How to Virtualise macOS Tahoe Beta in 2 Easy Steps
Want to play with macOS 26 "Tahoe" without risking your main Mac? Here’s the quick and fun way to do it—no full upgrade required!
🔽
If you want to play with macOS 26 in tart there is a template already within the the github repo of tart under this pull requests - https://github.com/cirruslabs/macos-image-templates/pull/244
Step 1: Get the Device Support Update
- Why you need it: This update (MobileDevice DeviceSupport for macOS) is what lets your Mac talk to the new macOS in a virtual machine.
- Where to get it: Only available from developer.apple.com. If you’re using AppleSeed, you can grab the macOS Tahoe beta IPSW, but not the Device Support update.
- Heads up: Sometimes macOS tries to fetch this automatically when you install the beta, but it’s not always reliable. For a smooth ride, download the DeviceSupport
.pkgdirectly from the developer site and install it yourself.
Step 2: Download the macOS Tahoe Beta IPSW
- What you need: The macOS 26 Tahoe IPSW file (about 18.5 GB). This is the magic file that lets you run Tahoe in a VM—works only on Apple Silicon Macs.
- Where to get it: Download from developer.apple.com (for devs) or appleseed.apple.com (free account for anyone with a managed Apple Account)
Pick Your Virtualisation App
You can use any of these to run your shiny new Tahoe VM:
- UTM (Free, open source)
- Parallels Desktop (Not Free)
- VirtualBuddy (Free, lightweight)
- Tart (Free, open source and a favorite)
- Orka Desktop (Free, open source)
That’s It!
- No need to upgrade your Mac.
- Just two downloads, a quick (well kind of) install, and you’re off exploring macOS Tahoe in a safe, virtual playground.
Have fun, and happy virtualising! 🚀