Apple Releases Second macOS Sierra Public Beta

Apple today released the second public beta of macOS Sierra, the newest operating system designed for the Mac. Today's second public beta comes two weeks after the release of the first macOS Sierra public beta and just a few days after the launch of the third developer beta of macOS Sierra. The second public beta and the third developer beta offer the same features.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the macOS Sierra beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

Those who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and OS X betas.


macOS Sierra is a significant update that brings Siri to the Mac, allowing users to conduct voice searches to find files, look up information, and more. New Continuity features include an "Auto Unlock" option for unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch, and a Universal Clipboard for copy paste that works across multiple devices.

Deeper iCloud integration makes files stored on the desktop or the Documents folder of a Mac available on all of a user's devices, and Photos features new deep learning algorithms for facial, object, and scene recognition. Messages includes rich links, bigger emoji, and "Tapback" response options, and the macOS Sierra update will bring Apple Pay to the web.

For full details on all of the new features included in macOS Sierra, make sure to check out our macOS Sierra roundup.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

blacktape242 Avatar
117 months ago
Ill wait for the next one and then DL it. I'm excited tbh about this release.
Actually I lied, i took the plunge!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dilster3k Avatar
117 months ago
Yaaaas, finally. Waited for the second beta and downloading Sierra for the first time.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wilsonlaidlaw Avatar
117 months ago
I hope they fix issues with Adobe CC programs in this.
Agreed but it is not just CC apps with problems, mostly print related and using graphic co-processing as accelerator, it is also older Adobe apps like Acrobat X Pro (10.1.16), where the printing is 100% broken. I am not going to update to Acrobat DC - it is just too expensive and X Pro does everything I need.

PB2 did not want to download, as update to PB1, so downloading whole OS at the moment 4.86GB, Assume current OS download will be PB2.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ajay96 Avatar
117 months ago
Is the on/off Switch for time machine in system preferences no longer a feature or is it a glitch with my beta?
I think it's gone. I just see a check box with "Backup Automatically".
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randolorian Avatar
117 months ago
I've been using PIA with the built-in VPN settings since upgrading to Sierra. Tunnelblick has been very unreliable. The only downside is that I have to manually connect/reconnect every time the computer reboots or is unlocked . . .
Use Viscosity! Works great with PIA and is easy to use.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jsgtpd Avatar
117 months ago
Still haven't fixed my issue. Saving a file always goes to the wrong folder :(
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)