How to install macOS 12 Monterey public beta on your Mac

Apple released the first public beta of macOS 12 Monterey last week, which means that anyone can now test out the latest macOS. The latest macOS 12 Monterey comes with several new features and improvements. If you’ve been wanting to try out the new software, then you can now install the macOS 12 public beta.

In this article, you’ll learn how to download the macOS 12 Monterey public beta and install it on your Mac.

Also see: macOS Monterey wallpaper variations in light and dark mode

Will my Mac support macOS 12?

If your Mac is listed below, then you can install the macOS 12 public beta and try out the new features.

  • Mac mini 2014 or later
  • MacBook 2015 or later
  • MacBook Pro 2015 or later
  • MacBook Air 2015 or later
  • iMac 2015 or later
  • iMac Pro 2017 or later (all models)
  • Mac Pro 2013 or later

How to get macOS 12 public beta on your Mac

Before installing the macOS 12 public beta on your supported Mac, we would highly recommend that you make a backup using Time Machine. If something goes wrong with the installation, then your data and settings will be safe. Public betas are much safer to install compared to a developer beta, so you hopefully won’t come across any major issues.

To install macOS 12 public beta on your Mac, you’ll first need to download and install the beta profile. Here’s how to do that.

1) Launch Safari on your Mac and head over to beta.apple.com.

2) Sign in using your Apple ID and password.

3) After you sign in, scroll down to Get Started and click on enroll your Mac.

Enroll your Mac

4) In the next page, click on Download the macOS Public Beta Access Utility.

5) Open the downloaded package called macOSPublicBetaAccessUtility.dmg and then click on macOSPublicBetaAccessUtility.pkg to run the installer. 

macOS public beta access package

6) Follow the instructions, agree to Apple’s software license agreement, enter your password or use TouchID, and click Install Software.

Install macOS public beta utility

The installer will recommend to take a Time Machine backup before you start.

Install macOS 12 public beta on Mac

Now, you can get to installing the macOS 12 public beta via Software Update. After installing the beta profile, the Apple Software Update window should appear automatically. If it doesn’t, click on the Apple logo in the Menu Bar, select About this Mac > Software Update. The macOS 12 Monterey public beta should be available for upgrade, and here’s how to install it.

1) Click on the Upgrade button to start the process.

install macOS 12 Monterey public beta

2) Select Continue in the window that appears, and agree to the license agreement.

3) Choose the drive or partition (install the OS on a partition), and click Continue.

4) Enter your Mac password or use TouchID, and finally click on Restart.

Your Mac will now restart and install the macOS 12 public beta on the chosen hard drive or partition. Wait for the Mac to reboot and then enter your Apple password to try out the all new macOS 12 Monterey.

Wrapping up

Before you start downloading the macOS 12 Monterey public beta and installing it on your Macs, we’d like to tell you that this is still beta software. Yes, it should be better than installing the macOS 12 developer beta, but there still might be some bugs. Apple will release the final macOS 12 Monterey software later this fall, and that’s when most of you should get it. However, if you’re itching to try the new software, then this guide will surely help you out.

Also see: How to install iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Public beta on your iPhone or iPad