Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27, Dropping Intel Mac Support

Apple officially released macOS Golden Gate 27 to users worldwide on September 14 local time, a new-generation desktop operating system for Mac computers. The system can be downloaded and installed free of charge through Software Update in System Settings. Unlike several previous versions, this generation supports only Macs using Apple's own chips, and no Intel processor Mac can upgrade to it.

Devices capable of running macOS Golden Gate include the MacBook Neo introduced in 2026, Apple Silicon MacBook Air models, Apple Silicon MacBook Pro models released in 2020 and later, Apple Silicon iMac models from 2021 and later, Apple Silicon Mac mini models released in 2020 and later, Mac Studio models from 2022 and later, and Mac Pro models from 2023 and later. The last Intel Macs still able to run macOS Tahoe, including the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt ports, the 2020 27-inch iMac and the 2019 Mac Pro, cannot upgrade to macOS Golden Gate.

macOS Golden Gate names its new assistant Siri AI, which can hold natural conversations, understand personal context, analyze screen content and perform cross-application actions. Siri AI is integrated into Spotlight, so that after users press Command+Space they see a new Search or Ask option, allowing them both to search files, applications and other system content and to put questions directly to Siri AI. With the relevant permissions, the system can use personal information in Mail, Messages, Photos and other Mac data to help users find information related to their questions. Siri AI also has broader world knowledge and can carry out cross-application tasks, handling Calendar, Reminders and other system functions.

Visual Intelligence comes to the Mac for the first time, allowing users to analyze images, text and web information currently displayed on screen and to ask questions about screen content. The range of Apple Intelligence applications in built-in Mac apps continues to expand: Safari gains the ability to group related tabs by topic; the Passwords app can identify weak passwords and help users change them automatically; and Photos adds AI editing features that can adjust composition, framing and perspective. An upgraded Image Playground supports image generation from natural language and has enhanced capabilities for generating realistic images. Shortcuts adds AI capabilities, letting users directly describe the automation task they want to complete and having the system help generate the shortcut.

macOS Golden Gate adjusts the Liquid Glass design. Apple has retuned refraction effects and contrast to make content easier to read, and added a new transparency slider so users can adjust the visual effect of Liquid Glass from highly transparent to fully tinted. New applications uniformly adopt a more consistent top toolbar, sidebars can extend to the window edge, and window shapes and menu bar icons have also been adjusted, with fewer unnecessary icons in the menu bar.

At the system level, performance improvements cover file transfer, network file browsing, information synchronization and Spotlight search. AirDrop file transfer speeds have increased further, response speeds for network file browsing have improved, and synchronization speeds in the Messages app have also risen. Finder and the system sidebar have received detailed adjustments, making navigation between different applications more consistent. Child safety features have been upgraded, with Apple further improving protections for minors across iPhone, iPad and Mac, including parental controls and age-related content restrictions.

macOS Golden Gate was officially released on the same day as iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27 and visionOS 27. AI capabilities between Mac and iPhone are further connected, with Siri AI, Apple Intelligence and cross-device features continuing to increase. For Apple Silicon Macs, macOS Golden Gate retains the complete Rosetta translation layer. This is the last major macOS version to offer full Rosetta support, and users can still run a large number of applications previously compiled for Intel Macs on Apple Silicon Macs.