Here Are the Macs Compatible With macOS Golden Gate - MacRumors
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Here Are the Macs Compatible With macOS Golden Gate

Apple today unveiled macOS Golden Gate, the next major version of its Mac operating system, during its WWDC 2026 keynote.

macOS Golden Gate Mac
As expected, the update confirms the end of Intel Mac support. Apple said last year that macOS Tahoe would be the final release to run on pre-Apple silicon machines, and macOS 27 makes that official – you'll need an Apple silicon Mac to install it.

Here are the Macs compatible with macOS Golden Gate:

  • MacBook Neo (2026)
  • MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
  • MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
  • iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
  • Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
  • Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
  • Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)

Four models that ran macOS Tahoe didn't make the cut this year. They include the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019), the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports), the iMac (2020), and the Mac Pro (2019).

Owners of those machines aren't entirely out of luck, however. Apple usually keeps issuing security fixes for the previous macOS version well after it's superseded, so anyone sticking with Tahoe will continue to get the necessary patches. But for the latest features, though, the only path forward is a newer Mac.

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Top Rated Comments

WilliApple Avatar
2 hours ago at 11:37 am
Elephant in the room:
watchOS device support 💀
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gsmornot Avatar
2 hours ago at 11:37 am
Looks like my 2017 iMac has been left out again. ;) I have to update at some point.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tyler O'Bannon Avatar
2 hours ago at 11:42 am
The first macOS to only run on Apple Silicon, and probably one of the only that at the time of release, supports all models, because eventually the M1 will get dropped, although I’m guessing there’s gonna be support for that for a lot longer than we’ve seen with Intel
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redheeler Avatar
1 hour ago at 12:37 pm
I don't blame Apple for dropping Intel at this point, but leaving them on Tahoe is in poor taste. Tahoe was always an unfinished product, with Golden Gate being the actual finished version. Leaving them on Sequoia and giving that version one more year of security and app updates past what it'd normally be would've made a lot of sense.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nortonandreev Avatar
2 hours ago at 11:37 am
Really curious if this will make the experience on the Neo faster in any way.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
1 hour ago at 12:46 pm

Nice, my Mac's made it to the Golden Gate :cool:
While some other Macs are going to the pearly gates.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)