Following the release of the iOS 11 public beta this week, Apple Inc. has announced the availability of the public beta of macOS High Sierra.

In macOS High Sierra, Mac users may find it difficult to get excited about the latest operating system due to its lack of consumer-facing changes. Most of the changes for macOS Sierra can’t be seen, but will prepare the Mac for bigger changes in the future.

The public beta for macOS High Sierra is available now, but as it isn’t the final version you could run into some bugs and issues. Considering the lack of consumer-facing changes, you may want to wait for the stable version of the OS that will be available this fall.

If you can’t wait until September to try it out, here’s a look at how to download and install macOS High Sierra, plus some of the new features:

Download and install macOS High Sierra

Any Macs that are able to run macOS Sierra will be able to run the latest High Sierra version, but as this isn’t a final version it’s advised that you install the public beta on a Mac you don’t use daily.

Make a backup of your Mac

Things can go wrong so before you download the public beta make sure you make a backup of your Mac using Time Machine, Apple’s native backup solution.

Enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program

If you have not enrolled before, you will need to sign up for the free Apple Beta Software Program to download the macOS High Sierra public beta.

On your Mac, go to the Apple Beta Software Program > click the Sign up button > enter your Apple ID details > click Sign in > agree to the terms and conditions. Select the Mac tab on the Guide for Public Betas screen > under the “Get Started” section, tap enroll your device.

Download and install macOS High Sierra

In the same “Get Started” section, click the profile button under “Download macOS High Sierra public beta access utility” > open the downloaded file > double-click the package to run the installer.

Once the installer has completed the download, the Mac App Store will open automatically > click “Update” on the Updates screen. When the download is complete, your Mac will restart automatically.

Upon restart the macOS High Sierra installer will open automatically (or can be accessed from your Applications folder) > click Continue at the bottom of the installer > a prompt will remind you to backup your Mac > click Continue (or Cancel if you haven’t done the backup yet) > agree to the terms and conditions > click Agree to confirm > select the drive where you want to install the beta > click Install > enter your password > click OK > click Restart.

New features you can see

The Photos app has received the biggest overhaul in macOS High Sierra and includes a persistent, customizable sidebar. Photos can now be viewed based on media type and the app now supports GIFs. The Photos app now offers a wider selection of editing tools and built-in filters have been made more natural. If you use editing programs like Photoshop or Pixelmator, you will now be able to access these programs directly through the Photos app.

Depending on the settings you choose, videos will no longer autoplay in Safari. The browser will also use machine learning for its Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which will remove cross-site tracking and eliminate things like advertising cookies.

The Mail app will compress all your messages and save you up to 35 percent space on your Mac. The app also gets an improved search with customized “Top Hits” suggestions, which uses reading frequency, favorite status and how often the person emails you to prioritize messages.

Other updates in the OS include the same Siri features rolling out in iOS 11; new Touch Bar tricks like double tapping the volume button to mute the audio; the ability to pin Notes; flight tracking in Spotlight and more.

New features you can’t see

The Apple File System rolled out to iOS devices earlier this year with iOS 10.3 and now it’s Mac’s turn to get the new system, which is optimized for the flash / SSD storage in most Macs. The benefits of APFS include freed up storage, faster file directory sizing, cloning of files and folders when copied and more.

Apple has added support for HEVC (H.265) to High Sierra, which allows video streaming and playback of 4K content, but with 40 percent smaller files sizes compared to H.264 videos.  

In spring 2018, according to Apple, supported Mac owners will be able to connect external graphics cards over Thunderbolt 3, allowing them to boost the gaming power of their device. There will also eventually be support for virtual reality.  

Image: Apple