MacOS Tahoe 26 Beta 5 Download Available Now for Mac

MacOS Tahoe 26 beta 5 has been released to users participating in the Apple Developer beta testing program. The same build as a public beta typically follows soon after.

MacOS Tahoe 26 includes various new features and changes, including the redesigned Liquid Glass interface appearance that is shinier and more translucent, folder and icon color customizations in Finder, Spotlight gains a clipboard manager, Spotlight also gains various new features like the ability to launch tasks and a Launchpad-esque app launcher, Live Activites from iPhone appear on Mac, Phone app comes to Mac, Journal app for Mac, Messages gains polling ability for groupchats, and numerous other small features and improvements.

The latest 5th beta also includes a new “Macintosh HD” icon, removing the classic hard drive icon that has existed for many years and replacing it with an uninspiring less detailed drive icon. Progress?

While beta system software is intended for advanced users, anyone can technically install the Tahoe 26 beta onto their Mac right now. Users can also try out MacOS Tahoe 26 beta in a virtual machine with UTM or tart, or whatever virtual machine app of your choice is. Whether you want to run the beta directly or within a virtual machine, make sure you have a Tahoe compatible Mac.

Separately, Apple has also released iOS 26 beta 5, iPadOS 26 beta 5, watchOS 26 beta 5, tvOS 26 beta 5, and visionOS 26 beta 5.

How to Download & Install MacOS Tahoe 26 Beta 5 Update

Don’t forget to backup the Mac with Time Machine before beginning any system software update, betas included.

1. From  Apple menu, go to “System Settings”
2. Go to “General” and then”Software Update”
3. Select “Update Now” for MacOS Tahoe 26 beta 5 to download and install the 5th beta build

Your Mac will restart to finish installation.

Direct Download Links for macOS Tahoe 26 Developer Beta 5 Installer & IPSW

Users can also choose to download the full installer or an IPSW firmware file using the links below, which point to Apple servers:

• UPDATING – MacOS Tahoe 26 Developer Beta 5 InstallAssistant.pkg
• MacOS Tahoe 26 developer beta 5 IPSW (UniversalMac_26.0_25A5327h_Restore.ipsw)

We also keep an updated list of all available MacOS installers and installers and IPSW for MacOS Tahoe 26

Apple has said the final version of MacOS Tahoe 26 will be released in the fall.