How to install Apple rolls out Release Candidates for macOS Tahoe…

What happened

Apple has issued Release Candidates for two separate macOS versions simultaneously: macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8. A Release Candidate is the build Apple ships to testers immediately before a public release, meaning these versions are essentially final unless a last-minute blocking issue surfaces.

The timing matters because Apple released these RCs alongside macOS 27 developer beta 6, giving the developer community three distinct macOS builds to evaluate at once. If you run either Tahoe 26 or Sequoia 15, now is the time to prepare for what is coming.

How it works

Apple made the first Release Candidates available for macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8 at the same time as macOS 27 developer beta 6 arrived. Release Candidates are posted through the same Software Update mechanism and developer portal that handles all beta and public releases. The RC designation signals that Apple considers the code stable enough for general release pending final validation.

Developers carrying active builds against Tahoe 26 or Sequoia 15 should treat these RCs as a dry run for the public release. If your app relies on APIs or frameworks present in either of these branches, install the RC in a testing environment and run your full suite now. Because Apple shipped developer beta 6 of macOS 27 at the same time, engineers maintaining compatibility across all three tracks should prioritize testing the RCs first since those are closer to shipping than the beta. Check your entitlements, sandbox behavior, and any code that touches system frameworks, because RC builds are built to final signing specifications and can surface issues that earlier betas masked.

Why it matters

To install either RC on an enrolled device, open System Settings, navigate to General, then Software Update. If your machine is enrolled in the Apple Developer Program or the Apple Beta Software Program, you will see the Release Candidate listed there. Select it and follow the standard installation prompts. Before you begin, back up your Mac using Time Machine or your preferred backup solution. The upgrade process will require a restart and may take time depending on your connection speed and hardware. If you are on a device running an earlier point release of Tahoe 26 or Sequoia 15, the updater will offer the RC as an incremental upgrade rather than a full reinstall. Devices that have not previously enrolled in any beta program will not see the RC in Software Update and should wait for the public release that follows.

Who is affected

If you manage a fleet of Macs through mobile device management, stage the RC on a representative subset of machines before pushing it broadly. Use your MDM console to target enrolled test devices first and confirm application compatibility before you schedule the wider rollout.

Running a Release Candidate carries a small but real risk. Apple may pull or replace an RC build if a critical problem is found before public release, and in that scenario you would need to take another update. Do not install these builds on production machines you cannot afford to have disrupted. Third-party software that hooks deeply into system processes, including some security tools, virtual machine layers, and audio or video production plug-ins, may behave unexpectedly until their developers release updates verified against the RC. Check with vendors of any mission-critical software before upgrading. Also note that once you upgrade to the RC, downgrading to a prior version requires erasing the drive and restoring from a backup, so that pre-upgrade backup is not optional. Users on Sequoia 15 and users on Tahoe 26 are on separate release tracks, and the builds are not interchangeable.

What to watch next

Monitor the Apple Developer portal and 9to5Mac for confirmation that the public releases of macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8 have gone live, which typically happens within days of an RC publication when no blockers emerge. Keep an eye on macOS 27 developer beta 6 release notes if you are building for that platform, since its trajectory will eventually produce its own RC cycle. Once the public releases land, review the official release notes for any security content disclosures, as point releases at this stage often carry patches worth understanding for compliance and vulnerability management purposes.