Apple today made the first public beta of macOS Big Sur — version 11 of Apple’s desktop OS — a month after it did so for iOS and iPadOS 14. The update promises an all-new design that blends Apple’s clean modern aesthetic with its skeuomorphic tendencies of old. It also borrows several ideas from iOS, including a Control Center and redesigned Notification Center.
Though the company already released preview versions of the OS for developers, its public betas don’t require special credentials and are generally considered more stable than the more iterative updates developers get to play with.
Getting it on your system is simple: just head on over to Apple’s Beta Software Program page, and sign up to try Big Sur (or any other of the available software updates announced at WWDC). You’ll have to sign in with your Apple ID to access the software, and then select ‘enroll your devices’ to pick which ones will get the beta update.
Keep in mind the public beta is over 12GB, so it’ll take a while to download and you should make sure you have a good buffer before installing the OS. As always, it’s a good idea to make a backup before installing beta software on your primary computer, and though Apple’s public betas tend to be stable, there’s always a chance things can go amiss. Install at your own risk.
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For more on what you can expect from macOS Big Sur, check out our announcement post here.
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