Apple Says macOS 27 Won't Be Compatible With These Macs - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Says macOS 27 Won't Be Compatible With These Macs

by

During WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs.

macOS 27 on MacBook Pro
macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip in order to install the software update. Apple will unveil macOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote this Monday, June 8, and the update should be widely released in September.

Intel-based Macs that can run macOS Tahoe but will not be compatible with macOS 27:

  • 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  • 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019)
  • 27-inch iMac (2020)
  • Mac Pro (2019)

Apple said Intel-based Macs will continue to receive security updates for three years.

macOS 27's exact compatibility with Apple silicon Macs remains to be seen, but presumably the update will support all Macs with an M1 chip or newer.

macOS 27 will still be able to run Intel apps, as it will be the final major macOS release to include Apple's full Rosetta translation layer.

"Rosetta was designed to make the transition to Apple silicon easier, and we plan to make it available for the next two major macOS releases – through macOS 27 – as a general-purpose tool for Intel apps to help developers complete the migration of their apps," said Apple. "Beyond this timeframe, we will keep a subset of Rosetta functionality aimed at supporting older unmaintained gaming titles, that rely on Intel-based frameworks."

Related Roundup: macOS Golden Gate

Popular Stories

macOS 27 on MacBook Pro

macOS 27 Will Mark the End of an Era

Tuesday May 26, 2026 7:16 am PDT by
During its Platforms State of the Union segment at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe is the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs. The upcoming macOS 27 release will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip in order to install the software update. Apple will unveil macOS 27...
Read Full Article
macOS 27 Feature Blue

macOS Emerald to macOS Big Bear: What Will Apple Name macOS 27?

Tuesday June 2, 2026 8:20 am PDT by
Every year heading into WWDC, one thought on many Mac fans' minds is what Apple will choose as the name for the next version of macOS. The tradition dates all the way back to the beginning of Mac OS X with big cat names like Leopard, and Apple eventually shifted to California-themed names with the unveiling of OS X Mavericks. Apple has yet to announce the name for macOS 27, but macOS Emerald ...
Read Full Article • 110 comments
macOS 27 Wishlist What Do You Want From Apple at WWDC 2026 Feature

macOS 27 Wishlist: What Do You Want From Apple at WWDC 2026?

Thursday June 4, 2026 2:54 pm PDT by
We have four days to go until Apple's WWDC keynote event begins on Monday, June 8. iOS 27 has been the focus of most of the rumors, but we're also going to get a new version of macOS, macOS 27. Some of the same features that are coming in iOS 27 will come to macOS 27, like the new version of Siri and the dedicated Siri app, but we want to hear from MacRumors readers. What are you hoping to...
Read Full Article • 149 comments

Top Rated Comments

Moukee Avatar
Moukee
1 week ago
I sure hope M Macs get at least 10 years of full software support.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
sniffies
1 week ago
Ugh, really annoyed that my PowerBook isn't compatible.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stiligFox Avatar
stiligFox
1 week ago
I wonder how much more efficient macOS will be once they drop the x86 code like when they dropped the PPC code in... wasn't it Snow Leopard? IIRC there was a significant drop in install size for the OS. I wonder if macOS 27 will see a similar reduction.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
Marbles1
1 week ago
I bought my Intel MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports, 16GB) back in June of 2020, so that's 6 years of full support so far and Apple will provide security updates for a further 3 years. Almost a decade of support. I'm more than happy with that.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zilchfox Avatar
zilchfox
1 week ago
RIP Hackintosh, too.

That said, if you’re still running an Intel model, unless you have a very specific use-case for it (such as Boot Camp), it is *so* much better on the Apple Silicon side of things. You will notice a night and day difference between Intel and Apple Silicon.

As for dropping update support for Intel, that means they don’t have to waste time developing compatibility for it anymore which could make future iterations way more stable as they zero-in on Apple Silicon support only.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A
applicious84
1 week ago
A good number of people spent a lot of money on those MacBook Pros from 2020, often using them for work. Six years might seem a lot, but many Lenovo laptops from 2018 are still getting the latest Windows updates and will for a while to come. This is within an ecosystem where thousands of different models of computers have to work with an OS

MacOS is easily better, less buggy and more efficient, but considering how much more controlled the hardware is and the premium markups, the current bugginess and restrictiveness of MacOS is tough to swallow.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments