Apple Seeds Sixth Beta of macOS High Sierra to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

Monday August 14, 2017 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta and more than two months after introducing the new software at the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

The sixth beta of macOS High Sierra can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air using the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

Today's update brings a fix for a bug that caused apps to quit unexpectedly when printing to Canon printers, and it addresses an issue that caused QuickLook to preview things to force a MacBook Pro to switch to a discrete GPU (pertains to models that have both discrete and integrated GPUs).

macOS High Sierra builds on features first introduced in macOS Sierra, focusing on new storage, video, and graphics technology. It brings a new Apple File System (APFS), High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), and an updated version of Metal with support for VR and external GPUs.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Several apps are gaining new features in macOS High Sierra. The Photos app features a new sidebar to make it easier to access editing tools and albums, and there are new filters and editing options like Curves and Selective Color. Photos also supports external editing apps like Photoshop and Pixelmator, saving changes made in those apps back to Photos, and it interfaces with new third-party printing services.

Safari is gaining speed enhancements, an option to prevent autoplay videos, and a new feature that cuts down on cross-site data tracking. Siri in macOS High Sierra has expanded music capabilities and a new, more natural voice, and Spotlight supports flight status information. There are also improvements to iCloud, FaceTime, Messages, and Notes.

macOS High Sierra is available for both registered developers and public beta testers and will see a few more weeks of testing ahead of its expected fall public release.

For a complete overview of changes coming in macOS High Sierra, make sure to check out our dedicated macOS High Sierra roundup.

Update: Apple has also made a new version of macOS High Sierra available to public beta testers.

Related Forum: macOS High Sierra

Popular Stories

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...

• 79 comments

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...

• 149 comments

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover

In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

• 155 comments

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol

While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

• 37 comments

Top Rated Comments

nutmac

111 months ago

Not quite sure why the Public Beta (which is identical and even is listed as the Developer Beta in the App Store) won't be released until tomorrow afternoon.

Apple likes to collect installation data first before opening up to public beta. Developers tend to be a lot more resourceful if something goes wrong during installation AND they often have multiple devices.

Many that install public beta are equally knowledgeable but more likely install it on their primary device.

Apple doesn't want to support it.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

JustMartin

111 months ago

DO NOT INSTALL Beta 6, it will bork your iCloud account. When the update finished, I saw a message that read, "Your iCloud account has been locked for security reasons". WTF, it has been working fine for years.

I tried to "fix" the issue by following Apple's steps and the service would not update my password and now I am locked out. Great!!! My business is dependent on my ability to access my account and data.

Sigh... now I have to call Apple support.

Am I going to be the first to ask why you are running beta software on your production machine?

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

0003939

111 months ago

I concur. A biggie. Like the whole OS is being changed out.
[doublepost=1502731822][/doublepost]
I don't have an developer account. Could you please post the PDF file. Thank you.

Can't access it
"This page no longer exists or the Apple ID you signed with does not have permission to view this page"
Perhaps you could download it and then upload it to MediaFire or something?

I know. I was trying to upload to some sites.

Here it is.

https://mega.nz/#!90RCwYbC!sjkHE-Cd3An66k0tryOm3XxVmy0kh90a1J_unRILA7g

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)