Should you upgrade to macOS Tahoe 26 if you’re a music producer, artist or DJ? Probably not — here’s whyApple has just released a major new version of its Mac operating system, macOS Tahoe 26. And no, you haven’t missed a version – the company is bringing all its operating systems under a new naming convention – hence, “26”. While many producers will be keen to explore its new features, there are important reasons why you shouldn’t update your music Mac just yet. But why, and what’s your best course of action when you do actually perform the update?
Don’t panic. Your Mac won’t automatically install a major new system update without your express permission, even if you have automatic updates switched on. It might download the installer automatically, but it won’t run it. You can check these settings on your Mac in System Settings > Software Update > Automatic Updates.
A new system update houses thousands of changes beyond the major ones you can see. Although Apple tests its OS extensively, the many combinations of software people tend to complicate things.
Apple Music on MacOS Tahoe 26. Image: Apple
For producers, there are lots of possible ways this can happen; there’s your DAW, your plugins, sound libraries, audio interface drivers, MIDI hardware drivers and more. Any one of these going on the fritz will likely make your music rig function sub-optimally or even break altogether. It could be something as simple as application windows not rendering properly because of changes to the graphics system, but it’ll still stop you.
Your first steps should be to check the websites for your products to see the official word on compatibility with Tahoe. If there’s no information, assume that problems are likely. Identify which are vital — your DAW, audio interface, key plug-ins — and wait until you’re sure all have been made compatible before upgrading your Mac. There may be a few plugins that take longer to be updated that you can live without for a while, uninstalling and then reinstalling them later.
The safest bet is to wait a while, even if your software is supported. Sometimes, there can be bugs on Apple’s side that don’t become apparent until the new OS has been out in the wild for a month or two. Some people wait until the first major x.1 release, which often irons out a lot of these kinds of bugs. Quick fixes tend to be released as x.0.1 numbered updates.
We recommend you back up your Mac regularly using Time Machine or a similar system, especially before a macOS upgrade, even a full backup to a new drive if possible. You would then be able to roll back to this working system in the event of problems with the update. Power users sometimes prefer a clean install of a new system and then re-importing their data, though this may be a more complex process. Truthfully, Apple’s update process is pretty slick these days, so the risks are low.
macOS 26 is supported on every Mac with Apple Silicon (an M-series chip) plus a couple of the very last models of Intel Mac, though it will be the last version that supports Intel, and in the not-too-distant future, new versions of DAWs and plugins on macOS will likely stop supporting Intel too.
Liquid Glass on MacOS Tahoe 26. Image: Apple
When you do update, you’ll get the new Liquid Glass theme, common across all the new systems, upgraded Apple Intelligence with live translation (Apple Silicon only), enhanced Spotlight functionality and many smaller changes.
You’ll notice there’s nothing specifically audio-related that’s new, which is another reason to hold off for a while — there’s no killer feature for musicians you’ll be missing.
The new AI features, the new look and myriad smaller tweaks are certainly nice to have and, in time, might improve your workflow. A music Mac, however, is a finely balanced thing; if your system is working well under macOS 15 Sequoia, there’s no reason to rush into upgrading to Tahoe and possibly causing yourself unnecessary problems. The update will still be available in a month or two, and most developers will have had time to deal with any issues.
If you do decide to update and find a few unique bugs with certain software, we’d recommend letting the developer know so they can inform other users. You might just be saving a fellow producer’s magnum opus from corruption!
Check out all the new features of macOS Tahoe 26 at Apple
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