Apple Releases macOS 27 Beta 8 and Third Release Candidates for Tahoe, Sequoia [Download]

Apple has seeded the eighth developer beta of macOS 27 Golden Gate, alongside a third round of Release Candidate builds for macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8.



The latest macOS 27 test build carries version number 26A5425a and drops concurrently with the eighth betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. This major software cycle focuses on expanding Apple Intelligence across the Mac while refining the desktop's visual experience. Apple tweaked the Liquid Glass aesthetic to address readability concerns by adding a transparency control slider, more uniform toolbars, and cleaner sidebars. Under the hood, Siri AI integrates directly into Spotlight to bring onscreen awareness and personal context capabilities to the operating system.


For users running older or primary systems, Apple provided the third Release Candidates for macOS Tahoe 26.7 (build 25G227) and macOS Sequoia 15.8 (build 24H22). Releasing a third RC is unusual and suggests the company needed to patch a critical late-stage bug or scrub additional unreleased information from the software before it rolls out to the general public. The initial Tahoe Release Candidate accidentally exposed references to several unannounced Apple products, including an upcoming smart home hub and a foldable iPhone.

Registered developers and beta testers can download the new software over the air by navigating to the Software Update menu within System Settings. Full restore images for macOS 27 are also available through the Apple Developer Center for anyone performing a clean installation.