If I order a MacBook Air M4 (2025) now , does it ship with Tahoe ?
I know MacBook Pro M5 is delivered with Tahoe now ( 2026 Jan ). And I know there is noway to downgrade the M5 MacBook to Sequoia.
How about MacBook Air M4? The original OS of MBA M4 is Sequoia.
Does it come with Tahoe now?
If so, Is it possible to downgrade to Sequoia ??
MacBook Air (M4, 2025)
At this point you should assume it ships with Tahoe. You could "get lucky" and receive an M4 MBAir with Sequoia preinstalled ... if there happened still be any in the pipeline ... but it's unlikely direct from Apple ... and you would never know for sure until you bought it, opened it and began installation.
The M4 MacBook Air was released in March 2025. Tahoe was released in September 2025. Apple builds after that date probably have Tahoe preinstalled.
The thing is, even if the M4 MBAir (2025, Mac 16,12 or 16,13) model is technically qualified for Sequoia ... but comes with Tahoe preinstalled ... you would have to complete the Tahoe install and then attempt a downgrade ... but there is no guarantee that once Apple switched over to preinstalling Tahoe that it's even possible to downgrade.
At this point you should assume it ships with Tahoe. You could "get lucky" and receive an M4 MBAir with Sequoia preinstalled ... if there happened still be any in the pipeline ... but it's unlikely direct from Apple ... and you would never know for sure until you bought it, opened it and began installation.
The M4 MacBook Air was released in March 2025. Tahoe was released in September 2025. Apple builds after that date probably have Tahoe preinstalled.
The thing is, even if the M4 MBAir (2025, Mac 16,12 or 16,13) model is technically qualified for Sequoia ... but comes with Tahoe preinstalled ... you would have to complete the Tahoe install and then attempt a downgrade ... but there is no guarantee that once Apple switched over to preinstalling Tahoe that it's even possible to downgrade.
It would likely come with Tahoe since Apple's belief is you should always be running the 'latest and greatest' and they wouldn't want to provide you with something that was outdated.
I don't know about downgrade capabilities. I would think it would be capable of running earlier. Ask Apple. This support article has various country telephone numbers for contacting Apple for support and service ➔ Contact Apple Support - Apple Support For some countries look under “Other” listing at the end of the list. Not every country has telephone support, and phone numbers may only work when calling from the same country.
DETamTam wrote:
If I order a MacBook Air M4 (2025) now , does it ship with Tahoe ?
I know MacBook Pro M5 is delivered with Tahoe now ( 2026 Jan ). And I know there is noway to downgrade the M5 MacBook to Sequoia.
How about MacBook Air M4? The original OS of MBA M4 is Sequoia.
Does it come with Tahoe now?
If so, Is it possible to downgrade to Sequoia ??
What different does it make if the M4 MBA comes with macOS 15 Sequoia or macOS 26 Tahoe ?
Technically, based upon the history of Apple
They offer Security Updates for the 3 latest version of macOS
As it stands right now
Tahoe is in year 1 where as Sequoia is in year 2 and Sonoma is in year 3
Sonoma, by rights, will drop once the Successor to macOS 26 is released sometime this Fall 2026
As for downgrading back to Sequoia ?
User Risk Assessment: macOS Downgrade Procedure
Before initiating any downgrade from macOS 26 (Tahoe) to an earlier version such as macOS Sequoia, assess the user’s tolerance for potential risks.
Primary System Dependency
Determine whether the affected Mac is the user’s primary or only computer.
If the user cannot function without this system for several days in the event of a failed downgrade, the risk level is high.
The downgrade should be postponed or avoided until proper contingency measures are established.
Availability of a Secondary macOS System
Confirm that the user has access to another Apple computer currently running macOS 15 or macOS 26 (Tahoe).
This secondary system must be capable of performing a Revive or Restore operation on the target Mac’s firmware if required.
Lack of a secondary Mac significantly reduces the ability to recover from firmware corruption or boot failures.
Firmware Compatibility and Secure Enclave Risks
Be aware that macOS 26 (Tahoe) likely includes a firmware update affecting the logic board and Secure Enclave Processor (SEP).
Downgrading to an earlier version (e.g., Sequoia) may introduce firmware mismatch issues, leading to instability or loss of functionality.
There have been at least three documented cases where downgrading from Tahoe to Sequoia resulted in Secure Enclave malfunctions, requiring full system restoration or hardware servicing.
Backup Integrity and Recovery Preparedness
Implement the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy:
3 total copies of essential data
2 different backup methods or storage media
1 copy stored offsite (for protection against natural or human-caused disasters)
Each backup should reside on a dedicated, single-purpose external drive.
For enhanced backup and cloning capabilities beyond Time Machine, refer to:
If the user answers NO to any of the above questions:
Downgrading the Mac is not recommended.
Proceeding without proper contingency plans, verified backups, and recovery tools may result in:
Data loss
Firmware corruption
Secure Enclave failure
Complete system inoperability
Hard to follow in what way ?
Links, that would be somewhat difficult
One individual was running Ventura and decided to Dual Boot Tahoe
2 individuals upgraded to Tahoe and later decided to Downgrade back to Sequoia
In all three cases the iBoot Firmware associated with the Secure Enclave became a significant issue thereafter back in Sequoia
Thank you for the reply.
Now I don't even feel like buying MBA M4 at least online.
Right. There is no guarantee that we can safely downgrade.
It might not be a good idea to downgrade from Tahoe to Sequoia.
I might visit a physical apple store to ask for MBA with Sequoia. I don't know if the clerks can tell which box contains Sequoia installed MBA.
DETamTam wrote:
Now I don't even feel like buying MBA M4 at least online.
Right. There is no guarantee that we can safely downgrade.
It might not be a good idea to downgrade from Tahoe to Sequoia.
What is your reason for wanting Sequoia instead of Tahoe? Do you have some specific app that won't run on Tahoe? Do you simply object to Liquid Glass? Some other reason?
Yes. The design is unacceptable.
Some concern about excessive battery drain caused by heavy calculations due to the Liquid Glass physics.
As far as I know, that battery drain issue seems to depends on cases.
What holds me back from using Tahoe is the design. I just wanted it to be simple and minimum.
DETamTam wrote:
Yes. The design is unacceptable.
…
What holds me back from using Tahoe is the design. I just wanted it to be simple and minimum.
Have you actually worked on a computer with macOS 26 Tahoe? If yes, please provide some specifics on your meaning of "design is unacceptable".
I've been a long time user of Apple products and change can be a bit scary, especially reading online users' comments in which some have not actually used the new operating system. For the last 5 years, I was using an Intel MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and recently macOS 15. A few apps now require the M series and some claimed to be incompatible with macOS 26. After pondering for about a year, I finally decided to upgrade and bought upgrades for the claimed incompatible software. I bought a MacBook Pro M4 Pro, which came with Tahoe 26. While setting it up and migrating data from the old MBP, I was pleasantly surprised that I barely noticed the OS differences including liquid glass and the "claimed incompatible software" worked without a hitch. I had grown to like the Touch Bar but prior to that, I liked function keys. And although some users complain about no longer having LaunchBar, for me it is just going back to launching apps previously, i.e., search with the App app or Spotlight.
Battery life is outstanding in that after 3 hours usage, the battery is still at 100%. One evening, I watched a couple of movies (approx. 4 hours) and the battery dropped to a whopping 98%.
If you need a new computer, be open to change as a good.
For whatever it is worth, I bought an M4 MacBook Air on Black Friday in November, and yes it came with Sequoia.
I had to update to Tahoe to use my backup.
Yes,. it is possible to find an M4 MacBook Air with Sequoia at this point, though it will only get progressively harder as older stock that shipped with Sequoia and is currently in stock get's sold off, and newer stock shipping with Tahoe takes its place.
At this point I'd still say it's fairly probable to get one with Sequoia though not 100% certain.
With that said, my M4 MacBook Air on Tahoe does not seem to have any battery drain issues. But of course, your mileage may vary.
You can of course reduce the Liquid Glass transparency effects if you want by going to Settings ➜ Accessibility ➜ Display ➜ Reduce Transparency and Settings ➜ Appearance ➜ Liquid Glass ➜ Tinted instead of Glass.
That post is a bit hard to follow.
You say there are at least 3 documented cases of firmware issues. Can you provide links to those please.
Thank you for the reply.
I didn't know Apple still offers Telephone support.
Luckily they have a number for Japan.
MacBook Air M4(2025): Pre-installed with Tahoe or Sequoia in 2026?
