macOS licensing is governed by the Software License Agreement for macOS, which Apple publishes for each release on its SLA index.[2] The current agreement, for macOS Tahoe 26, is headed “For use on Apple-branded Systems”. It covers the operating system, the Boot ROM code, bundled fonts and documentation, and later updates, all of which are licensed, not sold.[1] It also applies to Apple applications preinstalled on the Mac, unless an application comes with its own licence.[1] For a software asset manager, the agreement defines five things: how copies are counted, how many virtual machines are allowed, how remote access is limited, when macOS may be leased to a hosting provider, and how the licence travels with the hardware.
Editions
Apple sells no editions of macOS. The agreement grants rights according to how the software was obtained.[1]
| Acquisition route | SLA section | Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Preinstalled on Apple hardware, or a single copy | §2A | One copy on a single Apple-branded computer at any one time |
| Mac App Store or automatic download, personal use | §2B(i) | One copy on each Mac running a listed earlier macOS release that the user owns or controls, for personal, non-commercial use |
| Mac App Store or automatic download, commercial enterprise or educational institution | §2B(ii) | One copy for a single individual on each Mac the organization owns or controls, or for several individuals on a single shared Mac |
| Volume or maintenance licence program | §2C | Copy count set by the volume or maintenance licence |
All four rows come from the SLA.[1] The §2B(i) grant lists macOS Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur and Catalina as the qualifying host releases.[1]
Metrics
| Apple term | Catalog row | Unit | What the SLA says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple-branded computer | Apple-branded computer | Device | One copy on a single Apple-branded computer at any one time (§2A).[1] |
| Mac Computer, by single individual or shared | Mac Computer (per individual or shared) | User | For organizations: one individual across the Macs they own or control, or several individuals on one shared Mac (§2B(ii)).[1] |
| Virtual operating system environment | Virtual operating system environment instance | Instance | Up to two additional copies or instances on each Apple-branded computer already running macOS (§2B(iii)).[1] |
Counting / floors
Single copy per computer (effective 2025-07-11). Unless macOS came from the Mac App Store, an automatic download or a volume agreement, the licensee may install, use and run one copy on a single Apple-branded computer at any one time. The SLA gives macOS preinstalled on Apple hardware as an example.[1] Catalog proof: macOS single-copy licence per Apple-branded computer.
Organizations: one individual, or one shared Mac (effective 2025-07-11). When macOS comes from the Mac App Store or an automatic download, a commercial enterprise or educational institution may run one copy either for a single individual on each Mac it owns or controls, or for several individuals on a single shared Mac it owns or controls. The SLA gives two examples: one employee using both a desktop and a laptop Mac, and students using a library Mac one after another.[1] Catalog proof: macOS Mac App Store licence for organizations: one individual or one shared Mac.
One user at a time, no network use (effective 2025-07-11). Unless the SLA or another Apple licence permits it, only one user may use macOS at a time. It may not be made available over a network where several computers could run it at the same time, and it may not be rented, leased, lent, sold, redistributed or sublicensed, except as Section 3 allows.[1] Catalog proof: macOS only on Apple-branded hardware; one user at a time.
Volume or maintenance licences. Where macOS was obtained under a volume or maintenance licence program with Apple, that licence sets the number of copies. All other terms of the SLA still apply unless Apple agrees otherwise in writing.[1] Catalog proof: macOS volume or maintenance licence sets the copy count.
Backup and open source. The licensee may make one machine-readable backup copy, excluding Boot ROM code and firmware.[1] Open-sourced components may be modified or replaced, but only on Apple-branded computers the licensee owns or controls, and only where each computer has a properly licensed copy of macOS.[1]
Commercial-use limits on bundled features. Some features of macOS are restricted even where the operating system itself is used commercially. System Voices, Live Captions and Personal Voice may be used only for personal, non-commercial purposes. The SLA excludes their use in a “profit, non-profit, public sharing or commercial context”.[1] Genmoji and Memoji characters carry the same restriction, as do the slideshow graphics, music and themes in the Photos app.[1] Fonts may be used to display and print content, but may be embedded only where the font’s own embedding restrictions allow it.[1]
Content caching. The Content Caching feature may be used only on a Mac the licensee owns or controls, and only to speed delivery of Apple content to authorized users within the licensee’s home, company or organization. It may not serve users outside the organization, and it may not be used to provide a service to third parties.[1]
Transfer (effective 2025-07-11). macOS obtained preinstalled, from the Mac App Store or through a software update may be transferred once, permanently, to another party. The transfer must include the Apple hardware and all components of the software, the transferor may keep no copies, and the recipient must accept the SLA. Updates cannot be transferred separately, modified copies cannot be transferred at all, and promotional, evaluation, diagnostic or restorative copies may not be resold.[1] An organization enrolled in Apple Business must also remove a Mac from its Managed Services before reselling or transferring it.[3] Catalog proof: macOS licence transfers once, only with the Apple hardware, Apple Business: release devices before resale or transfer.
Termination. The licence ends automatically, without notice from Apple, if the licensee fails to comply with any of its terms. The licensee must then stop using the software and destroy all copies.[1] The SLA contains no audit clause. Organizations that accept the EULAs for their users through Apple Business must accept them on the Apple Business portal before deploying devices, and again whenever they change.[3] Catalog proof: Apple Business: accept OS EULAs on the portal before deployment.
Virtualization & partitioning
Two additional instances per Mac (effective 2025-07-11). Under §2B(iii), a licensee who obtained macOS from the Mac App Store or by automatic download may run up to two additional copies or instances of macOS in virtual operating system environments. The limit applies to each Apple-branded computer the licensee owns or controls that is already running macOS. The guests may be the current release, any earlier macOS or OS X release, or a later release.[1] They may be used only for:
- software development;
- testing during software development;
- using macOS Server; or
- personal, non-commercial use.[1]
Catalog proof: macOS virtualization: up to two additional instances per Apple-branded computer. The practical effect is a maximum of three macOS instances on one Mac: the host and two guests. A virtual machine used for general office work by employees falls outside all four purposes.
No service bureau use of guests. Unless Section 3 permits it, virtualized copies may not be used for service bureau, time-sharing, terminal-sharing, relay or similar services.[1] Catalog proof: Virtualized macOS not for service bureau or time-sharing.
No other Apple operating systems as guests. Apart from what §2B permits, macOS may not be used to run any Apple operating system, including iOS, iPadOS, watchOS or tvOS, in virtual machines on a Mac.[1] Catalog proof: No virtualization of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS or tvOS on a Mac.
Apple hardware only. macOS may not be installed, used or run on any non-Apple-branded computer.[1] This rules out running macOS guests on other manufacturers’ hypervisor hosts. The Xcode and Apple SDKs Agreement likewise authorizes Xcode only for execution on an Apple-branded product running macOS.[5] AppleCare OS Support plans list “macOS & macOS Server in a virtual environment” among their supported products.[4]
Remote desktop (effective 2025-07-11). Section 2I governs remote connections to a Mac, which the SLA calls the “Home Mac”, through Screen Sharing or any other means:
- only one device at a time may remotely control the graphical desktop session that is running and displayed on the Home Mac;
- a reasonable number of devices may connect at the same time to observe that session without controlling it; and
- only one Apple-branded device at a time may control a separate graphical desktop session, and only through Screen Sharing.[1]
Outside §2I and Section 3, macOS may not be used for service bureau, time-sharing or terminal-sharing services, whether they are provided within the organization or to third parties.[1] Catalog proof: macOS remote desktop: one controlling connection at a time. The general concepts are described in virtualization and partitioning.
Cloud / BYOL
Section 3 of the SLA, “Leasing for Permitted Developer Services”, is the only route by which a third party may host macOS for someone else. It is the contractual basis for Mac cloud and hosted continuous integration offerings.[1] It is recorded in the catalog as the program macOS leasing for Permitted Developer Services.
Conditions of a lease (effective 2025-07-11). A validly licensed copy of macOS may be leased or subleased in its entirety to an individual or organization if all of the following conditions are met:[1]
- it is used only to provide Permitted Developer Services, and each lessee agrees to the SLA;
- each lease period lasts at least 24 consecutive hours;
- during the lease, the end user lessee has sole and exclusive use and control of the software and the Apple hardware, and the lessor provides only administrative support; and
- the end user lessee accepts the terms of any preinstalled software, including Xcode.
The SLA defines Permitted Developer Services as continuous integration services: software development, building software from source, automated testing during development, and running the developer tools that support those activities.[1] Catalog proof: macOS lease minimum 24 consecutive hours with exclusive use.
Notice and enforcement. Each lessor must notify Apple before leasing or subleasing, through Apple Developer Relations. The lessor is responsible for making sure each lessee complies and accepts the licence terms, and for helping Apple enforce compliance. If a lessee breaches the SLA, its rights end automatically, and the lessor must end its use once the lessor discovers the breach or receives notice from Apple.[1] A lessee that subleases becomes a lessor itself, and must give up exclusive use and control to its own lessee.[1] Catalog proof: macOS lessor must notify Apple and enforce lessee compliance.
Virtualization during a lease. For each leased copy, either the lessor or the lessee, but not both, may use the two-instance virtualization grant of §2B(iii). A lessor may virtualize only a single instance, as a provisioning tool for giving the lessee access.[1] Catalog proof: Leased macOS: virtualization by lessor or lessee, not both.
What leasing does not cover. The permitted purposes are limited to developer services. Leasing macOS to run general-purpose desktops, office applications or production workloads is not a Permitted Developer Service under the definition. Apple publishes no mapping of macOS licences to hyperscaler vCPUs or instances, and the hardware tie in §2J applies to every lease. For bring-your-own-licence models at other vendors, see cloud BYOL.
Programs
- macOS leasing for Permitted Developer Services. The Section 3 permission described above.[1]
- Volume or maintenance licence programs. §2C refers to them, but the retrieved documents name no current macOS volume licence program.[1] The catalog does not record one.
- Apple Business. Controls EULA acceptance and device enrollment for managed Macs.[3] See Apple Business and volume content licensing.
- AppleCare OS Support. Technical support for macOS, including macOS used from the command line and in virtual environments.[4]
Out of scope
This article does not analyse macOS Server, whose SLAs remain listed on the SLA index,[2] or the third-party software and services bundled with macOS, which carry their own terms. Nor does it cover the SLA’s privacy, warranty, liability or jurisdictional supplements, or its iOS, iPadOS and visionOS counterparts, except where Apple licensing summarizes them. Hardware is out of scope under the House rules.