macOS Server 5.9 requires macOS Catalina 10.15 or later. After installing the macOS update, you can get macOS Server from the App Store. (To prevent interruption of services, new versions of Server aren't installed automatically, even when App Store preferences are set to install other updates automatically.)
During installation, you might see the message "Server app replacement detected." This is expected. All Server settings and data are preserved during the update, and you can use the Server app to finish setting up previously configured services after the update.
If you're upgrading from macOS Server 5.6.3 or earlier, learn about changes introduced in macOS Server 5.7.1.
What's new in macOS Server 5.9
Profile Manager
Profile Manager supports new restrictions, payloads, and commands.
For iOS, macOS, and tvOS
- Wi-Fi: Configure WPA3 Personal security type
For iOS and macOS
- Add consent text to manually downloadable and enrollment profiles
- Skip Preferred Language and Supported Language panes in Setup Assistant
- Configure extensible single sign-on payload
For iOS
- Skip Dark Mode and Welcome panes in Setup Assistant
- Configure new supervised-only restrictions for allowing external drive access in Files app, continuous path keyboards, and turning Wi-Fi off or on
- Exchange ActiveSync: Enable Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Reminders individually for managed accounts
- Single App Mode: Configure Voice Control
- Refresh enterprise eSIM cellular plans
For macOS
- Support web-based authentication for Device Enrollment Program
- Skip Screen Time and TouchID panes in Setup Assistant
- Configure new account configuration options for DEP enrollment
- Display Secure Boot and External Boot levels in Device Information
- Support Bootstrap Token to enable mobile accounts to sign in on FileVault Macs
- Manage Activation Lock: Enable Activation Lock, Clear Activation Lock, automatically fetch Activation Lock Bypass Code on Catalina-enrolled Macs
- Configure automatic macOS updates and app updates
- Dock: Configure double click, Recents, and tab settings
- Configure associated web domains payload
- Configure content caching as infrastructure
For tvOS
- Configure whether device will sleep
What's new in macOS Server 5.8
Profile Manager
Profile Manager supports new restrictions, payloads, and commands.
For macOS
- Export a predefined set of device information values for specified devices using a new command-line tool,
exportDeviceInfo - Skip True Tone pane in Setup Assistant
- Configure new restrictions: screenshot and remote screen observation
- Configure Exchange Web Services authentication certificate
- Configure Apple Remote Desktop access
- Configure managed classes on student Mac computers
- Configure Certificate Transparency payload
For iOS
- Enable or disable Voice and Data Roaming and Personal Hotspot
- Configure new restrictions: Personal Hotspot modification (supervised only)
- Display phone number, ICCID, and IMEI details of enrolled Dual SIM devices
- Configure Certificate Transparency payload
For tvOS
- Configure Managed Software Updates
What's new in macOS Server 5.7.1
Profile Manager
- Configure an Apple Business Manager account
- Install App Store apps for tvOS
- Configure new restrictions, payloads, and commands:
For macOS
New Restrictions payload settings
- Allow proximity based password sharing requests
- Allow password sharing
- Allow password autofill
- Allow software update installation for non-admin users
New Exchange payload settings
- Use OAuth for authentication
New Smart Card payload settings
- Require Smart Card
- Enable screen saver on Smart Card removal
New Passcode payload settings
- Force password reset during next user authentication
New Security & Privacy payload settings
- Show personal recovery key
New Education payload settings
- Send to teacher-assigned Mac computers
New Xsan payload settings
- Ability to configure automatic mounts
- Ability to specify Distributed LAN Client mount preferences
For iOS
New Restrictions payload settings
- Allow proximity based password sharing requests (supervised devices only)
- Allow password sharing (supervised devices only)
- Allow password autofill(supervised devices only)
- Force automatic date and time (supervised devices only)
- Allow USB restricted mode (supervised devices only)
- Allow managed Contacts accounts to write to unmanaged accounts
- Allow unmanaged Contacts accounts to read managed accounts
- Disable eSIM (supervised devices only)
New Mail and Exchange payload settings
- Allow a user to enable or disable S/MIME signing
- Allow a user to modify the selection of the S/MIME signing certificate
- Allow a user to enable or disable S/MIME encryption
- Allow a user to modify the selection of the S/MIME encryption certificate
New Exchange payload settings
- Use OAuth for authentication
New Notifications payload settings
- Specify whether an app is allowed to send critical alerts
- Allow grouped notifications
- Show in CarPlay
New VPN payload settings for IKEv2 configurations
- Ability to specify DNS server addresses
- Ability to specify primary domain of the tunnel
- Ability to specify DNS search domains
- Ability to specify DNS supplemental match domains
New Setup Assistant pane Device Enrollment skip options
- iMessage & FaceTime and Screen Time
- Add Cellular Plan
Deprecated payloads
- macOS Server Accounts
New Commands
- Show SIM information
For tvOS
New Restrictions payload settings
- Allow proximity based password sharing requests (supervised devices only)
New Commands
- Install Updates (only appears in the Action pop-up menu when updates are available on the selected Apple TV or Apple TV devices within a group)