Apple Announces macOS 26 Tahoe & macOS 27: The End of the Line for Intel Macs
Apple has confirmed that macOS 26 will be the final major operating system upgrade for Intel-based Macs, drawing a clear line under the Intel era.
During WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled macOS 26 Tahoe, marking it as the last major macOS release compatible with Intel processors. The company has officially stated that the upcoming macOS 27 will be exclusive to Apple silicon, requiring an M-series chip or the new A18 Pro chip found in the MacBook Neo.
Key Transition Dates
- WWDC 2026 (June 8): Apple will unveil macOS 27.
- September 2026: Wide public release of macOS 27 expected.
Intel Macs Left Behind
The following Intel-based Macs will run macOS Tahoe but will not be compatible with macOS 27:
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019)
- 27-inch iMac (2020)
- Mac Pro (2019)
Security and Software Support
Apple has committed to providing security updates for Intel-based Macs for three years following the release of macOS 27.
The Future of Rosetta
Rosetta will be included in macOS 27 as the final major macOS release to feature the full translation layer. Apple plans to offer Rosetta as a general-purpose tool for Intel apps through the next two major macOS releases—effectively through macOS 27. After that, a subset of Rosetta functionality will be retained specifically to support older, unmaintained gaming titles that rely on Intel-based frameworks.
Compatibility for macOS 27
macOS 27 is expected to support all Macs with an M1 chip or newer, though exact compatibility details are yet to be confirmed.