MacOs Tahoe, MacOS 26

[moordavidphoto]

Has anyone tried Mac OS 26 RC? Are Lightroom, Photoshop, and the Creative Cloud app now compatible with Mac OS 26? I've never updated a Mac major version since I switched to MAC, so I don't know if it's worth waiting for it to work reliably and stably, or if I can just go straight to the new system on September 15th. Thank you in advance for your answers.

[AxelMatt]

Has anyone tried Mac OS 26 RC? Are Lightroom, Photoshop, and the Creative Cloud app now compatible with Mac OS 26? ...

By @moordavidphoto

I think Adobe applications are running on MacOS 26, but I doubt if it's running without any issues. 

..., so I don't know if it's worth waiting for it to work reliably and stably, or if I can just go straight to the new system on September 15th. Thank you in advance for your answers.

By @moordavidphoto

I would never update immediately after a new operating system version is released. It usually takes one or two updates until it runs reasonably smoothly. Especially you're using your system for your business.

[ExUSA]

I used to work for Apple and IS&T usually updated everything on release day. FWIW.

[Conrad_C · Accepted solution]

A good thing to do is bookmark the Adobe compatibility article link below, and check on it until it’s updated to cover macOS 26 Tahoe. It lists the last few versions of macOS, indicates which versions of Creative Cloud apps are claimed to be compatible, and any known issues. The Known Issues column is pretty quiet now, but when macOS 15 was first released there were a lot more items in there.

Adobe apps compatibility with macOS

In addition, Adobe may post an article specifically about macOS 26 alone, similar to the one below that they posted for macOS 15 Sequoia:

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/download-install/kb/macos-sequoia-compatibility-common-issues.html

Those articles may or may not be updated on the day macOS 26 is released. Realistically it may take a few days or even weeks. This is because Adobe is like a lot of software companies in that they tend not to declare compatibility until they have had time to test with the final .0 release of a major new macOS upgrade. They often won’t declare compatibility based on beta OS test versions because even though all major software companies test their software on those, in the past some did claim compatibility early but ended up burned by new OS bugs that turned up in the .0 release that were not in the last test version and broke the software.

Every time there is a major OS upgrade, if you have workflows that you can’t afford to have new software break, the best thing to do is not upgrade until you have seen compatibility statements from all of the companies making all of the software you use. That includes the companies who made your accessories, like printers or other special hardware that depend on device drivers that must be compatible with macOS 26 too. If you need absolute certainty for your specific combination of software and hardware, create a test macOS 26 system to boot from (such as on an external SSD) and test out everything that needs to work, before installing macOS 26 on your production Mac.

I usually wait several months before upgrading, and that means everything keeps working. By the time I get around to upgrading, all the software and drivers I use have had time to iron out any bugs related to the new OS.

[I edited this reply a few days after originally posting it, to add a better link about macOS compatibility]

[moordavidphoto]

Thanks for the useful advice and the link, I'll wait and watch for reactions.

[ExUSA]

Most showstopper bugs are found and addressed in the beta period. Having said that, I'll probably wait a short time before updating my production machines at home and work. I've been running the Tahoe beta on my M3 MacBook Air without problems and haven't seen reports of major issues online. 

[Bertd]

No not tried yet but according to the experience with Sequia it will take several months that they wave the green flag. Although 2 months is acceptable so hopefully Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign will run smoothly very soon.

[Doggedjunta]

I dear you not to update to that macOS Tahoe 26. It is not compatible with adobe applications and takes so much time just to zoom or select a tool. It slows down everything including the adobe applications and the fan turn so loud that it can even wake your neighbours from sleep. 

[Enlightened_build5CD5]

Hey,

which Macbook model you use? 

[moordavidphoto]

M4max 64g ram 4T ssd 16’

>From my iphone

[helpful_parent4032]

I use the MBP M2 Pro 16gb and it's completely unsable for me. Photoshop and Illustrator using 100% of GPU just by opening the softwares, the fans are going crazy and it's very laggy. Making impossible to work without stress. I regret updating and should've waited for a little longer. Definitely not recommend to update to MacOS 26 just yet. 

[Jostify]

The fan? Are you running an old Intel Mac? It takes a lot to start the fan on a silicion MacBook Pro. On MacBook Air there are no fans at all. 

[helpful_parent4032]

There are fans on every Mac, even on Apple Sillicon. You just dont hear it. But since the MacOS 26 came poorly optimized, the fans are working like crazy. 

[yellowdogparty]

You don't hear it because there isn't one. He is correct. No Macbook Air has a fan. They literally list "fanless design" as a selling point.

[ExUSA]

After an OS upgrade, its common for Spotlight to rebuild its index and that often uses considerable CPU and drive activity. This will settle down after a few hours. And MacBook Air computers don't have fans.

[kevinz91]

I would not recommend updating to macOS 26 right now. Since the update, Lightroom has become extremely slow.
I’m on a MacBook Pro M3 Pro with 32 GB RAM, and I can rule out other causes — everything was running fast and smooth before the update.

[ExUSA]

I updated my M1 mini last night and Lightroom Classic/Photoshop seem to be working normally, no problems.

[silkroadd]

is after effects 24 also compatible with macos 26? 

[ExUSA]

Test it and find out?

[Conrad_C]

is after effects 24 also compatible with macos 26? 

By @silkroadd

Adobe has not yet updated the page below with information about macOS 26, so the Adobe statement about After Effects on that page only goes as far as macOS 15 for now. We’ll have to wait and see.

https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/apps/system-requirements/apps-compatible-macos.html

[helpful_parent4032]

I use the MBP M2 Pro 16gb and it's completely unsable for me too. Before the update was running smooth, so i definitely not recommend to update to MacOS 26 to everyone who hasn't done yet.

[ExUSA]

One caveat if you have a Wacom tablet. The latest tablet driver 6.4.10-3 is having issues, Wacom recommends installing the previous 6.4.9-2 driver version. I ran into this on my Intel MacBook Pro but I didn't see the issue on M1 and M3 Macs in very limited testing.

[rudolfl27731976]

Thank you ExUSA. 
Today I upgraded to MacOS 26.0, Lightroom and Photoshop worked fine, until I saw your suggestion : indeed, Wacom tablet not working properly.  Removed old driver and software, installed 6.4.9-2 and everything is fine now. 

Upgrading the OS is always a risk ..... 

[ExUSA]

https://support.wacom.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/34963436253207-Wacom-Center-unable-to-synchronize...

[rudolfl27731976]

ExUSA, thanks !