macOS 26.0 Tahoe Build 25A354 Incompatibility with Mac Studio M3 Ultra If you own a Mac Studio M3 Ultra, upgrading to macOS 26.0 Tahoe (build 25A354) is currently not possible. Users attempting to upgrade from macOS 15.7 to 26.0 report that the installation proceeds initially but then fails near the end with a restart back to 15.7. The issue seems related to an error in the neural engine driver. Key Points Upgrade Failure: Installation of macOS 26.0 Tahoe aborts on Mac Studio M3 Ultra machines when upgrading from macOS 15.7. Error Source: Likely originates from a problem with the neural engine driver. Kernel Extension Changes: Comparison of macOS 15.6 and 26.0 shows missing Apple silicon hardware kernel extensions in 26.0, which might be a cause. Official Advice: Apple recommends pausing Tahoe upgrades on M3 Ultra Macs until a new compatible build is released. Current macOS Limit: macOS 15.7 remains the latest supported version for the Mac Studio M3 Ultra at this time. Community Feedback Some users have successfully upgraded from earlier versions like 15.6.1, but not from 15.7. The success from 15.6.1 could be an edge case; Apple engineers are investigating. Users offer to help with details like firmware versions and backup data to assist with troubleshooting. Summary Apple has released macOS 26.0 Tahoe build 25A354, but it is incompatible with the Mac Studio M3 Ultra, preventing users from upgrading successfully from macOS 15.7. The problem centers on hardware driver issues related to the neural engine and missing kernel extensions for Apple silicon. Until Apple issues an updated build with full support, users must remain on macOS 15.7. Early reports of successful upgrades from previous versions exist but are considered rare and under investigation. --- Categories: Macs, Technology Tags: bug, M3, Mac Studio, macOS 26, Tahoe, update, upgrade Date: September 17, 2025 Author: hoakley --- For further details and user discussions, visit the original post and Apple community forums.