How to Prepare Your Mac for macOS 27

A quick note on what has actually been confirmed. macOS 27 is officially named macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple previewed it at WWDC 2026 in June, and it is the first version of macOS that runs only on Apple silicon — every Intel Mac is left on macOS 26 Tahoe. Apple says the final release is coming "this autumn"; a September 2026 launch is widely expected but Apple has not published an exact day, so treat any specific date you see as an estimate.

Step 1: Confirm your Mac qualifies

Before you prepare for macOS 27, make sure your Mac can actually run it. The rule is simple and strict: macOS 27 requires Apple silicon (an M-series chip). There is no Intel build at all, so an Intel Mac cannot install it no matter how new or powerful it is.

To check in a few seconds, choose Apple menu  → About This Mac and read the Chip line:

• If it names Apple M1, M2, M3, M4 or a later chip, you are on Apple silicon and macOS 27 is for you. Continue with the steps below.
• If it names an Intel Core processor, your Mac tops out at macOS 26 Tahoe. Skip ahead to the section on what to do if your Mac has an Intel chip.

If you want the full picture of which models make the cut and which are left behind, our companion guide macOS 27: What's New and Supported Macs lays out the whole line-up.

Step 2: Back up with Time Machine first

This is the one step you must not skip. Before any major upgrade, run a full Time Machine backup so you can restore your Mac to exactly how it was if anything goes sideways. Major macOS upgrades are usually smooth, but "usually" is not "always", and a fresh backup turns a worst-case afternoon into a five-minute rollback.

1. Connect an external drive with enough capacity for your data.
2. Open System Settings → General → Time Machine and add the drive as a backup disk. Apple's Time Machine settings on Mac page gives the same route and the Add Backup Disk button used to set one up.
3. Let the first full backup finish completely before you do anything else — don't start the upgrade while it is still running.

New to Time Machine or setting it up for the first time? Our step-by-step guide to setting up a Time Machine backup covers the whole process. If you have ever thought "I really should have a backup", this is the moment.

Step 3: Free up disk space

A macOS upgrade needs room to download the installer and unpack it, and a startup disk that is nearly full is a common reason upgrades stall or fail. Give yourself a comfortable margin of free space before you begin rather than fighting for gigabytes halfway through.

Quick wins that clear real space:

• Empty the Trash, and check for large files in Downloads you no longer need.
• Use System Settings → General → Storage to see what is taking up room and offload big items you can live without — Apple's Optimize storage space on Mac page documents that path and the built-in recommendations, including emptying the Trash automatically.
• Remove old app installers, disk images (.dmg) and duplicate media.

Our guide to freeing up storage on a Mac goes deeper if your disk is genuinely tight. Do this before the next step so the update has room to work.

Step 4: Update to the latest macOS 26 Tahoe now

There is no reason to wait on your current system while macOS 27 finishes baking. Installing the latest macOS 26 Tahoe update keeps you protected with the newest security fixes and gives you the cleanest possible starting point for the jump to Golden Gate later.

1. Open System Settings → General → Software Update.
2. Install any pending macOS 26 update and restart when prompted.
3. Consider turning on automatic updates so you stay current without thinking about it. Apple's Keep your Mac up to date guide uses the same General → Software Update path and lists the automatic options, including "Download new updates when available" and "Install macOS updates".

If you would like a walk-through of the update screen and what each option does, see our guide to updating macOS. Staying on the latest Tahoe now also means that when macOS 27 arrives, the upgrade is a smaller, simpler step from an already up-to-date system.

Step 5: Review your apps and Rosetta considerations

A new macOS is only as smooth as the apps you run on it. Before you upgrade, take stock of the software you depend on — especially anything that plugs deep into the system.

• Check for macOS 27 support. Look at the developer's site or release notes for anything critical, particularly apps with kernel extensions, security agents, VPNs or specialised drivers. These are the categories most likely to need an update before they work on a new macOS.
• Note any Intel-only apps. On Apple silicon, older Intel-built apps run through a translation layer called Rosetta 2. Reports indicate macOS 27 Golden Gate is intended to be among the last releases with full Rosetta 2, with a further wind-down planned for a future version of macOS. Nothing here affects most people today, but if you rely on an old Intel-only tool, confirm it still runs — or find a native Apple silicon replacement — before you commit.
• Update your apps now. Bring everything current on Tahoe first; up-to-date apps are far more likely to carry day-one macOS 27 support.

Step 6: Decide — install the beta, or wait?

macOS 27 went to developers at WWDC during the week of 8 June 2026, and a public beta followed in July 2026 through the Apple Beta Software Program. It is tempting to jump straight in, but be honest about which Mac you are willing to risk.

• Wait for the final release (recommended for most people). If a Mac is your main working computer, the sensible path is to wait for the finished version this autumn — and often the first point update after it — so you skip the rough edges of early software.
• Test the beta only on a spare Mac. Early public betas can be buggy and can break apps you depend on. Run them on a secondary machine you can afford to have misbehave, never on the Mac you need for work, and make sure that machine has its own Time Machine backup first.

Either way, the preparation above still applies. When macOS 27 is final and you are ready, the upgrade itself is just a Software Update away — and because you have backed up, cleared space and checked your apps, it should be uneventful in the best way.

If your Mac has an Intel chip

If Step 1 showed an Intel processor, macOS 27 is simply not on the menu for your Mac — and that is not a fault, it is the design of Golden Gate as the first Apple-silicon-only release. There is nothing to prepare for the upgrade because there is no upgrade to make. Instead:

• Keep macOS 26 Tahoe updated for as long as Apple issues security patches, using Software Update.
• Keep a regular Time Machine backup going, exactly as you would on any Mac.
• When you next replace the machine, plan around Apple silicon so you are back on the supported track. If you are weighing your options across platforms, our Mac vs Windows 11 guide lays out who each one suits.