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Installing macOS Sonoma Beta on OakHost

With each release of a new macOS version, many want to test out the new features and check whether their applications still work on the new platform.

Of course, when testing beta software, there's always the risk of applications or workflows breaking. Therefore, it is advised to not install any beta version on your productive machine. If there's no other device available to test the new macOS release on, OakHost comes in handy with its dedicated Mac minis hosted in the cloud, so you don't need any additional hardware for testing.

All Macs hosted by OakHost always come with the latest official release of macOS pre-installed. This is to ensure that our customers always have the best possible experience. However, if you want to install the macOS Sonoma beta by yourself, you are free to do so. Our Macs are fully unlocked, so there's nothing stopping you on installing a beta version. Please note however, that we cannot provide support for beta versions.

Installing macOS Sonoma Beta#

Depending on whether there is already a public beta available yet or only a developer beta available at the moment, the installation differs slightly. To get you covered both ways, we will include both installation procedures in this article. Just choose the one that applies to you.

Installing the macOS Sonoma Developer Beta#

Prerequirement: In order to get access to the Developer Beta, you need to be enrolled with the Apple Developer Program. You can find more information about it on the Apple website.

  1. Once enrolled, access the download page and download the "macOS Developer Beta Access Utility" onto the device you want to install the beta software on.
  2. Open the application and follow the instructions on screen.
  3. After completion, you will be able to download macOS Sonoma from the App Store. Click the download button to start the installation process. When using OakHost, make sure to connect to your Mac via KVM in order to observe the installation process.

Upcoming beta releases will be available throgh the regular Software Update panel in the System Settings.

Installing the macOS Sonoma Public Beta#

Prerequirement: To check whether a public beta for macOS Sonoma is available yet, head to the Apple Beta Software Program website.

  1. Head to the aforementioned website on the Mac that you would like to install the beta on, click on "enroll your Mac" and download the "macOS Public Beta Access Utility".
  2. Open the application and follow the instructions on screen.
  3. After completion, you will be able to download macOS Sonoma onto your device. When using OakHost, make sure to connect to your Mac via KVM in order to observe the installation process.

Upcoming beta releases will be available throgh the regular Software Update panel in the System Settings.

Troubleshooting and Rolling Back#

Since beta versions aren't always perfect, things may go wrong during the process. Fortunately, OakHost offers full remote access through our bespoke KVM solution, which allows you to boot your device into recovery mode quite easily. From there, you should be able to reset your Mac in any case.

Read more about how to enter recovery mode with OakHost.