macOS Golden Gate 27 features: Everything new coming to your Mac

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macOS Golden Gate 27 builds on the foundation Apple introduced last year instead of starting over. The update brings Siri AI to the Mac, expands Apple Intelligence across the system, refreshes parts of the interface, and improves the performance of everyday tasks like searching, browsing, and transferring files.

Some additions are easy to spot, while others quietly become part of your routine. Here’s everything new in macOS Golden Gate.

If you’re wondering what’s new and which features are worth trying first, here’s everything macOS Golden Gate brings to the Mac.

A refined design

Last year’s Liquid Glass redesign was Apple’s most ambitious visual overhaul in a generation. Golden Gate does not walk it back. It makes it better.

The new update gives users more control over Liquid Glass. A new slider lets you change how transparent the interface looks, while updated blur effects help keep menus and controls readable against detailed backgrounds.

Some familiar Mac design details are making a comeback, too. Toolbars now look the same across more apps, and sidebars stretch all the way to the edge of the window instead of stopping short. Apple has also brought back colored sidebar icons, making sections easier to pick out without relying only on labels. Apple has also standardized window corners across the system, and Dock icons now have a slightly more layered appearance that fits the updated design.

Faster, smoother, more responsive

Golden Gate also includes a long list of performance improvements that are easier to notice after a few days of use than during a demo.

System animations are smoother throughout, with Mission Control and Space transitions feeling noticeably more fluid. App launches are up to 30 percent faster, including third-party apps, thanks to a new approach that preloads key data before you even click. File browsing and transfers to external drives are up to five times faster, on par with the iPad.

Apple has also rebuilt the search infrastructure powering Spotlight, Photos, and Mail. The new index is more stable, more comprehensive, and updates almost immediately as new content arrives. In Mail, a new ranking system means the email you are looking for is more likely to appear first, even if it was sent months ago.

Network transitions are smarter too, with Golden Gate better at knowing when to stay on Wi-Fi and when to switch, reducing the need to manually toggle connections.

Siri AI, built into Spotlight

Spotlight is picking up a much bigger role in macOS Golden Gate. Alongside apps and files, it can now handle Siri conversations without sending you to a separate interface. Ask a question, hit Return, and the discussion opens in its own resizable window that stays available while you work.

A new system-wide context menu takes this further. Control-click any image, file, or block of text, and a Siri field appears, letting you ask a question about your selection directly.

Siri AI conversations sync privately via iCloud, so you can start something on your iPhone and continue it on your Mac without losing the thread.

Visual Intelligence on Mac

Visual Intelligence, the image-understanding feature that debuted on iPhone, comes to Mac in Golden Gate. A dedicated keyboard shortcut activates it, letting you select anything on your screen and type a question about it directly to Siri.

The feature is useful for everyday tasks. You can select a schedule and add events to Calendar, ask questions about a document, or get more information about an image without leaving your current app. All of this runs through Private Cloud Compute, so nothing is stored or shared.

Safari gets smarter

Safari on Golden Gate benefits from a set of Apple Intelligence features that address one of the most universal browsing frustrations: tab chaos.

Safari can now automatically organize open tabs into topics by analyzing each page, identifying similarities, and grouping related tabs together. New tabs join the right group as you browse, and when you are done, you can close an entire topic or save it as a Tab Group.

For tabs you keep open because you are waiting for something, a new Notify Me feature lets you describe what you are watching for in natural language, then close the tab. When Safari detects the change, you get a notification.

Also new is Describe an Extension, which lets you create a custom Safari extension just by describing what you want in plain language. Want a button in your toolbar that saves and rates recipes? Describe it, and Safari builds it. No developer tools required.

Password security gets an intelligence boost too. The Passwords app can now automatically update eligible accounts to strong passwords, with Apple Intelligence and Safari working together to navigate each site, sign in, and make the change on your behalf.

Apple Intelligence across your apps

Need another pair of eyes on something you’ve written? Siri can now step in without forcing you to leave the app you’re using. Backed by Apple Intelligence, it can generate text, suggest edits, or review a draft, while automatic proofreading takes care of spelling, grammar, and punctuation across much of macOS.

Calendar can now create events from natural language descriptions as you type. Mail surfaces more contextual suggestions when you receive messages, including quick actions with third-party apps. The Phone app, when you call a business, can pull a relevant confirmation number from your Mail so it is right there when the call connects.

Shortcuts gets a natural language upgrade too. Describe what you want to automate, and Shortcuts assembles the required steps automatically, making one of macOS’s most powerful but underused features far more approachable.

Availability

If you don’t want to wait until fall, the developer beta is available now, with a public beta scheduled for next month. Just keep in mind that the update only supports Apple Silicon Mac, and some image generation features come with daily limits tied to iCloud+.

Should you upgrade?

macOS Golden Gate refreshes the interface, expands Apple Intelligence, and upgrades many of the apps Mac users rely on every day. If you’re planning to install the update later this year, you’ll have plenty of new features to explore from day one.

Have a favorite macOS Golden Gate feature already? Drop a comment below and let us know what you’re looking forward to using the most.

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