Second macOS Sonoma Public Beta and Revised Developer Beta Now Available

Apple today provided the second beta of the upcoming macOS Sonoma update to its public beta testing group, allowing non-developers to test the new operating system ahead of its fall launch. The new beta comes a little over two weeks after Apple released the first beta.

In addition to the new public beta, Apple has also released a revised version of the fourth developer beta, presumably to address issues that were resulting in installation problems for some users following last week’s developer release.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 14 Sonoma update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after signing up on Apple’s beta testing website and opting into the public beta under the Beta Updates section.

‌macOS Sonoma‌ introduces interactive widgets for the desktop, making widgets more useful and more prominent. You can even use your iPhone widgets on your Mac’s desktop through a new Continuity feature.

There are updated screensavers that are similar to the high-resolution animated screensavers available on the Apple TV, and for video calls and presenting, there’s a Presenter Overlay option that lets you move, walk, and talk in front of content you’re sharing from your Mac.

Safari supports web apps so you can add your favorite websites to your Dock, plus there are new Profiles to separate your work browsing and personal browsing. iCloud Keychain supports sharing passwords with others, and private browsing windows are locked when they are not in use.

Enhanced AutoFill is available for PDFs so you can quickly fill in information like names, addresses, and emails, plus users can collaborate on PDFs and see real-time updates through the Notes app.

For more on what’s new in ‌macOS Sonoma‌, including a new Game mode, we have a detailed macOS Sonoma roundup that highlights all of the features in the update.