macOS 26.6 RC arrives ahead of release

Apple has started rolling out the first developer and public release candidates for macOS 26.6, putting the update on track for an official launch that could arrive as soon as next week.

After five developer and public betas, this release looks like a minor one. The update is expected to focus mainly on bug fixes and stability improvements, rather than major new features.

One change may matter more than it first appears. According to the iOS 26.6 RC release notes, Apple is using that update to optimize the Spotlight index to prepare for iOS 27. While Apple had not yet published the macOS 26.6 RC release notes at the time of writing, the same preparation step is likely to appear in macOS 26.6 for users planning to move to macOS 27 Golden Gate later this year.

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Apple previously called out a specific fix in beta 1: macOS deprecation notices were appearing after some apps were incorrectly identified as Intel-only. Since then, Apple has also marked ecosystem and HealthKit issues as resolved, though it has shared little else publicly about the update.

The release candidate build number is 25G70.

To install the macOS Tahoe 26.6 RC:

• Back up your Mac
• Open System Settings
• Go to General ⇾ Software Update
• Click the “i” icon next to Beta Updates
• From the dropdown menu in the top-right, select the macOS Developer Tahoe Beta
• Click Done