Apple Seeds macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 Beta to Developers With Security Fixes - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 Beta to Developers With Security Fixes

Apple today seeded a macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.6.

macOS Big Sur Feature Orange
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

According to Apple's release notes, the update "improves the security of macOS." It's not clear why it's being released as a beta rather than to all users, but there's also a developer beta of a security update available for macOS Catalina as well.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
iOS 27 All the New App Features

iOS 27: All the Rumored App Features

Wednesday June 3, 2026 3:48 pm PDT by
Siri is getting a major overhaul in iOS 27, but Apple also has some big updates planned for apps like Camera, Photos, and Wallet. There are multiple new AI features in the works, plus some non-AI upgrades. Camera Apple is moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the Camera app in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg. There will be a Siri mode that will be available alongside...

Top Rated Comments

61 months ago

What is going on isn’t 12 coming soon, what’s the point this in beta
Also not all macs can run Monterey. Despite hater’s assertions, Apple still supports older macs
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
61 months ago

What is going on isn’t 12 coming soon, what’s the point this in beta
Probably a security update.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hombre53 Avatar
61 months ago
Apple still supports Big Sur and Catalina.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
61 months ago

Is it actually available to "download through the Apple Developer Center" or is this blindly copy-pasted from older articles?
It's not on the Apple Developer Center as a full installer or ipsw.

The beta configuration utility is there though and once installed, it will show up in the software update preference pane in big sur (not in monterey). I think you will need 11.6 in order for 11.6.1 to show up because it is a delta not a combo.



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RGPphotog Avatar
61 months ago
FWIW, it was a heavy duty update, requiring a long install & restart process.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
davidjschloss Avatar
61 months ago

What is going on isn’t 12 coming soon, what’s the point this in beta
It's not close to ready. I'm running it on one machine, and it logs itself out every time it goes to sleep, bluetooth shows on but all the devices suddenly disconnect, a bunch of other things.

If this is close to launch it's going to be as stable of a MacOS as iOS 15 is for phones.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)