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macOS

Apple's Unix-based desktop operating system for Mac computers. A new version comes out every autumn.

  • Active project
  • Latest 27.2.1Nov 2026
  • Supported 3 versions
Official site 40 macOS guides
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At a glance

Type
Operating system
Developer
Apple
First release
24 Mar 2001
Release cadence
Yearly (September/October)
OS family
Unix (Darwin, certified UNIX 03)
Kernel
XNU (hybrid)
Package managers
App Store; Homebrew and MacPorts (community)
Default shell
zsh (since Catalina)
Architectures
Apple silicon (arm64); Intel x86-64 until macOS 26
Support
Apple doesn't publish dates; usually the 3 latest versions get security updates
License
Proprietary (Darwin core is open source)
Website
apple.com

Newest release

macOS 27

Released 14 Sep 2026 · latest update 27.2.1

Support status

27 Supported

No end date announced

26 Supported

No end date announced

15 Supported

No end date announced

14 End of life

Ended 14 Sep 2026 · 1 month ago

Release history

VersionNameReleasedLatestEnd of lifeStatus
27Golden Gate14 Sep 202627.2.1Not announcedSupported
26Tahoe15 Sep 202526.7.3Not announcedSupported
15Sequoia16 Sep 202415.8.3Not announcedSupported
14Sonoma26 Sep 202314.8.914 Sep 2026End of life
13Ventura24 Oct 202213.7.815 Sep 2025End of life
12Monterey25 Oct 202112.7.616 Sep 2024End of life
11Big Sur12 Nov 202011.7.112 Feb 2026End of life
10.15Catalina7 Oct 201910.15.82 Feb 2026End of life
10.14Mojave24 Sep 201810.14.625 Oct 2021End of life
10.13High Sierra25 Sep 201710.13.61 Dec 2020End of life
10.12Sierra20 Sep 201610.12.61 Oct 2019End of life
10.11El Capitan30 Sep 201510.11.61 Dec 2018End of life
10.10Yosemite16 Oct 201410.10.51 Aug 2017End of life
10.9Mavericks22 Oct 201310.9.51 Dec 2016End of life
10.8Mountain Lion25 Jul 201210.8.513 Aug 2015End of life
10.7Lion20 Jul 201110.7.54 Oct 2012End of life
10.6Snow Leopard28 Aug 200910.6.825 Jul 2011End of life
10.5Leopard26 Oct 200710.5.813 Aug 2009End of life
10.4Tiger29 Apr 200510.4.1114 Nov 2007End of life
10.3Panther24 Oct 200310.3.915 Apr 2005End of life
10.2Jaguar24 Aug 200210.2.83 Oct 2003End of life
10.1Puma25 Sep 200110.1.56 Jun 2002End of life
10.0Cheetah24 Mar 200110.0.422 Jun 2001End of life

Release data: endoflife.date and vendor announcements, checked 13 Nov 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Support timeline

The 12 most recent releases, from release day to the end of support.

  • Active support
  • Today
27
26
15
14
13
12
11
10.15
10.14
10.13
10.12
10.11

History

macOS descends from NeXTSTEP, the operating system Apple acquired when it bought Steve Jobs’ NeXT in 1997. Mac OS X 10.0 arrived in 2001 with the Darwin Unix core, the Aqua interface and Cocoa APIs. Releases were named after big cats until 2013, and after places in California since OS X Mavericks.

Apple moved the Mac from PowerPC to Intel in 2006 and from Intel to its own Apple silicon chips starting in 2020. Version numbers went from 10.x to 11 with Big Sur, then jumped to 26 with Tahoe in 2025 to match the year. Apple doesn’t publish end-of-life dates. In practice the current version and the two before it receive security updates.

Milestones

  1. 2001Mac OS X 10.0 "Cheetah" brings a NeXTSTEP-based Unix core to the Mac
  2. 2006Macs move from PowerPC to Intel processors
  3. 2012Mac OS X is renamed OS X with 10.8 Mountain Lion
  4. 2016OS X is renamed macOS with 10.12 Sierra
  5. 2019macOS Catalina makes zsh the default shell and drops 32-bit apps
  6. 2020macOS 11 Big Sur adds support for Apple silicon (M1)
  7. 2025macOS 26 Tahoe switches to year-based version numbers and is the last version for Intel Macs

macOS guides

Browse all 40 macOS guides →

Frequently asked questions

What is the latest version of macOS?

The newest macOS release is macOS 27, released on 14 Sep 2026. Its latest update is 27.2.1 (9 Nov 2026).

Which macOS versions are still supported?

As of 13 Nov 2026, 3 versions are supported: macOS 27; macOS 26; macOS 15.

Is macOS 14 still supported?

No. macOS 14 reached end of life on 14 Sep 2026 and no longer gets free security updates. Upgrade to macOS 27.

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