Which macOS versions are still supported?
Apple provides regular feature and security updates for the current version of macOS and generally continues to issue security updates for the previous two major versions.
As of September 2026, macOS 27 Golden Gate is the current version. Apple also released security updates for macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 15 Sequoia alongside Golden Gate on September 14, 2026.
With the arrival of Golden Gate, macOS Sonoma appears to have dropped out of Apple’s regular support cycle, with its most recent update released in August 2026.
Occasionally Apple releases updates for much older versions of macOS to address specific problems. For example, in February 2026 it issued updates for Big Sur and Catalina to address a certificate issue affecting FaceTime and Messages.
See: How long do Macs and MacBooks last? We also have a full list of which Macs run which versions of macOS here.
How does Apple choose Mac OS X and macOS names?
As you can see from the list above, with the exception of the first OS X beta, all versions of the Mac operating system from 2001 to 2012 were named after big cats, from Cheetah to Panther to the final release, Mountain Lion. But while the public-facing builds were named after big cats, internally, they were named after wines (aside from OS X 10.6 which had no codename).
Even after Apple switched public-facing code names to places in California back in 2013, it carried on naming them after wines internally until 2014. In 2015, Apple decided to change the theme of internal code names from wines to types of apples.
In 2016, Apple took the plunge to unify the branding of its operating systems by rebranding Mac OS X to macOS, which sits nicely alongside iOS, tvOS, and watchOS and paved the way for macOS 11, the successor to Mac OS X, which arrived twenty years after the first beta of Mac OS X.
In 2025, Apple decided to sync up the numbering system between all its operating systems, moving from macOS 14 to macOS 26 to better reflect the year. macOS 26 Tahoe lived most its lifetime as the most recent version in the year 2026 before being replaced with macOS 27 in September 2026.
How can I install the latest version of macOS?
Some Macs will be set to update macOS automatically. If you want your Mac to update automatically follow these steps:
Read all about how to update your Mac here.