macOS 27 Beta: Apparently file system problems related to Time Machine
The third developer beta of macOS 27 may corrupt the SSD file system. The problem: this is also the first public beta.
macOS 27 alias Golden Gate.
(Image: Apple)
Users who want to try the Public Beta of macOS 27 alias Golden Gate should be cautious: on Reddit and other forums, there are reports that file system errors may occur due to incorrectly written metadata. The errors were first discovered in the third developer beta of macOS 27, but this corresponds to the state of the public beta. In the worst case, data loss can occur. Apple has not yet responded. It is conceivable that the problem is related to the use of Apple's standard backup system Time Machine, at least most affected users use it.
File system corrupted
On Reddit, attempts are currently being made to collect data from users with the error pattern to narrow down the issue and report it back to Apple. If the file system is impacted, it can lead to frozen systems or seemingly random reboots. Some apps also no longer start. The verifyVolume command in the diskutil tool for the data volume (/System/Volumes/Data) outputs corrupted or notable errors on affected machines.
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Reddit user imajes, who is currently collecting the information, reports two affected machines that were updated from Tahoe to Golden Gate. Using the fsck command, he found incorrectly written xattr metadata. He registered that after updating from Developer Beta 2 to 3, the system wanted to write a large number of metadata, which then did not land on the SSD. Apple Support has reportedly stated that affected users should erase their system and revert to macOS 26.5.2 (via an existing backup).
External Time Machine Backup
On the affected machines, Time Machine ran with an external destination (often a NAS). Apparently, these backups are also impacted by the problem; in one case, a Kernel Panic occurred when trying to mount in read-write mode. The error pattern is otherwise still quite unclear. On Reddit, there is a guide on how users can check if they are impacted – to inform Apple, the data is collected there.
It is unclear how widespread the issue is. However, the incident shows how cautious one should be with betas. It is always recommended not to work with real data and not to install public beta versions on production machines. A backup is mandatory. iOS 27 and macOS 27 have so far been considered quite stable in their pre-release versions – but that doesn't mean anything. It is also recommended to set up your Apple account for beta testing to avoid affecting iCloud real data.
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