Apple Seeds Sixth OS X 10.11 El Capitan Beta to Developers

Apple today released the sixth beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing the fifth El Capitan beta and nearly two months after unveiling the new operating system at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference.

The update, which arrives as Build 15A244d, is available through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center.

os_x_el_capitan_roundup
While early betas introduced minor design changes and features, the last few betas have focused on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes to optimize OS X El Capitan ahead of its public release.


OS X El Capitan builds on the features introduced with OS X Yosemite, focusing on improving performance and user experience. Behind-the-scenes improvements in El Capitan have made a number of apps and processes on the Mac much faster, and the introduction of Metal makes system-level graphics rendering 40 percent more efficient.

Along with a new systemwide font, El Capitan includes a revamped Mission Control feature, a new Split View feature for using two full-screen apps at once, deeper functionality for Spotlight, and several new features for Safari, including Pinned Sites for housing frequently visited websites and a universal mute button that quiets all tabs.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is available to both registered developers and public beta testers. After testing is completed, Apple will release El Capitan to the public in the fall.

Related Forum: OS X El Capitan

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Apple Event Logo Hints at Two iPhone 17 Pro Features

Wednesday August 27, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
Apple's logo for its upcoming September 9 event hints at two rumored iPhone 17 Pro features, including new color options and a vapor chamber cooling system. Of course, this is all just speculation for fun, as we count down the final days until the event. New Colors Last month, Macworld's Filipe Espósito reported that orange and dark blue would be two out of the five color options...
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
crossbody strap

iPhone 17's 'Crossbody Strap' Accessory to Feature Magnetic Design

Thursday August 28, 2025 7:49 am PDT by
Apple's cases for the iPhone 17 lineup will be accompanied by a new Crossbody Strap accessory with a unique magnetic design, according to the leaker known as "Majin Bu." Apple's Crossbody Strap reportedly features an unusual magnetic design; it likely has a "flexible metal core" that makes it magnetic along its entire length. At the ends, "rings polarized oppositely to the strap close the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...

Top Rated Comments

mpfuchs Avatar
132 months ago
I'm liking this new found focus on OSX lately...
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bladerunner2000 Avatar
132 months ago
Two new El Capitan DPs since the last iOS beta...where's iOS 9 beta 5?
It's about time Apple started putting more focus into OS X.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
132 months ago
I'm pretty sure that half of my internet consumption in the last month has been downloading OS X updates.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WardC Avatar
132 months ago
Is this new, the iTunes button on the right side?

No, that came out in the 70s.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
n-evo Avatar
132 months ago
Finder no longer showing sidebar. WTF?

EDIT: Fixed. ****ing Apple changing **** that doesn't need to be changed.
Clearly you're no beta testing material.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MikhailT Avatar
132 months ago
I hope Safari is fixed. It's been crash prone for several betas now.
You might want to check for third party factors, it hasn't crashed a single time for me on both of my Macs running El Cap.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)