macOS Tahoe 26.5 Release Candidate Now Available - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS Tahoe 26.5 Release Candidate Now Available

by

Apple today provided the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming a week after Apple seeded the fourth beta.

macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb 2
Developers can download the ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.5 update by opening up the System Settings app, selecting the General category, and then choosing Software Update. Beta Updates will need to be enabled, and a free developer account is required.

No new features were found in the first four ‌macOS Tahoe‌ 26.5 betas, and it's likely the update primarily focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements.

Related Roundup: macOS Tahoe
Related Forum: macOS Tahoe

Popular Stories

Apple AI Command Center Concept Mock 1 Textless

macOS Tahoe 26.7 is Full of References to Unreleased Apple Products

Monday August 17, 2026 4:50 pm PDT by
The macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate that Apple seeded today has references to several unreleased products, from home devices to iPhones, iPads, AirPods, and Macs. Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube Some of these codenames have shown up in prior software updates but have new feature flags, while others haven't been seen in the code before. Home Accessories Home Hub...
Read Full Article • 79 comments
apple lock security bug vulnerability fix privacy

iOS 26.6.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 Fix Nearly 30 Security Vulnerabilities

Monday August 17, 2026 12:11 pm PDT by
The iOS 26.6.1, iPadOS 26.6.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 updates Apple released today fix almost 30 security vulnerabilities, according to Apple's security support document. This is Apple's third security release in three weeks as AI surfaces bugs faster than the company's typical release schedule can absorb. Apple says the software includes security fixes that were previously added to the iOS...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
iPhone Handoff iOS 27 Feature

T-Mobile to Charge $5 a Month for iOS 27 iPhone Handoff

Thursday September 10, 2026 3:58 pm PDT by
T-Mobile will charge customers $5 per month to use iPhone Handoff, an e-SIM feature that allows the same phone number to be used on two separate iPhones. iPhone Handoff requires carrier support, and at launch, only T-Mobile users in the U.S. and Deutsche Telekom users in Germany will be able to use it. T-Mobile says customers can use their number across two compatible iPhone models and...
Read Full Article • 152 comments

Top Rated Comments

jclo Avatar
jclo
19 weeks ago


Ik it's fixed but come on
This was up for like a minute before I fixed it. I'm soooooo glad it's immortalized! I'm just going to blame the fact that it's a Monday and ask for forgiveness.

If anyone wants a longer explanation: After there is a beta, I usually get the next post ready to go so we are prepared for the following beta or RC. Last week, I was working from the airport, and when I did the fourth beta post, I didn't get another beta post ready. I then ignored the 3/29 reminder I wrote myself to prepare new beta posts. So when the macOS Tahoe RC came up, I was unprepared. I opened up Byword where I keep my drafts so I could copy the install/feature info quick and get the RC article up in a timely manner. Except I searched for macOS Tahoe 26.4 instead of macOS Tahoe 26.5 and grabbed the text from the wrong article. It's pretty rare I don't have these ready early and I'm usually not in a rush, so hopefully it won't happen again.

I hope the rest of you are having a better Monday!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roncron Avatar
roncron
19 weeks ago

This was up for like a minute before I fixed it. I'm soooooo glad it's immortalized! I'm just going to blame the fact that it's a Monday and ask for forgiveness.

If anyone wants a longer explanation: After there is a beta, I usually get the next post ready to go so we are prepared for the following beta or RC. Last week, I was working from the airport, and when I did the fourth beta post, I didn't get another beta post ready. I then ignored the 3/29 reminder I wrote myself to prepare new beta posts. So when the macOS Tahoe RC came up, I was unprepared. I opened up Byword where I keep my drafts so I could copy the install/feature info quick and get the RC article up in a timely manner. Except I searched for macOS Tahoe 26.4 instead of macOS Tahoe 26.5 and grabbed the text from the wrong article. It's pretty rare I don't have these ready early and I'm usually not in a rush, so hopefully it won't happen again.

I hope the rest of you are having a better Monday!
You're human, everyone makes mistakes. Macrumors' error rate is super tiny compared to many others, including myself. I get a lot of value from Macrumors, I'll most of us here feel the same.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
jclo
19 weeks ago

You're human, everyone makes mistakes. Macrumors' error rate is super tiny compared to many others, including myself. I get a lot of value from Macrumors, I'll most of us here feel the same.
Written by humans, for humans. I bet ChatGPT wishes it could make errors like I can!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
Lounge vibes 05
19 weeks ago
Kind of a strange significant thing, this will likely be the last RC/version of macOS to include literally any user facing changes to run on Intel computers.
Of course there will be a 26.6 in July and a 26.7 in September and even likely a 26.8 next year but those are almost always exclusively security update fixes.
This is the last time Intel Macs are receiving the latest available update beta or otherwise that all other Macs are receiving.
For reference the last time this happened was Leopard 10.5.8 in August 2009, released just a couple weeks before snow leopard. I don’t really count the SL betas the way I do now because they weren’t exactly a click away, you had to have access to the install DVD.
Curiously both Tahoe and Leopard, the last operating system to run on Intel and PowerPC respectively, were both not exactly warmly received UI refreshes that were/likely will be followed by massive cleanup releases with the following update.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
digitalrampage Avatar
digitalrampage
19 weeks ago
26 itself should still be a release candidate in beta. So many bugs. As is noted by the 12gb point updates
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
NicosAccount
19 weeks ago


Ik it's fixed but come on

It's fine, no harm done
I think it might have shifted Astuces iOS's whole world view for a second and caused irreperable damage
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments