MacOS Big Sur Beta 4 Download Now Available

Aug 4, 2020 - 3 Comments

macOS Big Sur beta

Apple has released the fourth beta version of macOS Big Sur 11 to users who are participating in the Big Sur beta testing program.

Usually a developer version rolls out first and is soon followed by a public beta release, but in this case the public beta of macOS Big Sur is yet to be released.

Separately, Apple also released iOS 14 beta 4 and iPadOS 14 beta 4, along with tvOS 14 beta 4 and watchOS 7 beta 4.


MacOS Big Sur features a redesigned user interface with a more iOS-inspired design, the addition of Control Center for the Mac, new Messages app features that bring it more in line with the version on iPhone and iPad, instant language translation for webpages within Safari, along with a variety of other features and changes.

How to Download MacOS Big Sur Beta 4

Any Mac that is actively enrolled in the beta program can find the latest macOS Big Sur beta now. Be sure to backup the entire Mac before proceeding with the beta software update.

  1. From the  Apple menu, choose “System Preferences” and then choose the “Software Update” preference panel
  2. Select to install and update macOS Big Sur beta 4

macOS Big Sur beta 4

As usual, the completion of a software update will require a reboot of the Mac.

MacOS Big Sur is currently in developer beta, but a public beta version has been expected to be available for a while now, suggesting a release should be in the near future. There are some rumors that some specific APFS issues are holding up the public beta release, but of course rumors are unsubstantiated and ultimately no one outside of Apple knows what the timeline for the Big Sur public beta is at this point.

Any Mac user can try out macOS Big Sur on a compatible Mac with either the developer beta (requiring a $99 Apple Developer fee) or the public beta (when it becomes available), but because beta system software is less reliable than final versions, it is generally only recommended for advanced users and for usage on secondary hardware.

Aside from the latest macOS Big Sur beta build, Apple also released iOS 14 beta 4, iPadOS 14 beta 4, tvOS 14 beta 4, and watchOS 7 beta 4.

The final version of MacOS Big Sur is set to be released in the fall.

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Posted by: Paul Horowitz in Mac OS, News

3 Comments

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  1. OLIVER WARDERS says:

    Love it and can’t wait to try it.

  2. JohnIL says:

    Used to be all in on beta’s but I don’t consider them anymore. I think if your going to beta test something as important as a operating system. You need a dedicated device to do that with. Something that wouldn’t cause you grief if something doesn’t work. Developers have good reasons for running beta’s for testing their apps. Average users have little to gain over a stable current release. Big Sur looks to be a nice and welcome change especially for the UI. But I think I will wait for a stable final release before diving in.

  3. Philip MIller says:

    I was on the Apple Developer Beta stream for a while, maybe a year. A couple weeks back out came a Big Sur Dev Beta. It was unstable in less than 48 hours it crashed my Mac, an all the bells and whistles MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016). The system could not boot all the way up so, on the advice of Apple I rebuilt the system, rolling back to Catalina, public version.

    It was a huge pain. Of course I had backups. I will say the the seperation of Macintosh HD and MAcintosh HD – Data served me extremely well.

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