety controls, shared cross-platform photo albums, and an updated eraser, better search in email, app resizing for iPhone mirroring, and quick suggestions for adding events to the calendar, according to TechCrunch. Along with other iOS 27 updates, there are new AI photo editing options, support for custom EQ on AirPods, a bill-splitting feature in the US, expanded parental controls and a way to use the same phone number across two iPhones, according to Engadget. WatchOS adds the Siri app and Siri AI, a new watch face and various design updates, along with expanded health and fitness features like perimenopause and menopause notifications and tracking and more accurate step counting, according to Ars Technica. It also removes Walkie Talkie, according to Ars Technica. VisionOS also gets Siri AI and the Siri app, a new virtual environment named Thórsmörk, improved screen recording and small user-experience tweaks, according to Ars Technica.

How to get the update today

Software Update is the fastest and easiest way to find, download and install macOS 27 and other Apple software updates, according to Apple Support. It offers only updates that are compatible with the Mac, according to Apple Support. To install macOS 27 Golden Gate, go to System Settings, choose General and then select Software Update, according to OS X Daily reporting summarized in search results. The path can also be reached by choosing Apple menu, then System Settings, clicking General in the sidebar, then clicking Software Update on the right, according to Apple Support. The same Software Update path is used to select Update Now for macOS 27 Golden Gate to download and install the upgrade, according to OS X Daily reporting summarized in search results.

Before installing any macOS upgrade, it is a good idea to back up files, according to Apple Support. There are many Apple devices in use, and Apple’s servers have to handle many people trying to update hardware at around the same time, according to Engadget. Users might not be able to install the latest operating systems immediately, according to Engadget. Users might need to free up some space first, according to Engadget.

Sources referenced