macOS End of Life: Every Version, and Apple's Unwritten Support Rule
Apple supports the current macOS and the two before it — since macOS 27 shipped on September 14, 2026 that means macOS 27, macOS 26 Tahoe, and macOS 15 Sequoia. macOS 14 Sonoma reached end of life on September 14, 2026, and macOS 13 Ventura on September 15, 2025. Apple has never published this policy formally, but it has held for over a decade: when a new macOS ships each September, the third-oldest version quietly stops receiving security updates.
That unwritten rule is the most important thing to understand about macOS end of life. There is no lifecycle page, no announcement, no countdown — a Mac running Ventura today shows no banner saying its OS stopped receiving patches in September 2025. The dates in our table are derived from when Apple actually stopped shipping security updates for each release, which is the honest way to track a vendor that publishes no dates (we label this methodology openly — see our research on how EOL dates drift).
Key Dates at a Glance
- macOS 14 (Sonoma): end of life 2026-09-14
- macOS 13 (Ventura): end of life 2025-09-15
- macOS 12 (Monterey): end of life 2024-09-16
- macOS 11 (Big Sur): end of life 2026-02-02
- macOS 10.15 (Catalina): end of life 2026-02-02
- macOS 10.14 (Mojave): end of life 2021-10-25
- macOS 10.13 (High Sierra): end of life 2020-12-01
- macOS 10.12 (Sierra): end of life 2019-10-01
- macOS 10.11 (El Capitan): end of life 2018-12-01
macOS End-of-Life Table (every release)
| Version | Released | End of life | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS 27 | Sep 14, 2026 | No EOL announced — receiving updates | Supported |
| macOS 26 Tahoe | Sep 15, 2025 | No EOL announced — receiving updates | Supported |
| macOS 15 Sequoia | Sep 16, 2024 | No EOL announced — receiving updates | Supported |
| macOS 14 Sonoma | Sep 26, 2023 | Sep 14, 2026 | EOL |
| macOS 13 Ventura | Oct 24, 2022 | Sep 15, 2025 | EOL |
| macOS 12 Monterey | Oct 25, 2021 | Sep 16, 2024 | EOL |
| macOS 11 Big Sur | Nov 12, 2020 | Feb 2, 2026 | EOL |
| macOS 10.15 Catalina | Oct 7, 2019 | Feb 2, 2026 | EOL |
| macOS 10.14 Mojave | Sep 24, 2018 | Oct 25, 2021 | EOL |
| macOS 10.13 High Sierra | Sep 25, 2017 | Dec 1, 2020 | EOL |
| macOS 10.12 Sierra | Sep 20, 2016 | Oct 1, 2019 | EOL |
| OS X 10.11 El Capitan | Sep 30, 2015 | Dec 1, 2018 | EOL |
| OS X 10.10 Yosemite | Oct 16, 2014 | Aug 1, 2017 | EOL |
| OS X 10.9 Mavericks | Oct 22, 2013 | Dec 1, 2016 | EOL |
| OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion | Jul 25, 2012 | Aug 13, 2015 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.7 Lion | Jul 20, 2011 | Oct 4, 2012 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard | Aug 28, 2009 | Jul 25, 2011 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard | Oct 26, 2007 | Aug 13, 2009 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger | Apr 29, 2005 | Nov 14, 2007 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.3 Panther | Oct 24, 2003 | Apr 15, 2005 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar | Aug 24, 2002 | Oct 3, 2003 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.1 Puma | Sep 25, 2001 | Jun 6, 2002 | EOL |
| Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah | Mar 24, 2001 | Jun 22, 2001 | EOL |
Per-version pages with risk scores: endoflife.ai/macos.
The hardware catch: your Mac's last macOS
macOS releases drop older Macs from their hardware-compatibility list — so many Macs reach a final supported macOS long before the machine dies. A 2017 Intel MacBook that tops out at Ventura crossed into unsupported territory in September 2025 regardless of how well it still runs. With Apple's transition away from Intel complete, Intel Macs as a class are running out of supported macOS versions; if your Mac cannot install Sequoia or later, its security-update era is over.
What "supported" really means at Apple
Two nuances worth knowing. First, Apple ships full security coverage primarily for the newest macOS; the two older supported versions receive most, but historically not all, fixes. Second, Apple occasionally back-ports emergency patches to nominally dead versions when a flaw is being actively exploited — welcome, but unpredictable, and no substitute for a supported OS. Neither nuance changes the practical rule: current-or-two-back is safe, anything older is not.
If you're on an EOL macOS
- Check upgrade eligibility (System Settings → General → Software Update): many Macs on Sonoma, Ventura or Monterey can move to Sequoia or a newer release free.
- If the hardware can't upgrade: for personal use, plan replacement and limit sensitive activity; browsers keep supporting old macOS a while longer, which softens but doesn't fix the exposure. For fleets, MDM should flag any Mac below macOS 15.
- Check any version in seconds with the EOL Checker, or watch upcoming drops on EOL Watch — the next macOS EOL lands each September.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which macOS versions are still supported in 2026?
macOS 27, macOS 26 Tahoe, and macOS 15 Sequoia. Apple's consistent (though unpublished) practice is to ship security updates for the current release and the two before it. macOS 14 Sonoma fell out of support on September 14, 2026, when macOS 27 shipped; macOS 13 Ventura did the same on September 15, 2025.
When did macOS Ventura reach end of life?
September 15, 2025 — the day macOS 26 Tahoe shipped and Ventura became the third-oldest release, exiting Apple's security-update window.
Does Apple publish official macOS end-of-life dates?
No. Apple publishes no lifecycle calendar for macOS. End-of-life dates are derived from when Apple actually stops shipping security updates for a release — which reliably follows the current-plus-two-versions pattern each September. endoflife.ai labels these derived dates openly as part of its accuracy methodology.
Is it safe to keep using a Mac on an end-of-life macOS?
Risk accumulates with every macOS security bulletin your version misses. The Mac keeps working, and browsers stay updated a while longer, but OS-level flaws — including actively exploited ones — remain permanently unpatched. If the hardware supports a newer macOS, upgrade; if it doesn't, plan replacement and avoid sensitive use in the meantime.