It’s mid-September, which means Apple is now releasing its 2026 operating systems, including the full version of macOS Golden Gate.
If you’re interested in Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI, you should try Golden Gate. There aren’t many new features, but it improves Liquid Glass readability, offers easier customization, and delivers smoother performance for a better overall experience on the best MacBooks.
The AI features, marking the end of Apple’s Intel era, are powered by Google Gemini and designed to work within Apple’s ecosystem.
To make the update process as painless as possible, I’ve put together this quick, easy guide on how to download macOS Tahoe, with photos to walk you through it.
Supported Macs
As with most macOS releases, Golden Gate is a free upgrade for all supported Macs. Not every device that ran macOS Tahoe can run Golden Gate.
Here’s the full list of Macs that can install and run macOS Golden Gate:
- MacBook Neo (2026)
- MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
- Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
- Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
- Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)
Important before you update:back up your Mac! Apple has the built-in Time Machine feature, or you could use a reputable third-party service like Backblaze— our guide to the best cloud storage solutions offers even more recommendations for you.
Apple makes downloading its macOS updates fairly straightforward.
1. Open System Settings
(Image: © Tom’s Guide / Apple)
To start, open the System Settings menu on your Mac by clicking on the Apple icon in the top-left corner, then select “System Settings” from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, clickthe gear icon in the dock.
2. Navigate to General > Software Update
(Image: © Tom’s Guide / Apple)
After that, navigate to the Software Update section of your General settings menu. To get there, click General in the left-hand menu of the System Settings menu, then click Software Update.
Then select macOS Golden Gate and click Upgrade Now.
You will need to read and accept Apple’s licensing agreement and terms and conditionsto finish installing macOS Golden Gate.
From here, Golden Gate will start downloading and then install, and your update will be complete.
That’s all that’s required to download macOS Golden Gate.
Your Mac will restart once the download finishes. After that, you can start trying out all the new features. Depending on your connection speed, the download might take a few minutes, so be patient.
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