How to update Safari on a Mac (it comes with macOS)

Check which Safari you have

Open Safari and choose Safari › About Safari in the menu bar. On our MacBook Pro with macOS 27.0.1, it shows Safari 27.0.1. To read it without opening Safari, this Terminal command only reads:

defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString

It printed 27.0.1. One detail explains why Safari behaves differently from other apps: on our Mac, /Applications/Safari.app is a link to a copy inside /System/Cryptexes, a protected part of macOS, rather than an ordinary app. That's why you can't drag it to the Trash or reinstall it, and why only Apple's Software Update changes it.

Update Safari with Software Update

Apple's own article on Safari says it's included with the operating system, and that you get a later version by installing the latest updates for your device (Apple, Update to the latest version of Safari). The steps, the same on macOS 15, 26 and 27 (Apple, Update macOS on Mac):

1. Save your work and quit Safari.
2. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click General, then Software Update. It checks for updates by itself; to check again, click Check for Updates or press Command-R.
3. Click the button to install, such as Update Now or Restart Now, and enter your administrator password.
4. Let it finish. Apple says not to let the Mac sleep or close its lid during installation; it may restart and show a progress bar or a blank screen more than once.

How Safari arrives depends on your version:

• macOS 27: Safari comes inside macOS updates. Our Mac's update history lists macOS 27.0.1 and no separate Safari item, and Safari moved to 27.0.1 with it.
• macOS 15 and 26: new Safari versions also arrive as a separate Safari update. Apple's security notes for Safari 27 list it as available for macOS Sequoia and macOS Tahoe (Apple, About the security content of Safari 27).

Software Update shows only what's compatible with your Mac, and says your Mac is up to date when there's nothing to install.

Newest Safari, without the newest macOS

If you're on macOS 15 or 26 and not ready for macOS 27, Software Update can offer both the upgrade to macOS 27 and smaller updates for the version you have. Apple distinguishes the two: a minor update stays within your version (26 to 26.4, in Apple's example), while a major update moves you to a new one (26 to 27). Install the updates for your current version, Safari included, and leave the upgrade for when it suits you.

To be certain you're installing only Safari, Terminal can do it. First list what's available; this needs no administrator password and changes nothing:

softwareupdate -l

On our up-to-date Mac it printed No new software available. If a Safari update is listed, install just that:

softwareupdate --install --safari-only

The --safari-only option is in the tool's manual page on macOS 27.0.1. Installing asks for your administrator password; quit Safari first. If you'd rather avoid Terminal, Software Update in System Settings does the same job.

Is my Mac too old to update?

If it has Apple silicon, no. Apple says macOS 27 is compatible with any Mac with Apple silicon, back to the first M1 models from 2020 (Apple, How to upgrade to macOS 27; compatible models). And Safari 27 also runs on macOS 15 and 26, so staying on either still gets you the current Safari.

Intel-based Macs are a different story: macOS 27 doesn't support them, and only four Intel models run macOS 26 Tahoe (Apple, macOS Tahoe 26 compatibility). A Mac that can't run macOS 15 or later can't get Safari 27, so it falls further behind on security fixes over time. On such a Mac, a browser whose developer still supports that macOS version is the safer choice for everyday browsing.

If the update is stuck or won't install

• It's taking ages. Apple notes that during an update the Apple logo or progress bar can stay much longer than usual, and the bar can pause for long periods. Give it time, ideally with the Mac plugged in (Apple, If your Mac starts up to an Apple logo or progress bar).
• It really has stopped. Apple's next step is to press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds until the Mac turns off, then turn it on again, and to disconnect accessories such as drives and hubs if it still won't finish.
• Not enough space. Software Update says when an update needs more storage. How to check storage on a Mac shows what's using it.
• An error appears. Apple's article for update errors suggests checking the internet connection and, if it keeps failing, installing from macOS Recovery (Apple, If an error occurred while updating or installing macOS).
• Software Update shows nothing new, but Safari looks out of date. Restart and check again; Software Update only offers what's released for your Mac model and macOS version.

Why it's worth keeping Safari current

Safari updates are mostly about security. Apple's notes for Safari 27 list eight fixes, most of them in WebKit, the engine that displays web pages, including one that could have let a malicious website find out which apps you have installed. A browser is the app most exposed to content you didn't choose, which makes it the one to update first. Software Update's automatic options, which Apple says control whether your Mac downloads or installs updates on its own, are the low-effort way to keep up; how to update all your apps covers those settings and everything that isn't Safari.

How Tend helps

Tend's free Updates page lists what Software Update is offering, macOS and Safari included, next to App Store apps (with the free mas tool), Homebrew packages and apps that publish a Sparkle update feed, so one look tells you whether anything is waiting. For Apple's updates it opens Software Update, where macOS installs them. How the Updates page works.

Questions

Related guides

Sources

• Apple, Update to the latest version of Safari
• Apple, Update macOS on Mac (14 September 2026)
• Apple, About the security content of Safari 27 (released 14 September 2026)
• Apple, How to upgrade to macOS 27, macOS 27 compatible computers and macOS Tahoe 26 compatible computers
• Apple, If your Mac starts up to an Apple logo or progress bar and If an error occurred while updating or installing macOS
• Apple, man softwareupdate on macOS 27.0.1; command output and update history from our MacBook Pro (M2 Max), 20 October 2026

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