macOS 27 Golden Gate is available to public beta testers starting this week, which means you can try out Siri AI and other changes coming with the update before it launches this fall.
We don’t recommend betas for devices that use critical functionality, and it’s always best to test on a second device. macOS Golden Gate is a stable beta compared to previous releases, but it is still in development and there may be some bugs to deal with. Before installing the update, make sure to create a time machine backup so you can go back to macOS Tahoe if you need to.
Liquid Glass
Apple added a Liquid Glass slider in macOS 27, and you can adjust the display level. You can choose a clearer version of Liquid Glass that allows some of the background to be seen, or a brighter version for improved visibility. Since it’s a slider, you can also choose something in between.
Apple has also adjusted the overall brightness of Liquid Glass, and better distributes complex content behind the navigation bars and buttons. Dark edges and special bright highlights add more depth and contrast to various UI elements.
Uniform toolbars in apps make text headings and groups of controls more readable, and Apple has reduced the number of icons used in menu links. Windows have the same corner radius for more consistency, and you’ll notice that app corners aren’t incredibly rounded.
Changes to window shadows and updates to Liquid Glass make it much easier to tell which window is active when you have several apps open.
The sidebars are non-floating and edge-to-edge, which is a less distracting design. Sidebar icons use color as well.
Siri AI
Siri AI is a big change in macOS Golden Gate. Siri is smart, capable, and works like a chatbot. On a Mac, you can ask Siri anything using the Spotlight interface that comes with Command + Space. Spotlight is now an integrated “Search or Ask” bar where you can search for files, apps, and other content, or ask Siri to complete tasks or answer questions.
You can also interact with Siri using the dedicated Siri app, where you can view past conversations and start new conversations. Siri conversations are synced across all your devices, and the Siri app is cross-platform.
Siri can see what’s on your screen and access your personal information like emails, messages, and photos to answer questions. Siri can also search the web and complete tasks for you in apps. It’s a big change from the previous version of Siri, and Siri can handle more than it could before.
We have more of some of the tasks you can complete with Siri in our Siri AI guide.
Visual Intelligence
Apple brought the iPhone’s Visual Intelligence feature to the Mac in macOS 27. You can ask Siri questions about what’s on your screen with Visual Intelligence, choosing the whole screen or just part of it.
Visual Intelligence on Mac is activated when you press Command + Shift + Space or Command + Shift + 6 to capture a single area of the display. If you press Command + Shift + 5 (used to record your display and take screenshots), you can click the Visual Intelligence icon to get an adjustable selection box for selecting the screen area.
Siri can search for images, zoom in, translate, identify objects, add information from the screen to apps like Calendar or Reminders, answer questions about what you’re looking at, and more. Visual Intelligence on Mac has all the same features as Visual Intelligence on iPhone, and includes new Visual Intelligence features like telling you nutritional information or splitting the bill.
Write with Siri
There is a comprehensive Write with Siri feature that goes beyond the Apple Intelligence Writing Tools available in macOS Tahoe. Siri can type all emails or messages for you, provide feedback on your writing, change wording, and complete other editing tasks.
To use Write with Siri on Mac, right-click on the app and select the Ask Siri option. If you select text before right-clicking, you can ask Siri for help. If you have a blank document, you can ask Siri to create something for you. When writing emails or messages, Siri can analyze your past communications and generate something based on your writing style.
Apple has also expanded spelling correction in macOS Golden Gate, and your Mac will now offer you grammar suggestions and corrections.
iPhone Mirroring
You can resize the iPhone Mirroring window in macOS Golden Gate, by dragging the corner to make the window bigger or smaller. Depending on the app, you may be limited to the iPhone’s portrait orientation, but some apps support iPad or landscape orientation.
Shortcuts
It’s easy for anyone to create a Shortcut in just a few minutes on macOS Golden Gate. The Shortcuts app on the Mac opens an interface that lets you describe what you want the shortcut to do using natural language.
AI creates a shortcut for you, and you can refine it with additional natural language commands or edit it manually. You can activate your shortcuts through the app or through Siri commands.
Safari extensions
Safari has a customizable extension feature in macOS Golden Gate, and you can use the Define Extension option to type what you want the extension to do. The extension is created using AI and is available for immediate use.
To use it, click the settings icon on the right side of the URL bar and select the Define Extension option. Some examples of Apple:
- Show average learning time as a badge in the extension
- Close duplicate tabs that point to the same URL when I click on the extension
- Highlight this word
- Create a 3 minute focus timer for the page
- Set the minimum font size to 14pt
- Every time I open a new tab, I draw a flower
- Highlight and show the size of web page elements when I click them
- Enter the design mode of the website so I can edit the content
- Save this recipe
Safari Tab Grouping and notifications
Safari also has a smart tab grouping feature. Tabs for related categories are automatically grouped together in tab view.
You can also set Safari to monitor a webpage for updates, with Hourly, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly checks available. If you set this feature, you will receive a notification when the content of the web page changes.
Performance Improvement
In addition to introducing Siri and new Apple Intelligence features, macOS Golden Gate cleans up the underlying code. Apple made many changes to speed up performance.
Animations and interactions are fast and easy, and you’ll notice the difference when you’re scrolling through Safari and other apps, opening Mission Control and Spaces, and using other Mac interface features.
AirDrop transfers complete very quickly, browsing files on attached network devices is fast, and window orientation is stable when using external displays. Messages are also synced faster and more reliably across devices.
Apple has rebuilt its search base for Spotlight, Photos, Mail, and Messages, and indexing is faster. If you’re searching for something up-to-date, it’s more likely to come up sooner than ever, and in Mail, there’s a ranking system that shows you the emails you’re likely to be interested in. The mail search index is more reliable than ever, and Spotlight search suggestions are more valuable.
How to install it
Sign up on Apple’s beta testing website, then open the System Settings app. From there, click General > Software Update and under the Beta update section, click “i” to select MacOS 27 Golden Gate Public Beta.
After that, you can install macOS Golden Gate like any other software update.
System Requirements
macOS Golden Gate runs on Macs with an M1 chip or later, as well as the A18 Pro MacBook Neo. Intel Macs do not support macOS Golden Gate and will not receive the new features.
All Macs running macOS Golden Gate support Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, but some on-device Siri processing features such as natural voice selection and advanced calling require M3 or later.
Siri AI isn’t available in the European Union or China right now, and it won’t be when the update launches this fall.