Updated and republished for macOS 26.5.1; skip it unless you really really care about all the macOS releases. Originally published on November 14th, 2005.
(This post was on hiatus for 16 months…if you'd like to know what's new and improved, on both the front and back end, check out the behind-the-scenes writeup.)
Below the break is a table showing all major releases of macOS (previously Mac OS X) from the public beta through the latest released update, which is 26.5.1, as of June 1, 2026—the 292nd release in total.
Click any row to load Apple's notes page for that release (or the closest match that could be found)
This table requires JavaScript to display and use; sorry!
Note: The Days column reflects the number of days between releases.
Some random notes, updated from the original post:
- Starting with the Public Beta and up through macOS 26.5.1, there have been 292 macOS releases, both major and minor. This figure includes the one odd macOS X release: 10.2.7. This version was only for the then-new PowerMac G5 and the flat panel iMac G4, and was never generally released.
- As of June 1, 2026 (26.5.1's release date), it's been 9,392 days since the Public Beta was released. So on average, we've seen some sort of update every 32.2 days.
- The shortest time period between any two releases in the same OS generation is six days, for both 10.15.5 → 10.15.5 SU1 and 26.3.1 → 26.3.2. The shortest period at all is two days, the gap between macOS 13.2.1 and macOS 11.7.4.
- The longest time period between any two minor releases is 165 days, which was how long we waited for the 10.4.9 update. (Tecnically, it's actually the 192 day interval between the Mac OS X Public Beta and version 10.0, but I'm counting from the official 10.0 release.)
And now, gratuitous graphics…
Releases by version number
Releases by year
A special "thank you!" goes to Mr. Ziebell (for providing some size values on very-old minor updates), and to Benton Quest (for providing size info on all the major releases up through Snow Leopard). See Benton's comment below if you want a nicely detailed history of those early releases.
Another special "thank you!" goes to Mads Fog Albrechtslund, who provided updated PR links for all the major releases—most of mine had broken over the years.
Finally, thanks to Claude Code for the modernized—and much easier to update—table. Claude wrote 100% of the Javascript and CSS that makes the magic happen with the table and variable post content. There is absolutely no way I could have written this myself.
Any idea why they're calling the Mojave 10.14.6 releases "Supplemental Updates", rather than just upping the version number? I mean, if you've released 3 gigs worth of updates, over 2 months after the original... then you might as well just call it 10.14.7 right?
No official idea, but I'd guess it's related to how much they're changing, what those things are, and how big the update is—all of the supplemental updates (in 10.14 and before) have been at or below 1.32GB. Of course, confusingly, there have been full updates that size or smaller, too. Some are obvious why they got full versions—one such update added AirPlay 2, for instance. Others, no idea.
But it does seem to hold true that if the update is around 1.3GB or less, it's likely to be called supplemental unless part of that 1.3GB is some major new feature or change.
That's my guess, at any rate :).
-rob.
You know what's missing from your big lists? Build numbers.
And because you asked nicely, here's some extra size data for the list:
Mac OS X 10.0.0 "Kodiak": There were four different iterations of the Mac OS X Public Beta, but they all fit onto a single CD-ROM. DP1 occupied slightly more of the CD than the final DP4 release did, so you can count either: DP1 is 679.1 MB, DP4 is 676 MB.
Mac OS X 10.0.4 "Cheetah": Standard way to get it was to bu the box that was approximately 85% air, 10% printed matter and 5% being a single CD in a sleeve. It was slightly smaller than Kodiak as it didn't pack as much nerd into it - it is a consumer OS first and foremost - so Cheetah's disk-usage is 659 MB
Mac OS X 10.1 "Puma": The retail Puma package has two CDs; the main OS installer is still a single CD, but there's a second CD labeled "Tools" that has some extra fonts, utilities and a few dev goodies that are all completely optional. You got a LOT more when you bought a brand-new Mac that shipped with Puma - eleven CDs, which included Puma, Mac OS 9.2.2, a Hardware Test CD, an Applications disc, and a 6-CD set holding a system-restore image. Most folk who bought Puma as a retail/upgrade would install the tools too, so 648MB + 341 MB = 989 MB
Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar": For the first time, Mac OS X comes in two flavours, regular and Server editions. Jaguar 10.2 Server costs more, and uses a serial-number, but with general-user apps replaced with administrator-level server toys, it is a single CD of 635MB. The regular, or 'Client' OS installer now comes on two CDs but most of the second is fonts & printer drivers that you can choose not to install. There's a third CD in the retail package, "Apple Developer Tools" which has another 338MB of stuff on it. Without the Dev Tools, Jaguar Retail is 648 MB + 341 MB = 989 MB.
Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther:" The retail boxed version comes with four CDs, three for the Panther installer and one for the rebranded dev tools: Xcode. Macs that shipped with Panther usually got a DVD or two, or a whole wallet of CDs like the Jaguar Macs had. Not counting the 637 MB of stuff on the Xcode disc, the Panther installer adds up to 1.54 GB.
Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger": Apple started including DVD installers with Macs that shipped with a DVD drive back in the Jaguar days, but retail and upgrade Mac OS X installers were always CD-only ... until Tiger. The boxed edition of 10.4 comes as a single DVD holding 3.03 GB worth of OS-installer, Xcode, and a bevy of extra fonts, language kits & printer drivers, although it could be ordered as a 4-CD set. Even though the big switcharoo from PowerPC to Intel happened during Tiger's reign, the retail/upgrade editions of Tiger were PowerPC-only. Ignoring the optional extras, the app and all the packages that make up the default Tiger installer add up to 1.78 GB.
Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard": When you're supporting two disparate CPU architectures, everything takes up more than twice the space. Retail OS X Leopard ships on a dual-layer DVD that is absolutely chock-a-block full - 7.553 GB of the 8 GB capacity is taken, but not all of that is OS. The System you run when you boot the DVD is 1.1 GB, there's another gig's worth of 'Optional Installers' (mostly Xcode), but the main folder of installers amounts to 6 GB worth, which happens to include all the language packs, fonts for same, and over 2 GB worth of printer drivers. There's also a 460 MB hidden ISO partition that's got the Boot Camp software on it for Windows. If you add up the size of just the installers used to make up the default OS X - remember, it carries all the baggage needed for both PowerPC and Intel - it adds up to 2.15 GB.
Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard": The boxed retail Snow Leopard ships on a dual-layer DVD like Leopard did, and it too is chokka-block. You'd think going Intel-only would free up a lot of space on the disc, but no, they've filled the once-free-space with even more extras, including the PowerPC emulator, Rosetta - including the hidden Boot Camp partition, it all adds up to a very full 7.82 GB. There are two releases, 10.6.0 and 10.6.3 (in fact, Apple still sell the 10.6.3 DVD through the Store) with the latter release squeezing in even tighter, but if I cherry-pick the installer packages for a default OS install, it comes to 2.31 GB.
Benton: Wow, thanks much for the sizing info; I'll add it to the table shortly. As for build numbers, I thought about it once a few years ago, but decided that there's too much variability for my liking. (For example, Apple will sometimes release hardware that gets a new build number of macOS, even though the version number is unchanged.) This post is mainly a fun diversion, and including all the build number info would turn it into more of a job :).
-rob
I just realised I got the Jaguar sizes wrong - wasn't watching my copypasta properly :)
Jaguar Retail is 661 MB + 374 MB = 1.03 GB.
10.6.8 was released twice (second as version 1.1)
Please whats the size of the latest version of macOS Sierra?
I'm not sure I understand the question - size of what? The last updater? The full OS after the last updater? I don't know that latter, but the former is shown as 1.98GB in the table.
-rob.
You forgot Big Sur 11.0 - it was preinstalled on the M1 Macs released in November.
I left it out on purpose, as my M1 MBP arrived with 11.0.1 on it already, so I assumed it never shipped on available hardware. Did you buy one that came with 11.0?
-rob.
Update: You were correct, it did ship on at least some M1 Macs. I've updated the post—thanks for the heads up!
-rob.
Rob-
Have you any knowledge as to where I can find a downloadable and secure .dmg of the original Mojave 10.14 ?
Thanks,
-Craig
Sorry, I don't have any idea where such a thing might exist.
-rob.
This may be useful to some. Older versions of macOS can be downloaded from the App Store. As of this writting you can get older versions of macOS going back to 10.13 High Sierra. App Store searches will only find the current shipping versions of macOS. For older versions you will need to know the direct App Store link. This article explains how to get it:
https://osxdaily.com/where-download-macos-installers/
YES USEFUL to us! Thanks SO MUCH! Still using beloved Mid2011 (macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra) with nib M1 just arrived...
It seems that the first two paragraphs have not been updated for 11.6, they still says "11.5.2".
Thank you.
Good catch—fixed.
thanks;
-rob.
Thank you for providing this information
Just out of curiosity you have it listed as Big Sur 11.6.1 then 12.0. What happened to 11.6.2?
I work for a school and the new MBAs (M1) come with 11.3.1 preinstalled then goes to 11.6.2 with the option of upgrading to 12.1.
Great site Rob. Keep up the good work.
Basically, I wasn't aware it existed. Once a major new version comes out, and I don't have a Mac running the older version, I usually miss the news of any releases for the older version.
I'll put that on my to do list - thanks!
-rob.
No problem. I appreciate the time and effort.
macOS Big Sur 11.6.3 is missing from the list… ?
Whoops, I didn't notice it came out! Caught up with that, and with 11.6.4 as of the 14th.
-rob.
macOS Big Sur 11.6.6 (Released on April 7th, 2022) has a size of 2.53 GB when coming from macOS Big Sur 11.6.5!
(MacBookAir7,2)
Thanks! I've updated the table.
-rob.
The iPhone Wiki has every update indexed since Big Sur here: https://www.theiphonewiki.com/wiki/OTA_Updates#Mac
Hi Rob,
Big Sur 11.6.7 has been released and fixes a nasty bug when opening attachments or other "unsaved" files.
https://support.apple.com/HT211896
I also noticed that the security notes of Big Sur 11.6.6 have been published:
https://support.apple.com/HT213256
Kind regards and thank you for this blog!
Thanks—I usually miss the 11.6.x announcements. And I wasn't ignoring your comment for the last month, just trying to find time to fix the table for all the 11.6.x releases I'd missed! It's all fixed now, though.
-rob.
ich machte mein macOS X yostemite 10.10.5 updates für Ende
I believe production Ventura (macOS 13) was released Oct 24th, 2022 not Sep. This according to Apple (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201222)
Oh jeez, that was a major brain failure - yea, definitely October not September! Fixed now, thank you!
-rob.
Hi Rob
Some of the links to the Apple PR Archive are broken. So I have complied a list of Apple PR Links, both for the Launch press releases and the preview/announcement press releases.
Thanks for that excellent work! I have removed the list from this comment, and updated all the major release URLs with your now-correct URLs, and added a little thank you at the end of the post.
-rob.
When will macOS stop pushing updates for 2017 mac Retina
There are some issues with the table markup. Check this page on validator.w3.org for more information.
The vast majority of those issues come from WordPress and/or its plugins, so they'll remain.You said "table markup," sorry!I did fix the issues directly in the table. I try to do this regularly, but had slipped after the last major table re-do, so thanks for the reminder!
-rob.
Great info Rob! Curious, on average, after how many major releases would you say an Apple Computer can no longer be updated or it loses too much resale value to make it worth hanging onto?
I ask because I am going to do an Apple (via First Citizens Bank) 36-month business lease on two Mac Mini M2 Pros and I have to decide whether to do a:
1) "Pay to Use" Lease with lower monthly payment (no Interest) and return computers at the end or buy at "Fair Market Value" (that is why I wonder about the worth in terms of major OS upgrades in 3-years)
2) "Pay to Own" Lease with higher monthly payments (and Interest) with an $1.00 buyout in 3 years.
I am not opting for the 12 or 24 month terms due to monthly costs.
Thanks for your thoughts and I hope this may help other people!
Unfortunately, I'm probably the worst one to ask about used Macs—mine are typically passed along to family members, not sold. I'd probably look at eBay's "sold" listings for machines that are three years old and see what they're going for.
As an example, I have a 2019 27" iMac that I think was $3500 or so when new. They're going for $1100 or so on eBay now.
As for OS updates, Apple tends to make the latest OS available for machines roughly three to four years old; here's the Sonoma page:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213772
Hope that helps a bit;
-rob.
Thank you Rob. I appreciate the quick response. In the past I have hung onto all of my Macs for more years than I likely should have (although this was great for my pocketbook), so I am leaning towards Pay to Use so I can keep up with technology more. Feels like there was a time when upgrades weren't so necessary, nowadays my computers seem to be rendered almost useless if I can no longer upgrade the OS. Thank you again for the info.
Insane how many "releases" are happening now... It's almost like releasing unfinished products is now the norm.