macOS Tahoe 26.2 ships with an outdated version of Python 3.9.6
Not only is 3.9 reached end-of-life, the last release was 3.9.25
% python3
Python 3.9.6 (default, Dec 2 2025, 07:27:58)
[Clang 17.0.0 (clang-1700.6.3.2)] on darwin Python 3.9.6 reached end-of-life on 2025-10-31. It is no longer supported and does not receive security updates AFAIK macOS does not ship any version of Python in the normal installation, and it's Xcode / Xcode-CommandLineTools that bundles a Python. Formally announced all the way back in whatever year 10.15 was: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-note... Scripting Language Runtimes Deprecations > Scripting language runtimes such as Python, Ruby, and Perl are included in macOS for compatibility with legacy software. Future versions of macOS won’t include scripting language runtimes by default, and might require you to install additional packages. If your software depends on scripting languages, it’s recommended that you bundle the runtime within the app. (49764202) The strange thing is that they never did manage to get it done for Ruby. macOS Tahoe doesn't ship with Python. It comes with the Developer Tools as an internal dependency. It is not intended nor supported for end users. It's only purpose is as a dependency for Apple's developer tools. "MacOS ships with an outdated version of Python" - heh, heard that phrase many times over the years. it's amazing Apple still includes it. Why does it matter? Tye first thing I do when getting a Mac is install the newest version of everything I need.