Apple has released MacOS Tahoe 26.6 for Mac users running the Tahoe operating system. The update is primarily focused on security fixes, and includes 8 new Emoji icons. Don’t expect any major changes or features, as those are instead arriving in the currently under beta MacOS 27. For Mac users running MacOS Sequoia and MacOS ... Read More
macOS Tahoe 26.6 (25G72) is now Available For All Users!
UPDATED: 07/31/26
This article will be continually updated as new information comes in.
Today, Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.6 to the public. The update is available through Software Update in System Settings for all compatible Macs.
Apple’s release notes provide only a summary of the changes included in this update. As with previous macOS releases, many additional changes are uncovered through testing, system analysis, and comparing files between builds.
This article provides a detailed technical breakdown of macOS Tahoe 26.6, including new features, bug fixes, update sizes, firmware updates, security changes, developer updates, and other discoveries found while analyzing the release.
Apple mentions that the Tahoe 26.6 update will optimize the Spotlight index in preparation for macOS 27. Additionally a fix addressed where some notifications incorrectly displayed deprecation notices for some apps identified as Intel processor only. Also addressed was that HDR screenshots might appear garbled when sent in Messages.
Also of note, Apple fixed macOS 27 Golden Gate VM’s in the Tahoe 26.6 update. All previous versions would fail when you would try to build a macOS 27 VM.
AI credited in some of the Security Notes
Also of note is that this is the first time AI was credited with some of the security fixes. In three different CVE entries. Apple credits Anthropic researchers and Claude.
"In collaboration with Claude and Anthropic Research"
HUGE Security update release breaks record!
The macOS Tahoe 26.6 update breaks the all‑time record for CVEs patched in a single macOS release, with a total of 155. Here’s a look back at how many CVEs were patched in each Tahoe update so far.
26.6 – 155
26.5 – 79
26.4 – 83
26.3 – 66
26.2 – 62
26.1 – 115
26.0 – 97
macOS Tahoe Patch Notes Summary
1. New Features – 2
2. Developer Documented Fixes – 3
3. Security Fixes – 155 CVE’s Patched
4. Enterprise Fixes – 5
5. Safari Security (Webkit) –
7. Full installer & IPSW – Both Released
8. OpenCore Legacy Patcher Users – NOT COMPATIBLE!
System Settings > Software Update:
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Full Apple Update Release list
Update List
Tahoe 26.6 (25G72)
Sequoia 15.7.8 (24G822)
Sonoma 14.8.8 (23J619)
iOS/iPadOS 26.6 (23G71)
iOS/iPadOS 18.7.9 (22H355) (remains the same)
iPadOS 17.7.11 (21H461) (remains the same)
iOS/iPadOS 16.7.16 (20H392) (remains the same)
iOS/iPadOS 15.8.8 (19H422) (remains the same)
watchOS 26.6 (23U67)
homePodOS 26.6
tvOS 26.6 (23L773)
visionOS 26.6 (23O770)
Studio Display Firmware 26.4 (23E246) (remains the same)
Safari – 26.6 – (included in 26.6 but a separate install for Sequoia & Sonoma)
Xcode – 26.6
Command Line Tools for Xcode – 26.6
OpenCore Legacy Patcher for Unsupported Macs
OCLP 2.4.1 & macOS Tahoe 26.6 : DO NOT INSTALL! NOT COMPATIBLE YET. This release is in full testing and it is not recommended that you attempt to install it yet.!
The delta update will automatically change in size for exactly what your macOS version needs.
Full update & OCLP Users = NOT SUPPORTED YET
Apple Silicon Updates
Delta from macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 with size = 5.28GB
Upgrade from macOS Sequoia 15.7.7 with size = 10.16GB
Intel Updates
Delta Update from macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 with size = 2.98GB
Delta Update from macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 with size = 2.99GB
6. Apple Silicon System Firmware Version
This update has a new firmware update. The version number is reported in System Information under “System Firmware Version“. Also known as mBoot.
Apple Silicon Firmware = Updated!
22. macOS Tahoe 26.6 =18000.161.9
21. macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 = 18000.121.3
20. macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 = 18000.120.36
19. macOS Tahoe 26.5 = 18000.120.36
18. macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 = 18000.101.7
17. macOS Tahoe 26.4 = 18000.101.7
16. macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 = 13822.81.10
15. macOS Tahoe 26.3 = 13822.81.10
14. macOS Tahoe 26.2 = 13822.61.10
13. macOS Tahoe 26.1 = 13822.41.1
12. macOS Tahoe 26.0.1 = 13822.1.2
11. macOS Tahoe 26.0 = 13822.1.2
10. macOS Tahoe RC = 13822.1.2
9. macOS Tahoe Beta 9 = 13822.1.2
8. macOS Tahoe Beta 8 = 13822.1.2
7. macOS Tahoe Beta 7 = 13822.1.2
6. macOS Tahoe Beta 6 = 13822.1.2
5. macOS Tahoe Beta 5 = 13822.0.277.0.3
4. macOS Tahoe Beta 4 = 13822.0.233
3. macOS Tahoe Beta 3 = 13822.0.194.0.3
2. macOS Tahoe Beta 2 = 13822.0.166.0.1
1. macOS Tahoe Beta 1 = 13822.0.88.511.1
7. Apple Silicon OS loader Version (iBoot)
OS Loader Version (iBoot) also referred to as “iBoot second-stage loader”, is Apple’s stage 2 bootloader. The OS loader version will be the same as the “System Firmware Version” on the latest OS. On previous versions of macOS Monterey and Big Sur, the OS loader version will be a version behind. Example = Monterey = 7459.121.3 & Big Sur = 6723.140.2
OS Loader version = Updated!
22. macOS Tahoe 26.6 =18000.161.9
21. macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 = 18000.121.3
20. macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 = 18000.120.36
19. macOS Tahoe 26.5 = 18000.120.36
18. macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 = 18000.101.7
17. macOS Tahoe 26.4 = 18000.101.7
16. macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 = 13822.81.10
15. macOS Tahoe 26.3 = 13822.81.10
14. macOS Tahoe 26.2 = 13822.61.10
13. macOS Tahoe 26.1 = 13822.41.1
12. macOS Tahoe 26.0.1 = 13822.1.2
11. macOS Tahoe 26.0 = 13822.1.2
10. macOS Tahoe RC = 13822.1.2
9. macOS Tahoe Beta 9 = 13822.1.2
8. macOS Tahoe Beta 8 = 13822.1.2
7. macOS Tahoe Beta 7 = 13822.1.2
6. macOS Tahoe Beta 6 = 13822.1.2
5. macOS Tahoe Beta 5 = 13822.0.277.0.3
4. macOS Tahoe Beta 4 = 13822.0.233
3. macOS Tahoe Beta 3 = 13822.0.194.0.3
2. macOS Tahoe Beta 2 = 13822.0.166.0.1
1. macOS Tahoe Beta 1 = 13822.0.88.511.1
8. Intel T2 BridgeOS Update
The Version of BridgeOS for your T2 Security Chip (2018-2020 Intel Macs) was updated.
BridgeOS version = Updated!
22. macOS Tahoe 26.6 = 23.16.16068.0.0
21. macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 = 23.16.15067.0.0
20. macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 = 23.16.15067.0.0
19. macOS Tahoe 26.5 = 23.16.15067.0.0
18. macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 = 23.16.14242.0.0
17. macOS Tahoe 26.4 = 23.16.14242.0.0
16. macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 = 23.16.13120.0.0
15. macOS Tahoe 26.3 = 23.16.13120.0.0
14. macOS Tahoe 26.2 = 23.16.12048.0.0
13. macOS Tahoe 26.1 = 23.16.11072.0.0
12. macOS Tahoe 26.0.1 = 23.16.10350.0.0
11. macOS Tahoe 26.0 = 23.16.10350.0.0
10. macOS Tahoe RC = 23.16.10350.0.0
9. macOS Tahoe Beta 9 = 23.16.10350.0.0
8. macOS Tahoe Beta 8 = 23.16.10348.5.1
7. macOS Tahoe Beta 7 = 23.16.5342.0.1
6. macOS Tahoe Beta 6 = 23.16.5342.0.1
5. macOS Tahoe Beta 5 = 23.16.5331.0.4
4. macOS Tahoe Beta 4 = 23.16.5320.0.2
3. macOS Tahoe Beta 3 = N/A
2. macOS Tahoe Beta 2 = N/A
1. macOS Tahoe Beta 1 = 23.16.5283.0.7
9. Intel T2 Firmware Update
The System Firmware Version for your Mac (2019-2020)
This is the macOS recovery version if you boot into macOS Recovery after updating to the latest version of macOS Tahoe. NOTE: The Fallback Recovery version can be different.
The srv_lookup_enabled feature for DFS shares introduced in macOS 26.5 is now disabled by default. For details on how to enable the feature, refer to the nsmb.conf manual page.
Resolved an issue where Platform SSO devices unexpectedly required reregistration.
Managed apps are more reliably offered updates through self-service apps.
Improves stability using an external camera with MacBook Neo while the lid is closed.
Improves stability when restoring a MacBook Neo using Finder or Apple Configurator.
The macOS 26.6 SDK provides support to develop apps for Mac computers running macOS Tahoe 26.6 RC. The SDK comes bundled with Xcode 26.6, available from the Mac App Store. For information on the compatibility requirements for Xcode 26.6, see Xcode 26.6 Release Notes.
Encrypted HFS+ (CoreStorage) is deprecated and will not be supported in macOS 28. If you use Encrypted HFS+ backups on external drives, begin backing up to encrypted APFS-formatted external drives instead. (175892336)
Fixed: macOS deprecation notifications incorrectly identify a host app as Intel-only when a system plugin loader, such as a Color Picker or Print Dialog Extension, loads x86 code into the host process. (174841181) (FB22512943)
Fixed: Temporally-weighted average statistics queries for discrete quantity types such as Resting Heart Rate may return erroneously high values when samples overlap in time. (178157672)
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