In june, Apple unveiled the latest version of its operating system for Mac at its Worldwide Developers Conference (also known as WWDC). This time around, Apple stuck to its “California places” naming convention and went with macOS Sequoia. (Yes, a sequoia is a type of tree, but it's also a national park about 100 miles east of Fresno, California.)
Also known as macOS 15, the new OS packs a ton of new capabilities onto the desktop, including a password management app, videoconferencing tools, and updates to Safari, as well as all the features that come with Apple Intelligence—the company's new artificial-intelligence-powered system. Below, we break down all these new features that will become available in macOS Sequoia when it ships this fall.
Be sure to also check out our iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 feature roundup for all the new features coming to your iPhone and iPad, and our look at what's new in watchOS 11.
Updated July 17: We've added details on the public beta and how to download it.
Is Your Mac Compatible?
MacOS Sequoia, or macOS 15, is a free update for your Apple computers. But some features, like Apple Intelligence (more on that, later), are exclusive to Macs with the M-series Apple silicon chip. To figure out which Mac model you have, click on the Apple icon in the menu bar in the upper-left corner of your display and click About This Mac. We've listed all the models that will be able to run macOS Sequoia below.
- MacBook Air: 2020 and later
- MacBook Pro: 2018 and later
- Mac Mini: 2018 and later
- iMac: 2019 and later
- iMac Pro: 2017 and later
- Mac Pro: 2019 and later
- Mac Studio: 2022 and later
How to Download the Public Beta
The public beta is now available for download, but it's important to note that you'll likely run into bugs. If that doesn't deter you, then let's move on to how to download the beta on your devices. We highly recommend that you back up your Mac first, though. You can do this by backing up your files with Time Machine or storing your files in iCloud. Apple's support article has step-by-step instructions on how to do this.
To download the public beta, click on the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of your screen. Then click System Settings > General > Software Update. Then, click on Beta Updates, select macOS Sequoia Public Beta, and Done. From there, click Upgrade Now—your Mac will start to download and install the public beta version of macOS Sequoia.
Apple will continue to release new beta versions throughout the next few months. These updates usually include security patches, bug fixers, and new features. To update your Mac to the latest beta version of the operating system, follow the same steps listed above.
Below, we break down all the major features coming to MacOS 15. For a full list, head over to Apple's official preview page.
Sometimes your iPhone is in the other room or deep in your bag. For those moments when you need to use it but simply don't feel like getting up to find it, you'll be able to pull it up on your computer. As part of Apple's Continuity features, iPhone Mirroring gives you the ability to both access and interact with your iPhone wirelessly using your Mac.
When the feature is in action, you'll see your iPhone's custom home screen appear. From there, you can use the keyboard, trackpad, or mouse to drag and drop content (like photos, videos, and files) between both devices, open and use any of your apps, swipe through all the pages on your home screen, as well as view and respond to notifications. While you're doing all this, your iPhone will remain locked. It also works while your iPhone is in Standby mode, a feature from iOS 17 that turns your iPhone into a smart display while charging.
MacOS Sequoia offers a few new features to Safari. With Highlights, Safari will use machine intelligence to show you relevant information from the webpage like directions, links, summaries, and restaurant reviews. Apple also redesigned the Reader to minimize distractions. In addition to a sleeker view of the article, you'll also see a summary and a table of contents (for longer articles). If the webpage includes a video, Viewer will bring it to the forefront while still giving you access to playback controls (Picture in Picture included).
Those who always keep a ton of browser windows open simultaneously will appreciate the new Window Tiling feature that helps organize them for a better viewing experience. When you drag a window to the edge of the screen, the new OS will automatically suggest a tiled position on your screen. (It's similar to Snap on Windows.) You can then drop the window into place, arrange multiple windows side by side, or place them in any of the four corners to make room for more apps. For quicker organization, you can use keyboard and menu shortcuts too.
Last year, Apple added a ton of new videoconference tools with MacOS Sonoma including Presenter Overlay, Reactions, and various features for the Mac's built-in webcam. This year, the company is adding a few more. With apps like FaceTime and Zoom, you'll have access to a new presenter preview capability that allows you to see what you're about to share before actually sharing it. Meanwhile, the built-in backgrounds feature allows you to apply system wallpapers, color gradients, or your own photos as a backdrop for video calls. Apple says this feature will be available on FaceTime and third-party apps like Webex.
If you never loved Keychain, now you have a better option: macOS Sequoia comes with a new Passwords app that allows you to access all your passwords (Wi-Fi passwords included), passkeys, and verification codes in one place. It keeps all your Apple devices in sync, runs on Windows machines (using the iCloud for Windows app) too, and supports end-to-end encryption.
A few new Messages features are coming to macOS Sequoia—and by extension, to iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 as well. You'll be able to format your texts within Messages using bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough type treatments. You'll also have the ability to add animated effects to a specific word within a text. For some phrases and words, you'll also see suggestions appear as you type. Apple added new Tapbacks too—instead of using the traditional heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, question mark, or exclamation point, you'll also see options to use emoji and stickers. Another standout new feature is the option to schedule your messages ahead of time so they'll be sent later.
Apple Intelligence Features
In addition to the features above, the company also announced new AI capabilities powered by Apple Intelligence—its “personal intelligence system” built into MacOS Sequoia, as well as iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence isn't available on all Macs that support macOS 15. You'll need a Mac running the M1 chipset and newer to take advantage of the AI newness. And while some of the AI-powered features will launch in beta this fall, some features won't be available until next year. Below are all the Apple Intelligence–specific features included with macOS Sequoia.
Apple is introducing Writing Tools, which consists of a few different features that work within Notes, Pages, Mail, and third-party apps. There's Rewrite, which allows you to pick from different versions of what you've written based on several tones; Proofread, which checks word choice, grammar, and sentence structure, while also suggesting edits (along with explanations of the edits) with the option to review or quickly accept; and Summarize, which allows you to select text and have it recapped in a paragraph, list, a table, or bulleted key points.
Image Playground generates playful images based on three different styles: Illustration, Sketch, and Animation. It's available as a dedicated app, but you can also access it through Messages. To generate an image, you can either pick from the available concepts, type a description of what you're looking for, or choose a photo of someone from your photo library.
If you're a fan of the Memories feature in the Photos app, you'll be excited to know that Apple is making it more customizable. Rather than settling for the automated version, you'll be able to create specific stories you want to see by typing in a description. From there, Apple will pick out the best photos and videos that match the description, create a storyline based on themes associated with the photos, and generate a movie with its own narrative.
Apple also introduced a new Clean Up tool. Similar to Google's Magic Eraser, Clean Up can identify and remove unwanted or distracting objects in the background of the photo without changing the subject.
Notes will now come equipped with the ability to transcribe audio sessions, as well as summarize notes. That way, you don't have to focus on physically taking notes. And, with a new Math Notes feature, you'll also be able to type in an equation and have it solved automatically within the body of the note.
Apple is finally giving Siri a major overhaul. It's been redesigned to speak more naturally, and it's been given the ability to understand context within conversations. So instead of always having to help Siri along by reminding it what you were asking about in your last question, Siri will simply remember what the topic of the conversation is. This makes conversations feel more personable and easy.
You'll also be able to interact with Siri by typing in your requests instead of speaking them. The company integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT (using the GPT-4o model) into Siri as well. (It's also available in Writing Tools.) If Siri thinks ChatGPT can help answer a question you've posed, it'll hand off the request to OpenAI's chatbot.
Additional Features
- Apple Maps: With Maps, you'll have access to thousands of hiking trails across all 63 national parks in the US, all of which can be filtered by elevation, length, and route type. You'll also be able to save them to access your maps when you're in the wilderness without a data signal.
- Calculator App: Apple is giving its Calculator app an upgrade by adding new features like the ability to enter and continue to view complete expressions (with trigonometry, parentheses, and multiple operations) before pressing equals to see the final answer. You'll also be able to see a history of your calculations.
- Calendar: Within the Calendar app, you can see both events and tasks from the Reminders app. There's also an updated Month View that's meant to make it easier to see all your appointments at a glance—all of which are color-coded.
- Photos: A new Collections feature within the Photo app will automatically organize your library by topics including Trips, Recent Days, and People & Pets. With Pinned Collections, you'll also be able to quickly access certain collections and albums.
- Game Mode: This feature was originally announced last year, with MacOS Sonoma. With MacOS Sequoia, Apple improved Game Mode with smoother frame rates and “advanced power management features” to boost performance across its Macs. It also supports Personalized Spatial Audio and reduces audio latency with the AirPods Pro (2nd generation).
- Home App: Apple is adding guest access that allows you to manage how and when people can enter your house. There's also a new feature that shows how much electricity you're using and how much it's costing you, based on the current utility rates.
