macOS 26.3 Release Candidate Is Out as Public Launch Nears

Apple has pushed the macOS 26.3 Release Candidate (RC), a sign that the beta cycle is almost finished and the public release is close. Early testing has not surfaced major new features, so this update looks focused on stability work, bug fixes, and smaller under-the-hood changes.



If Apple sticks to its usual rhythm, macOS 26.3 should ship publicly soon after this RC, unless testers uncover a late-breaking bug that forces a revised RC build.



How to install macOS 26.3 RC



If you are already enrolled in the developer beta or public beta, the RC should appear in Software Update.




Back up your Mac first.



Open System Settings.



Go to General > Software Update.



If you do not see it, open Beta Updates and make sure your Mac is enrolled in the right track.



Download and install the macOS 26.3 Release Candidate.




The build number shows up inside Software Update once the RC appears on your Mac.



Changes in macOS 26.3 RC



This release has been a quiet one so far, with most of the work aimed at tightening reliability rather than adding new headline features. Even when user-facing features are limited, RC updates often include security patches and platform hardening that Apple does not always spell out during the beta cycle.



If you had minor glitches in earlier 26.3 betas, this is the build meant to smooth them out ahead of the public rollout, assuming testing does not uncover major issues.



What comes next after 26.3



Once macOS 26.3 goes public, the next wave should be 26.4 betas. Attention is already shifting there because reports say Apple plans to show off a Gemini-powered Siri upgrade in the second half of February, with early beta software expected around the same window.



If you install the macOS 26.3 RC, share anything you notice, including fixes, regressions, or new system behavior, in the comments.