Right on schedule with the changing of the seasons, today Apple will be releasing macOS Tahoe. This is macOS 26, and if you’re currently on macOS 15 Sequoia, don’t worry — you haven’t missed the last 11 release cycles.
Beginning with this series of releases, Apple is making their version numbers align with the upcoming year. Like a shiny new car that’s released months in advance of the actual annual calendar change, this operating system for Mac — as well as iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS — will be known as version 26.
Most people, understandably, care less about the version number and the California landmark (or, in earlier days, type of feline) that the OS is known by, and more about whether their favorite software will be compatible with the OS, what new features it brings, and, crucially, if it will even run on their computer.
So, let’s address those items here, in reverse order.
Compatibility
The most important item of note is that, if you’re still using an Intel-based Mac — and not the newer Apple silicon-based computers — macOS Tahoe is the very last major OS update that you’ll be able to squeeze out of your machine. Already, you’ve likely found that certain features in recent operating systems don’t work with Intel-based Macs, but if you’ve managed to still get good use out of your Intel Mac and keep it updated nonetheless, be advised that Tahoe is the end of the road.
Any Mac with Apple silicon (M1 and higher) can run Tahoe.
Here is the list of Tahoe-supported Macs:
- MacBook Air with Apple silicon: 2020 and later
- MacBook Pro with Apple silicon: 2020 and later
- MacBook Pro with Intel: 16-inch, 2019; 13-inch, 2020, four Thunderbolt 3 ports
- iMac with Apple silicon or Intel: 2020 and later
- Mac mini with Apple silicon: 2020 and later
- Mac Studio with Apple silicon: 2022 and later
- Mac Pro with Apple silicon or Intel: 2019 and later
What’s new
Fun fact: Real glass is an amorphous solid. But “Liquid Glass” is Apple’s term for its new design across all of the version 26 OSs, with a transparent menu bar, apps with sidebars and toolbars that reflect and refract what you’re viewing, and icons that can be personalized. Ooh.
The Control Center is more customizable than before, too.
Folder colors and icons can be customized, which is useful regardless of whether you’re sitting at a desk in front of your Mac, or showing them off in a wide open field outside of Apple’s headquarters.
With Live Translation, Apple devices will automatically translate text in Messages, follow along with live-translated captions in FaceTime calls, or listen to a real-time audio transcription spoken aloud in the Phone app. This happens entirely on-device, so that intensely personal conversations — like weekend dinner plans that you dare to make — stay private.
Spotlight is more powerful and co-opts more features from third-party launch bar apps, such as allowing you to do things like send a message, create an event, run a shortcut, locate recent or suggested files, discover actions you can take, and view your clipboard history.
Rounding out Tahoe is the presence of Apple Intelligence in more areas such as the Shortcuts app, Genmoji, and Image Playground; continuity across Apple devices for things like Live Activities and a Phone app directly on the Mac; a Games app for the Mac; screening tools for Messages; and more.
Proceed with caution
Apple’s pro apps like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro can be expected to be Tahoe-ready from day one. But if you have third-party plug-ins and sound libraries that you use in these or indeed any of your music notation software, you’ll want to check to make sure that all of the ones that you use are supported as well.
We don’t expect any issues with users of music notation software upgrading from Sequoia to Tahoe, as long as you are running the latest version of your application of choice (consult our Scoring Notes Product Guide to make sure that you’re staying current).
As always, though, caution is advised, especially if you use other applications, virtual instruments, plug-ins, or hardware in conjunction with your music notation software. Unless you really need to be on the bleeding edge — and suffer the corresponding cuts and bruises to your workflow — it’s best to wait to move to Tahoe until your favorite applications are officially supported and time-tested.
To that end, the fine folks at Sweetwater maintain a comprehensive compatibility guide for many pro audio and music products. So in addition to your favorite site, which is surely Scoring Notes, do bookmark the Sweetwater macOS Tahoe compatibility guide for a running tally of information about a huge number of software applications and hardware, as well as links to the relevant first-party sites.
And, as ever, on the Scoring Notes podcast, we have a few time-tested tips and strategies to follow when it comes time to click that big button, whether it’s the one that says upgrade your operating system or the one that debits your bank account and results in a brand-new computer, and the steps you should take to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible.
If you’re using any of these products with Tahoe, you are very welcome to share your experience in the comments section, particularly any Finale users that have decided to live on the wild side.
Updated September 25, 2025 with news and a link about official Sibelius support for Tahoe and other Apple v26 OSs.
Updated September 23, 2025 with a link to the official PreSonus compatibility page for their products on Tahoe.
Updated September 17, 2025 with a link to the official Steinberg compatibility page for their products on Tahoe.
Updated September 15, 2025: Initial post.
Note: The official Tahoe status will not say “Supported” unless the developer has fully and officially qualified its software to run on that version of macOS.
We’ll continue to update this post as warranted.
Sibelius
Official Tahoe status: Supported
Official Apple Silicon status: Supported (Universal)
On September 25, 2025, in a statement Avid announced full support for Sibelius 2025.8 on macOS Tahoe, iOS 26, and iPadOS 26, including support for iPadOS’s new windowing features:
“We’re pleased to announce that Sibelius v2025.8 is fully compatible with Apple’s latest operating systems: macOS Tahoe, iOS 26, and iPadOS 26.
This seamless compatibility is a testament to the health and resilience of the Sibelius codebase. Sibelius continues to deliver a robust and stable experience across devices.
Thanks to years of supporting a wide range of screen sizes on iOS and iPadOS, Sibelius adapts effortlessly with the new Stage Manager and enhanced window management features introduced in iPadOS 26.”
You’ll want to bookmark the operating system compatibility chart for all versions of Sibelius (going back to 1.4!), and periodically refer to it when it is updated. There is also the comprehensive chart of all Avid products and their compatibility with several of the latest macOS systems and chipsets, as well as iOS and iPadOS.
Further, there is this article stating the minimum requirements for Sibelius.
Sibelius was made a universal binary application, allowing it to run in Apple Silicon native mode, with the 2024.6 update in June 2024. Earlier versions of Sibelius run under Rosetta 2 on Apple silicon.
Dorico
Official Tahoe status: Supported
Official Apple Silicon status: Supported (Universal)
Steinberg’s Daniel Spreadbury provided the following information directly to Scoring Notes:
“Dorico 6.0.22 is officially supported on macOS 26 Tahoe. We are not aware of any problems specific to the new operating system.
Dorico for iPad is not yet fully compatible with the new windowing features in iPadOS 26, but provided you continue to use the app in full screen mode, you should not encounter any new problems on the new operating system.
Both Dorico 6 and Dorico for iPad will receive free updates later in the autumn, and additional support for the windowing features in iPadOS 26 are planned to arrive then.”
As for the rest of Steinberg’s products, the official word as of September 16, 2025 is to wait: “If you rely on the smooth operation of your Steinberg software and hardware, we advise against updating to macOS Tahoe for now,” says the advice on this page, which will be updated with a compatibility list for relevant Steinberg products.
For complete information about Dorico and all of Steinberg’s products, consult the official Steinberg help center, and for system requirements for all of Steinberg’s products, consult this page.
MuseScore Studio
Official Tahoe status: Supported
Official Apple Silicon status: Supported (Universal)
MuseScore Studio’s product owner, Bradley Kunda, told Scoring Notes that the forthcoming MuseScore Studio 4.6 release, scheduled for later in September, will be compatible with macOS 26 Tahoe.
MuseScore Studio 4.6 is set to include a number of improvements to playback, engraving, guitar features, and general workflow, with full SMuFL font support and integration with the in-development Cantai AI vocal instrument among the highlights.
MuseScore Studio was made a universal binary application, allowing it to run in Apple Silicon native mode, with the 4.4 update in August 2024. Earlier versions of MuseScore Studio run under Rosetta 2 on Apple silicon.
Notion
Official Tahoe status: Supported
Official Apple Silicon status: Desktop – Supported under Rosetta 2; Mobile – Supported (Universal)
Notion Mobile 3.5.1 and Notion (Desktop) 6.8.2 (via Rosetta 2) are listed as “Supported PreSonus Software” at this official PreSonus page, which provides a full list of supported and unsupported software and hardware products with macOS 26 Tahoe.
Notion Mobile (the cross-platform application) was recently updated to version 3.5, and is supported natively with Apple laptop and desktop computers running 12.4 Monterey or later, and iPhones, iPads and iPods running iOS15 / iPadOS15 or later.
Finale
Official Tahoe status: Not supported
Official Apple Silicon status: Supported (Universal) at the time the product was discontinued; support no longer available
On August 26, 2024, MakeMusic announced that it would cease development of Finale, its flagship desktop application for music notation, and will no longer sell it directly or allow it to be sold via resellers. Official support from MakeMusic for Finale ended on August 25, 2025, and thus no version of Finale is officially supported on any operating system anymore.
On November 29, 2023, MakeMusic released Finale v27.4, which brought official support for macOS Sonoma, as well as addressing other bugs and fixes. Subsequent to the November 29, 2023 release of v27.4, on December 12, 2023 MakeMusic released Finale v27.4.1, a hot fix update to address several issues in the v27.4 release. This was the very last version of Finale.
About that update, and earlier versions of Finale, MakeMusic said:
“This update brings support for macOS Sonoma, making Finale v27.4 the only version of Finale compatible with the latest operating system from Apple. Please note that while older versions of Finale may continue to work on Sonoma, we cannot guarantee satisfactory performance.”
For more information about using Finale as an unsupported application on your Mac, please consult the following Scoring Notes articles:
- Finale’s twilight zone: Ensuring a smooth ride into the sunset
- Using Finale in the unsupported era
- Leaving Finale behind
Finale v27.4 is a universal binary application, allowing it to run in Apple Silicon native mode.
For the latest information about compatibility for Sibelius, Dorico, and MuseScore Studio, as well as links to the latest news and reviews about product releases, please see the Scoring Notes Product Guide.
David Toub
I’ve been using Tahoe for some time now as part of the Appleseed program. When I did have to go back to Finale from Dorico to adjust some older scores (pre-Sept 2024), the Stop button on the playback window did not work, and that’s been confirmed by others. Fortunately, the Space bar still works to stop playback.
But I’ve also had a lot of glitches, beyond the usual unexpected Finale glitches, and I’m not entirely sure this is due to Tahoe. Even after totally uninstalling Finale and every associated file (confirmed with EasyFind by searching everywhere for “Finale”-it was all gone) and then reinstalling 27.4, the Expressions tool doesn’t work if I double-click on a note; I have to click and drag to get the dialog box with various expressions from which to choose. Even worse, the Smart Shapes tool is only capable of inserting one smart shape of the app’s choice (usually it’s a slur). No way to draw a hairpin or anything else.
Fortunately, I made sure I had good audio files of every score and they are all essentially finalized, and other than an occasional minor tweak (like combining two eighth rests into a quarter rest, which Finale didn’t do automatically), I shouldn’t need to do anything further with Finale. But one older score for strings, for which I wanted to improve the audio file, was an abortive effort after several days. Balances were all off, dynamics were not functioning consistently, tweaks to note velocities with the antiquated MIDI Tool sometimes worked, sometimes not. The output was never going to be acceptable, despite a lot of creative workarounds I tried. So I am really glad I moved on away from Finale since last September, since it’s not like anything is going to be fixed, of course (and to be fair, it wasn’t getting fixed for the past 2-5 years anyway).
Jesse Ayers
I have a 2021 Macbook Pro, M1 Pro chip, running Monterey (12.6). About the only app I use, other than browsers, is Sibelius (kept updated to the latest version) with Note Performer 4, with an external portrait monitor.. Over the years I’ve had my share of issues updating to a new OS, so I am gun-shy about updating. (Why take the risk?)
Is there any substantive advantage for me to update, if not to Tahoe, at least to Sequoia, as far as Sibelius performance is concerned. (I work on large orchestral and symphonic band scores). I do not care a bit about the bells & whistles of a new OS, but if a newer OS would add features or speed to Sibelius, I would like to know. But I will say that I seem to have plenty of processing power for even a large score with 55 staves.
Is Note Performer 4 compatible with Sequoia and or Tahoe?
Philip Rothman
From a Sibelius performance standpoint, it’s unlikely Monterey to Sequoia would provide much difference. That said, I’ve been running Sequoia (15) on my M1 Max Mac Studio for most of the time it’s been out, with no apparent issues. Monterey is getting long in the tooth and these days it is generally better to keep up to date with OS and software updates, other than the bleeding edge. You never know when a software update will come and a developer will drop support for the older OSs. In fact, Apple itself no longer supports Monterey (12) or Ventura (13) for that matter (Apple typically supports the latest operating system plus the two preceding versions), so I would say it is riskier to keep using those OSs than it is to update.
NotePerformer is compatible with Sequoia, and probably Tahoe.
Jesse
Thank you, Philip