Last year at WWDC, Apple revealed that macOS Tahoe will be the last version of the operating system to support Intel-based Macs.
Support for Intel Macs is being phased out because Apple wants to put all of its focus and innovation on Apple silicon machines. It means that to run the latest software announced at WWDC 2026, you'll need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip.
Unfortunately, it means the following Macs will not support macOS 27:
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019)
- 27-inch iMac (2020)
- Mac Pro (2019)
If you own one of the above Intel-based Mac models, you'll continue to receive security updates for three years, but you won't be able to update your machine beyond macOS Tahoe.
We don't know for sure just yet if macOS 27 will be compatible with all Macs powered by Apple silicon, but that's our current understanding – unless Apple says otherwise during its WWDC 2026 keynote, set to take place this Monday, June 8, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
It's worth noting that macOS 27 will still be able to run Intel apps, since it will still include Apple's full Rosetta translation layer. But Apple cautions that this is just a transition step to help developers migrate their apps to the new architecture. Apple has also said that beyond macOS 27, it will keep some Rosetta functionality to support older unmaintained gaming titles that rely on Intel-based frameworks.
