Apple Seeds First Public Beta of macOS 14.5

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.5 update to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its launch. The public beta comes a day after Apple released the developer beta.

macos sonoma 4
Beta testers can opt-in through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Under Beta updates, simply toggle on the Sonoma Public Beta. Note that you must sign up to participate on Apple's beta testing website.

There were no new features found in the macOS Sonoma 14.5 developer beta, and Apple listed no additions in its release notes. It is likely that the update focuses on bug fixes and other small under-the-hood improvements.

Related Forum: macOS Sonoma

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...
iPhone eSIM Feature

Apple Hints at iPhone 17 Models Lacking SIM Card Slot in More Countries

Sunday August 31, 2025 8:52 am PDT by
Another hint has surfaced that Apple is preparing to eliminate the physical SIM card tray from iPhones in more countries this year. In particular, a source familiar with the matter has informed MacRumors that retail employees at Apple Authorized Resellers in the EU are required to complete a training course related to iPhones with eSIM support by Friday, September 5. There are 27 countries...

Top Rated Comments

vegetassj4 Avatar
19 months ago
And the name of the lead programmer that initiated the seed is Johnny



Thank you, I'll be here all week.[Click to view video attachment]
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac mini power user Avatar
19 months ago
I'm running the developer beta, and it seems to be running smoother on my M1 Pro MBP than the stable releases of either 14.4 or 14.4.1. Safari in particular is snappier, and struggles less with YouTube videos (yes, for once the meme is true).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fhall1 Avatar
19 months ago

14.6 should start security updates mode.
I wouldn't be surprised if we get 14.7 before the security-updates-only start.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
19 months ago
At this point, 14.4 seemed like a real disaster for many people ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/03/18/do-not-update-macos-sonoma-14-4/').
For those who have it, is it better to beta test 14.5 already, or to wait until it's released to public, or to just never install it?

When I joined the Mac community back in 2006, I used to never ever have these questions floating in my head.
I would buy (yes, buy) and install whatever new OS Apple would release and it would basically just work.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fhall1 Avatar
19 months ago

14.5 is very solid, so I would install the Developer of Public Beta, and then switch back to the release version once 14.5 is out. This will probably be the last major version of Sonoma anyways, so switching already makes sense.
I would bet money that 14.5 will not be the last major version of Sonoma.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
19 months ago
It's been running ok the last two days.
Not much on SDK notes as this is a continuation of optimizing/fixing issues.

Comparison of 14.5 beta to previous releases

macOS 14.5 beta (23F5049f)

* Safari Version 17.5 (19618.2.4.11.2)
* System Firmware Version: 10151.120.115.0.4 (M1 based Macs)
* Darwin Kernel Version 23.5.0: Tue Mar 26 20:56:58 PDT 2024; root:xnu-10063.120.88.501.3~2/RELEASE_ARM64_T8103 arm64

macOS 14.4.1 (23E224)

* Safari Version 17.4.1 (19618.1.15.11.14)
* System Firmware Version: 10151.101.3 (M1 based Macs)
* Darwin Kernel Version 23.4.0: Fri Mar 15 00:12:41 PDT 2024; root:xnu-10063.101.17~1/RELEASE_ARM64_T8103 arm64

macOS 14.4 (23E214)

* Safari Version 17.4 (19618.1.15.11.12)
* System Firmware Version: 10151.101.3 (M1 based Macs)
* Darwin Kernel Version 23.4.0: Wed Feb 21 21:44:06 PST 2024; root:xnu-10063.101.15~2/RELEASE_ARM64_T8103 arm64

Apple Music/TV is now 1.4.5.25 from 1.4.4.48
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)