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Release record

macOS 10.13

High Sierra

Full article
Public release
Recorded milestones
11
Beta cycle
112d
Average interval
11d
Public release
Sep 25, 2017

Release notes

Overview

Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.

Release overview

macOS High Sierra 10.13 became publicly available on September 25, 2017. The release paired foundational storage, video, graphics, machine-learning, and virtual-reality technologies with substantial Photos, Safari, Siri, Touch Bar, Notes, Spotlight, and security work.[1][2][3]

Evidence boundary

This article describes the initial 10.13 release only. Apple's current security page notes that newly downloaded 10.13 installers can include the later Supplemental Update, so fixes first shipped on October 5 are not treated as September 25 launch changes.[4][5]

Source ledger

References

Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.

  1. Apple security updates (2016 to 2017)

    Apple Support · Apple · 2023-11-06T00:00:00.000Z · macOS High Sierra 10.13 — 25 Sep 2017

    Back to text ↑
  2. About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13

    Apple Support · Apple · 2017-09-25T00:00:00.000Z · Released September 25, 2017

    Back to text ↑
  3. macOS High Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2017-09-25T00:00:00.000Z · September 25, 2017 availability; New features

    Back to text ↑
  4. Apple security updates (2016 to 2017)

    Apple Support · Apple · 2023-11-06T00:00:00.000Z · macOS High Sierra 10.13 Supplemental Update — 5 Oct 2017

    Back to text ↑
  5. About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13

    Apple Support · Apple · 2017-09-25T00:00:00.000Z · macOS High Sierra 10.13; current-download note

    Back to text ↑
  6. macOS High Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2017-09-25T00:00:00.000Z · September 25, 2017; Pricing and Availability

Documented & observed

Changes in this version

Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.

Release changes

Changed in this release

Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.

security · introduced

Intelligent Tracking Prevention

documentedconfirmed

The browser identified and restricted cookies and related data used to follow users across sites, adding a privacy boundary to ordinary browsing.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Additional app refinements — Safari

feature · introduced

Safari autoplay controls and automatic Reader

documentedconfirmed

High Sierra gave users more control over disruptive playback and let the browser consistently present compatible articles in a simplified reading view.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Additional app refinements — Safari

feature · introduced

Apple File System on all-flash internal storage

documentedconfirmed

The new storage architecture made operations such as copying files and directories nearly instantaneous and added protections against power-loss or crash-related corruption. Fusion Drive and hard-drive support was deferred.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Apple File System (APFS)

developerApi · introduced

Core ML framework

documentedconfirmed

The framework used Metal and Accelerate for computer vision, natural-language, and neural-network workloads while keeping inference processing on the device.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Core ML

developerApi · changed

Metal 2 and external GPU foundations

documentedconfirmed

The release advanced Apple's GPU framework and established a path for demanding workflows to use external graphics hardware on supported Macs.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Metal 2

enhancement · changed

Photos organization and editing redesign

documentedconfirmed

The app's interface and editing workflow were expanded to make library navigation more direct and to support finer tonal and color adjustments.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Photos Update

feature · introduced

HEVC video support

documentedconfirmed

Apple described HEVC as reducing storage requirements relative to H.264 while enabling higher-quality streaming; hardware acceleration depended on newer Mac hardware.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) Support

enhancement · changed

More natural Siri voice and Apple Music knowledge

documentedconfirmed

The assistant's spoken output and Apple Music interactions were expanded for more personalized playback requests.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Additional app refinements — Siri

security · fixed

High Sierra 10.13 security baseline

documentedconfirmed

Apple's living advisory records broad repairs across local, network, file, graphics, identity, kernel, and browser attack surfaces. Later-added advisory entries are represented as part of Apple's current published record, not as proof of launch-day disclosure.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About the security content of macOS High Sierra 10.13 · 802.1X through WebKit; released September 25, 2017

feature · introduced

Live Photos editing and third-party project extensions

documentedconfirmed

Users could apply Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure effects, choose a different key image, edit through supported third-party tools, and create printed or published projects from Photos.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Photos Update

developerApi · introduced

Virtual-reality content creation

documentedconfirmed

Apple established VR authoring support and described ecosystem work with Valve, Unity, Epic, and professional video tools, while identifying some integrations as later arrivals.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Virtual Reality Support

enhancement · changed

Expanded Touch Bar controls

documentedconfirmed

Supported MacBook Pro models gained a broader set of persistent controls and richer editing or playback interactions on the Touch Bar.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Additional app refinements — Touch Bar

feature · introduced

Flight status in Spotlight

documentedconfirmed

System search could surface a compact operational view of a flight without requiring a separate travel app or web search.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] macOS High Sierra now available as a free update · Additional app refinements — Spotlight

Milestones

Release history

Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.

  2. +16 days
  3. +19 days
  4. +14 days
  5. +14 days
  6. +7 days
  7. +7 days
  8. +7 days
  9. +4 days
  10. +13 days
  11. +11 days

    Public release

    Public

    Full articleEditorially verified

    macOS High Sierra 10.13 reached the public channel on September 25, 2017 with new storage, media, graphics, machine-learning, virtual-reality, app, browser, productivity, and security capabilities.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    19 linked
    Open this appearance

Historical context

Cycle comparison

Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.

Cycle vs. platform average

112d (avg: 103d)

9 days longer than the macOS average

Duration ranking

#12 of 27

Middle of the pack macOS beta cycles

Longest gap in this cycle

19 days

Between Beta 2 and Beta 3

Official release notes