View source for Software:Mac OS X Snow Leopard

{{Infobox OS version
 |name = Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
 |logo = OSXLeopard.svg
 |logo_size = 60px
 |screenshot = Snow Leopard Desktop.png
 |caption = Screenshot of Mac OS X Snow Leopard
 |version of = [[Software:MacOS|macOS]]
 |developer = [[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple Inc.]]
| family              = {{flat list|
* [[Software:Macintosh operating systems|Macintosh]]
* [[Software:Unix|Unix]]<ref name=snow_leopard_unix_cert>{{cite web | url=http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3581.htm | title=Mac OS X Version 10.6 on Intel-based Macintosh computers | publisher=The Open Group | accessdate=December 4, 2014 | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116122629/http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3581.htm | archivedate=November 16, 2014 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>
}}
|website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929063403/http://www.apple.com/macosx/ |date=September 29, 2009 |title=Apple - Mac OS X Snow Leopard - The world's most advanced OS}}
 |source_model = Closed, with [[Open-source software|open source]] components
 |license = [[Commercial software|Commercial software license]] and [[Software:Apple Public Source License|Apple Public Source License]] (APSL)
 |kernel_type = [[Software:Hybrid kernel|Hybrid]] ([[Software:XNU|XNU]])
 |updatemodel = Apple Software Update
 |supported_platforms = [[IA-32]], [[X86-64|x86-64]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard&nbsp;— Installation and Setup Guide|url=http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Snow_Leopard_Installation_Instructions.pdf|date=September 2009|publisher=Apple Inc.|accessdate=February 8, 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614173416/http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Snow_Leopard_Installation_Instructions.pdf|archivedate=June 14, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
 |release_version = 10.6.8 v1.1 (Build 10K549)
 |release_date = {{Start date and age|2011|7|25}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1400|title=Download Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update v.1.1|date=July 25, 2011}}</ref>
 |first_release_date = {{Start date and age|2009|8|28}}<ref name="snow-leopard-pr">{{cite press release|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2009/08/24Apple-to-Ship-Mac-OS-X-Snow-Leopard-on-August-28/|title=Apple to Ship Mac OS X Snow Leopard on August 28|date=August 24, 2008|publisher=[[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple Inc.]]}}</ref>
 |preceded_by = [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard]]
 |succeeded_by = [[Software:Mac OS X Lion|Mac OS X 10.7 Lion]]
 |support_status = Unsupported as of February 25, 2014, iTunes ended in September 2014 and [[Software:Safari (web browser)|Safari]] terminated as well,<ref>{{cite web |title=iTunes 11.4 for OS X 10.6 |url=https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1774 |publisher=Apple Inc. |accessdate=28 July 2019 |date=9 September 2014}}</ref> though the last security update happened in September 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=Security Update 2013-004 (Snow Leopard) |url=https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1678 |publisher=Apple Inc. |accessdate=28 July 2019 |date=12 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246609/Apple_retires_Snow_Leopard_from_support_leaves_1_in_5_Macs_vulnerable_to_attacks |title=Apple retires Snow Leopard from support, leaves 1 in 5 Macs vulnerable to attacks |last=Keizer |first=Gregg |website=Computerworld |date=February 26, 2014 |accessdate=2017-07-22 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528150522/http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246609/Apple_retires_Snow_Leopard_from_support_leaves_1_in_5_Macs_vulnerable_to_attacks |archivedate=May 28, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> An update for the [[Mac App Store]] on Mac OS X Snow Leopard was released on January 27, 2016.<ref name="mas_jan16">{{cite web |title=Mac App Store Update for OS X Snow Leopard |url=https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1860 |publisher=Apple Inc. |accessdate=28 July 2019 |date=27 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/01/apple-updates-snow-leopard-so-you-can-continue-to-upgrade-from-snow-leopard/ |title=Apple updates Snow Leopard so you can continue to upgrade from Snow Leopard |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |date=January 27, 2016 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |accessdate=2017-06-14 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107044318/http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/01/apple-updates-snow-leopard-so-you-can-continue-to-upgrade-from-snow-leopard/ |archivedate=January 7, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
 |date = May 2009
}}
{{macOS topics}}

'''Mac OS X Snow Leopard''' (version 10.6) is the seventh [[Software versioning|major release]] of [[Software:MacOS|Mac OS X (now named macOS)]], [[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s desktop and server [[Operating system|operating system]] for [[Engineering:Macintosh|Macintosh]] computers.

Snow Leopard was publicly unveiled on June 8, 2009 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. On August 28, 2009, it was released worldwide,<ref name="snow-leopard-pr"/> and was made available for purchase from Apple's website and its retail stores at the price of US$29 for a single-user license. As a result of the low price, initial sales of Snow Leopard were significantly higher than that of its predecessors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_090917.html|title=Snow Leopard Leaps Out of the Gate: Sales for Latest Apple OS Far Exceed Prior Launches, According to NPD|publisher=NPD Group|date=September 17, 2009|accessdate=May 7, 2010}}</ref> The release of Snow Leopard came nearly two years after the introduction of [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X Leopard]], the second longest time span between successive Mac OS X releases (the time span between [[Software:Mac OS X Tiger|Tiger]] and Leopard was the longest).

Unlike previous versions of Mac OS X, the goals of Snow Leopard were improved performance, greater efficiency and the reduction of its overall [[Memory footprint|memory footprint]]. Apple famously marketed Snow Leopard as having "zero new features".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars|title=Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review|last=Siracusa|first=John|date=2009-09-01|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us|access-date=2019-10-15}}</ref> Its name signified its goal to be a refinement of the previous OS X version, [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Leopard]].<ref name="WWDC 2009 Keynote">{{cite web|title=WWDC 2009 Keynote|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1140897/keynote.html|website=Macworld|accessdate=2 December 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208160557/http://www.macworld.com/article/1140897/keynote.html|archivedate=December 8, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Much of the software in Mac OS X was extensively rewritten for this release in order to take advantage fully of modern [[Engineering:Macintosh|Macintosh]] hardware. New programming frameworks, such as [[OpenCL]], were created, allowing software developers to use [[Graphics processing unit|graphics cards]] in their applications. This is also the first Mac OS release since [[Software:System 7|System 7.1.1]] that does not support Macs using [[PowerPC]] processors, as Apple now intends to focus on its current line of Intel-based products.<ref name="snow-leopard-pr" />  As support for [[Software:Rosetta|Rosetta]] was dropped in [[Software:OS X Lion|OS X Lion]], Snow Leopard is the last version of Mac OS X that is able to run PowerPC-only applications.

Snow Leopard was succeeded by [[Software:Mac OS X Lion|Mac OS X Lion]] (version 10.7) on July 20, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/07/20Mac-OS-X-Lion-Available-Today-From-the-Mac-App-Store.html|title=Mac OS X Lion Available Today From the Mac App Store|work=Apple.com|publisher=[[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple Inc.]]|accessdate=July 20, 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721232504/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/07/20Mac-OS-X-Lion-Available-Today-From-the-Mac-App-Store.html|archivedate=July 21, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> For some time on, Apple continued to sell Snow Leopard from its online store for the benefit of users that required Snow Leopard in order to upgrade to later versions of OS X, which have all been distributed through the [[Mac App Store]] introduced in the Snow Leopard 10.6.6 update.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/|title=Upgrade to OS X Mavericks|work=Apple.com|publisher=[[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple Inc.]]|accessdate=November 5, 2013|quote=If you’re running Leopard and would like to upgrade to OS X Mavericks, first you’ll need to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard. You can purchase OS X Snow Leopard here.|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105201919/http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/|archivedate=November 5, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Snow Leopard was the last release of Mac OS X to support the 32-bit Intel Core Solo and Intel Core Duo [[Central processing unit|CPU]]s. Because of this, Snow Leopard still remained somewhat popular alongside [[Software:Mac OS X Tiger|Mac OS X Tiger]], despite its lack of continued support,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://lowendmac.com/2015/the-rise-and-fall-of-mac-os-x-versions-2009-to-2015/|title=The Rise and Fall of Mac OS X Versions, 2009 to 2015|date=2015-10-04|work=Low End Mac|access-date=2017-08-10|language=en-US}}</ref> mostly because of its ability to run PowerPC-based applications{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} as Rosetta was dropped in [[Software:Mac OS X Lion|Mac OS X Lion]].

Snow Leopard was also the last release of Mac OS X to ship with a welcome video at first boot after installation.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} Reception of Snow Leopard was positive.

==System requirements==
Apple states the following basic Snow Leopard system requirements are:

* Mac computer with an [[Company:Intel|Intel]] processor ([[IA-32]]). "[[Engineering:Yonah (microprocessor)|Yonah]]" processors such as Core Solo and Core Duo can run only 32-bit applications; later [[X86-64|x86-64]] architecture processors such as Core 2 Duo, Core i5 and i7 are also able to run 64-bit applications.
* 1&nbsp;GB of RAM
* 5&nbsp;GB of free disk space
* DVD drive (also accessible via Remote Disc) or external [[Engineering:USB|USB]] or FireWire DVD drive for installation

'''Additional requirements to use certain features:'''<ref name="techspecs">{{cite web |author=Apple Inc. |title=Mac OS X Snow Leopard: Technical Specs |url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/specs.html |work=Apple Inc. |accessdate=May 23, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831083420/http://www.apple.com/macosx/specs.html |archivedate=August 31, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

*[[Software:QuickTime|QuickTime]] H.264 hardware acceleration support requires an Nvidia GeForce 9400M, 320M, or GT 330M graphics card
*[[OpenCL]] requires a supported [[Company:Nvidia|Nvidia]] or ATI [[Engineering:Graphics card|graphics card]]<ref name="techspecs" />

Snow Leopard does not support [[PowerPC]]-based Macs (e.g., Power Macs, PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs (G3-G5), all eMacs, plus pre-February 2006  Mac minis  and the Power Mac G4 Cube), although PowerPC applications are supported via [[Software:Rosetta|Rosetta]], which is now an optional install.

==License==
Snow Leopard is available as an upgrade for Intel-based [[Engineering:Macintosh|Macintosh]] computers. Single-user licenses and "family pack" licenses for up to five computers are available. For qualifying Mac computers bought after June 8, 2009, Apple offered a discounted price through their "up-to-date" program provided that customers' orders were faxed or postmarked by December 26, 2009. The standalone retail version of Snow Leopard is marketed as being restricted to users of [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X Leopard]], while the recommended upgrade path from Apple for [[Software:Mac OS X Tiger|Mac OS X Tiger]] is through the "[[Mac Box Set]]", which includes Mac OS X Snow Leopard and the current versions of [[Software:ILife|iLife]] and [[Software:IWork|iWork]].

There are three licenses available.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/macosx106.pdf |title=EnglishLicense |format=PDF |accessdate=February 22, 2010 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122185613/http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/macosx106.pdf |archivedate=November 22, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> These licenses differ in their requirements for pre-installed versions of Mac OS X:
* '''Leopard Upgrade''': requires that Mac OS X Leopard already be installed.
<blockquote>If you have purchased an Upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard license, then subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-branded computer as long as that computer has a properly licensed copy of Mac OS X Leopard already installed on it.<ref name="eula">{{cite journal|author=Apple Inc.|title=Software license agreement for Mac OS X: Single Use, Family Pack and Leopard Upgrade Licenses for use on Apple-branded Systems|url=https://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/macosx106.pdf|work=Apple Inc.|accessdate=February 1, 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922211812/http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/macosx106.pdf|archivedate=September 22, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref></blockquote>
:A "Family Pack Upgrade for Mac OS X Leopard" license is also mentioned as a subset of the Leopard Upgrade.
* '''Single Use''': places ''no'' restriction on which (if any) version of Mac OS X should already be installed. Used for the non-upgrade and Mac Box Set versions of Snow Leopard.
<blockquote>Subject to the terms and conditions of this License ... you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-branded computer at a time.<ref name="eula" /></blockquote>
* '''Family Pack''': identical to the Single Use license in this respect.

It is not entirely clear which license is offered with the retail version of Snow Leopard. As noted above, Apple's website advertised this version as an "upgrade from Mac OS X Leopard for $29" and suggest that others upgrade using the Mac Box Set, implying the stand-alone retail version to be a "Leopard Upgrade" license. On the other hand, some Apple press materials appear to indicate that this version is, in fact, the "Single Use" license:

<blockquote>The Snow Leopard ''single user license'' will be available for a suggested retail price of $29 (US)<ref name="june8th">{{cite press release | url=https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/06/08macosx.html | title=Apple Unveils Mac OS X Snow Leopard | publisher=Apple Inc. | date=June 8, 2009 | accessdate=September 4, 2009 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611070027/http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/06/08macosx.html | archivedate=June 11, 2009 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> (emphasis added)</blockquote>

However, even if the retail edition of Snow Leopard is in fact a "Leopard Upgrade", the company has acknowledged that there is no technical barrier in that edition preventing a direct upgrade from Mac OS X "Tiger".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20090826/apple-changes-leopards-spots/ |title=Apple Changes Leopard’s Spots |author=Walter S. Mossberg |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=August 26, 2009 |accessdate=August 27, 2009 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828011250/http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20090826/apple-changes-leopards-spots/ |archivedate=August 28, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The Leopard Upgrade license explicitly applies to the Up-To-Date Program<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/ |title=Mac OS X Snow Leopard. |publisher=Apple Inc. |year=2011 |accessdate=February 8, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213084539/http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/ |archivedate=February 13, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> (US$9.95) for Macs bought between June 8 and December 26, 2009<ref>In the Up-To-Date Program terms and conditions, the 'upgrade' language is used: ''This program entitles the purchaser of a qualifying product purchased between June 8, 2009, and December 26, 2009, to upgrade to Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard.'' {{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/|title=Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-to-Date Program|publisher=Apple Inc.|accessdate=September 4, 2009|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830044713/http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/|archivedate=August 30, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and the installation discs provided through this program are clearly marked as upgrades unlike either of the retail editions.

==New or changed features==
Mac OS X Snow Leopard is intended to be a release aimed to refine the existing feature set, expand the technological capabilities of the operating system, and improve application efficiency. Many of the changes involve how the system works in the background and are not intended to be seen by the user. For example, the Finder application was completely rewritten in the Cocoa application programming interface. Despite significant changes in the software, users will experience almost no changes in the user interface. Snow Leopard includes the following changes:

* '''[[App Store (macOS)|Mac App Store]]''' – An application store built in the image of the iOS App Store. Released on version 10.6.6.
* '''[[Software:Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''' now allows [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Windows]] partitions to read and copy files from HFS+ partitions. The new version also adds support for advanced features on Cinema Displays and a new command-line version of the Startup Disk Control Panel.
* The '''[[Software:Finder|Finder]]''' has been completely rewritten in Cocoa to take advantage of the new technologies introduced in Snow Leopard.
* A much smaller OS footprint, taking up about 7&nbsp;GB less space than [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X Leopard]]. Some of the recovered disk space (~250&nbsp;MB) is because printer drivers are now downloaded or installed only as needed, rather than being pre-installed. The default install only contains those drivers needed for existing printers and a small subset of popular printers.<ref name="refinements"/>
* '''[[Software:IChat|iChat]]''' enhancements include greater resolution video chats in iChat Theater and lowered upload bandwidth requirements.
* '''[[Software:Microsoft Exchange Server|Microsoft Exchange]]''' support is now integrated into the Mail, [[Software:Address Book (application)|Address Book]], and iCal applications. However, only [[Software:Microsoft Exchange Server|Microsoft Exchange 2007]] is supported and customers using prior versions of Exchange must either upgrade or use [[Software:Microsoft Entourage|Microsoft Entourage]].
* Full '''multi-touch''' trackpad support has been added to notebooks prior to those introduced in October 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html#systempref|title=Apple&nbsp;— Mac OS X Snow Leopard&nbsp;— Enhancements and Refinements|quote=Multi-Touch gestures in older Mac models. All Mac notebooks with Multi-Touch trackpads now support three- and four-finger gestures.|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611013951/http://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html#systempref|archivedate=June 11, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> While the original MacBook Air and other early multi-touch trackpad enabled notebooks had support for some gestures, they were unable to use four-finger gestures. This limitation has now been removed in Snow Leopard.
* '''Preview''' can infer the structure of a paragraph in a PDF document.
* '''[[Software:QuickTime|QuickTime X]]''', the next version of [[Software:QuickTime|QuickTime]] player and multimedia framework, has been completely rewritten into a full 64-bit Cocoa application and builds on the media technologies in Mac OS X, such as [[Software:Core Audio|Core Audio]], Core Video, and Core Animation, to deliver playback. Apple has redesigned the QuickTime user interface to resemble the full-screen QuickTime view in prior versions, where the entire window displays the video. The titlebar and playback controls fade in and out as needed. QuickTime X also supports [[Engineering:Push technology|HTTP live streaming]] and takes advantage of [[Software:ColorSync|ColorSync]] to provide high-quality color reproduction.<ref name="applesnowleopard">{{cite web | url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/snowleopard/ | title=Mac OS X Snow Leopard | publisher=Apple Inc. | accessdate=June 11, 2008 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720115100/http://www.apple.com/macosx/snowleopard/ | archivedate=July 20, 2008 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> If Snow Leopard is installed on a Mac with an nVidia GeForce 9400M, 320M or GT 330M graphics card, QuickTime X will be able to use its video-decoding capabilities to reduce CPU load.
* '''[[Software:Safari 4|Safari 4]]''' features Top Sites, Cover Flow, VoiceOver, expanded standards support, and built-in crash resistance, which prevents browser crashes caused by plug-ins by running them in separate processes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/safari.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521134811/http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/safari.html | title=Apple&nbsp;– Mac OS X&nbsp;– What is Mac OS X&nbsp;– Safari | publisher=[[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]] | date=October 22, 2009 | archivedate=May 21, 2011 | accessdate=October 22, 2009}}</ref> Safari 4 is bundled with Snow Leopard but does not require it, as it is available for free for Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard as well as [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Windows]].
* '''Time Machine''' connection establishment and backups are now much faster.
* '''[[Software:VoiceOver|VoiceOver]]''' has also been greatly enhanced in Snow Leopard. Reading of web pages is improved with Auto Web Spots&nbsp;— areas of a page automatically designated for quick access. On newer Apple portables, trackpad gestures can be used to control VoiceOver functions, including the "rotor" gesture first seen in VoiceOver for the [[Engineering:IPhone|iPhone 3GS]], allowing for the changing of certain VoiceOver navigation options by rotating fingers on the trackpad. Braille Display support is also improved, with [[Bluetooth]] displays supported for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/accessibility/|title=Apple&nbsp;— Mac OS X&nbsp;— Universal Access|publisher=Apple Inc.|accessdate=October 23, 2009|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027153017/http://www.apple.com/macosx/accessibility/|archivedate=October 27, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The 10.6.6 update introduced support for the [[Mac App Store]], Apple's digital distribution platform for OS X applications.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20027548-17.html|title=Mac App Store launches on Snow Leopard|first=Don|last=Reisinger|date=January 6, 2011|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=CNET|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810234859/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20027548-17.html|archivedate=August 10, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Refinements to the user interface===
While the [[Software:Finder|Finder]] was completely rewritten in Cocoa, it did not receive a major user interface overhaul. Instead, the interface has been modified in several areas to promote ease of use. These changes include:
* The "traffic light" titlebar controls are now slightly lighter in appearance and have less depth than they did in Mac OS X 10.5.
* Exposé can now display windows for a single program by left clicking and holding its icon in the dock. Windows are arranged in a new grid pattern.
* Contextual menus which come out of Dock icons now have more options and have a new look, with a semi-transparent charcoal background and white text.
* An option has been added to the Finder preferences that allows the user to modify search behavior. The default setting can be selected to (1) search the entire computer, (2) search only the current folder from which the search was initiated, or (3) perform the search based on the previously used scope.
* Dock Stacks, when viewed as a grid, allow viewing of a subfolder as a new stack, rather than launching a [[Software:Finder|Finder]] window, in a manner similar to "tunnelling". When viewed as grids or lists, scroll-bars are provided to navigate folders with more items than the current screen resolution will accommodate, as the program does not scale the icons to show as many as possible the way it did in OS X 10.5.<ref>{{cite news |first=Katie |last=Marsal |title=Apple prepping new Snow Leopard, iWeb, ARD updates |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/05/briefly_apple_prepping_new_snow_leopard_iweb_ard_updates.html |work=Bits |publisher=AppleInsider |date=March 5, 2009 |accessdate=April 13, 2009 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416234048/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/05/briefly_apple_prepping_new_snow_leopard_iweb_ard_updates.html |archivedate=April 16, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* The default [[Physics:Gamma correction|gamma]] has been changed from 1.8 to 2.2 to better serve the color needs of digital content producers and consumers.<ref name="refinements">{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html |title=Mac OS X 10.6 Refinements|publisher=Apple Inc.|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611013951/http://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html|archivedate=June 11, 2009}}</ref>
* Windows can now be minimized directly onto their application's icon in the dock.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vnoel.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/new-in-snow-leopard-minimize-windows-to-app-icon/ |title=New in Snow Leopard: Minimize windows to App icon and Expose |publisher=Vnoel.wordpress.com |date=June 27, 2009 |accessdate=August 29, 2009}}</ref>
* Faster [[PDF]] and [[JPEG]] icon refreshes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/#intro|title=Mac OS X Snow Leopard&nbsp;— Refining the user experience|publisher=Apple Inc.|accessdate=December 2, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722202124/http://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/#intro|archivedate=July 22, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* When searching for a network, the [[Engineering:AirPort|AirPort]] menu-bar icon animates until it finds a network and shows network strength of available networks in the drop down menu.
* Prefixes for [[Byte|byte]]s are now used in strictly decimal meaning (as opposed to their [[Binary prefix|binary meaning]]) when describing disk space, such that an indicated file size of 1&nbsp;MB corresponds to 1 million bytes, as commonly used by hard disk manufacturers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macprime.ch/news/article/snow-leopard-1-gb-1000-mb/ |title=News&nbsp;— Snow Leopard: 1&nbsp;GB = 1000&nbsp;MB |publisher=macprime.ch |date=June 19, 2009 |accessdate=August 29, 2009}}</ref>
* Snow Leopard shuts down and goes to sleep faster.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/20 | title=Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review | first=John | last=Siracusa | date=August 31, 2009 | work=Ars Technica | accessdate=February 8, 2011 | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207041001/http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/20 | archivedate=December 7, 2010 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

===New wallpapers===
As with most upgrades of Mac OS X, new wallpapers are available. There are new wallpapers in the Nature (two of which are of [[Biology:Snow leopard|snow leopard]]s), Plants and Black and White sub-folders under the Apple folder. Furthermore, there are new Apple wallpaper sub-folders with multiple wallpapers:
* '''Art:''' Dancer on the Stage, Nighthawks, Poppies Blooming, Sunday Afternoon, Suprematism, The Great Wave, and Water Lilies.
* '''Patterns:''' Pinstripe and Saree.
New solid colors can be used as wallpapers as well. There is a new blue and gray, as well as a solid kelp which serves as the "green wallpaper." The default "space nebula" wallpaper has been updated as well.

===Dropped features===
* [[AppleTalk]] is no longer supported.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3771|title=Mac OS X v10.6: Mac 101 – Printing|date=April 29, 2010|work=support.apple.com|publisher=Apple Inc.|accessdate=August 21, 2010|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804000249/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3771|archivedate=August 4, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* It is no longer possible to change an application's language using the Finder's "Get Info" dialogue. While there are workarounds for some applications, others (such as Adobe After Effects CS4) will not be able to be run in a different language than the one installed<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/516/cpsid_51667.html |title=Known issues with Adobe After Effects CS4 in Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) |publisher=Adobe |date=November 13, 2009 |accessdate=November 16, 2009}}</ref> without using Terminal commands or third-party software.
* [[Creator code]]s, which are per-file [[Metadata|metadata]] attributes that define, for a file that has a creator code, what application should open that file, regardless of its extension, have had their priority in the application selection process reduced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://db.tidbits.com/article/10537|title=Snow Leopard Snubs Document Creator Codes|publisher=TidBITS|date=September 6, 2009|accessdate=March 17, 2010}}</ref>
* Creating or updating a [[Hierarchical File System]] volume is no longer supported.

==Developer technologies==

===64-bit architecture===
[[Software:Mac OS X Tiger|Mac OS X Tiger]] added limited support for 64-bit applications on machines with 64-bit processors; [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Leopard]] extended the support for 64-bit applications to include applications using most of Mac OS X's libraries and frameworks.

In Snow Leopard, most built-in applications have been rebuilt to use the 64-bit [[X86-64|x86-64]] [[Instruction set architecture|architecture]] (excluding [[Software:ITunes|iTunes]], [[Software:Front Row|Front Row]], [[Software:Grapher|Grapher]] and DVD Player applications).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/#sixtyfourbit |title=Mac OS X&nbsp;— New technologies in Snow Leopard |publisher=Apple |date= |accessdate=August 29, 2009|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112005921/http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/#sixtyfourbit|archivedate=November 12, 2009}}</ref>  They will run in [[32-bit|32-bit]] mode on machines with 32-bit processors, and in 64-bit mode on machines with 64-bit processors.

In addition, the Mac OS X kernel has been rebuilt to run in 64-bit mode on some machines.  On those machines, Snow Leopard supports up to 16 [[Terabyte|terabyte]]s of RAM.<!--Do NOT change this to 16 exabytes (or 16 billion&nbsp;gigabytes). Just because Apple's website mentions the theoretical limit for 64-bit computing does not mean Snow Leopard supports more than the 16 terabytes that Apple actually says Snow Leopard supports.-->  Newer Xserve and [[Engineering:Mac Pro|Mac Pro]] machines will run a 64-bit kernel by default; newer iMac and MacBook Pro machines can run a 64-bit kernel, but will not do so by default.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mac OS X Server v10.6: Macs that use the 64-bit kernel|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3770|publisher=Apple|accessdate=September 6, 2009|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831113241/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3770|archivedate=August 31, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Users wishing to use the 64-bit kernel on those machines must hold down the numbers 6 and 4 on the keyboard while booting to get the 64-bit kernel to load.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mac OS X Server v10.6: Starting up with the 32-bit or 64-bit kernel|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3773|publisher=Apple|accessdate=September 6, 2009|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831153411/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3773|archivedate=August 31, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="cnet-64bit">{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10320314-37.html?tag=rtcol;pop|title=64-bit Snow Leopard defaults to 32-bit kernel|publisher=CNET|accessdate=September 6, 2009}}</ref> A change to the com.apple.Boot.plist will also enable users with compatible computers to permanently boot into 64-bit for those wishing to do so.

Stuart Harris, software product marketing manager at Apple Australia, said, "For the most part, everything that they experience on the Mac, from the 64-bit point of view, the applications, the operating system, is all going to be 64-bit, but that at this stage there were very few things, such as device drivers, that required 64-bit mode at the kernel level".<ref name="cnet-64bit"/>

With Mac OS X Snow Leopard only the following Apple computers run or are capable of running the 64-bit kernel:<ref>{{cite web
| url       = http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3770
| title       = Mac OS X Server v10.6: Macs that use the 64-bit kernel
| author       = Apple Inc.
| date       = August 27, 2009
| accessdate       = February 8, 2011
| quote       = Learn which Macs can use the 64-bit kernel in Mac OS X Server v10.6, and which use it by default.
| url-status       = live
| archiveurl       = https://web.archive.org/web/20101205233913/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3770
| archivedate       = December 5, 2010
| df       = mdy-all
}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Product
! Model identifier
! K64 status on client version
! K64 status on server version
|-
| Xserve early 2008 and later
| Xserve2,1 and higher
| Capable
| Default
|-
| Mac Pro early 2008
| MacPro3,1
| Capable
| Default
|-
| Mac Pro early 2009
| MacPro4,1
| Capable
| Default
|-
| Mac Pro mid-2010
| MacPro5,1
| Default
| Default
|-
| MacBook Pro early 2008
| MacBookPro4,1
| Capable
| Capable
|-
| MacBook Pro late 2008
| MacBookPro4,1 and 5,1
| Capable
| Capable
|-
| MacBook Pro early 2009
| MacBookPro5,2
| Capable
| Capable
|-
| MacBook Pro mid-2009
| MacBookPro5,3 and 5,4 and 5,5
| Capable
| Capable
|-
| MacBook Pro mid-2010
| MacBookPro6,1 and 6,2 and 7,1
| Capable
| Capable
|-
| MacBook Pro early 2011
| MacBookPro8,1 and 8,2 and 8,3
| Default
| Default
|-
| iMac early 2006 and later{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}
| iMac4,1 and higher
| Capable
| Capable
|-
| Mac Mini mid-2010
| Macmini4,1
| Capable
| Default
|}

{{note|*|*}} Amit Singh has reported that the early 2009 Mac Mini and MacBook may be capable of running the 64-bit kernel; however, Apple has set these models to boot into the 32-bit kernel. With some tweaking, the Unibody MacBook can be set to boot the 64-bit kernel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.osxbook.com/blog/2009/08/31/is-your-machine-good-enough-for-snow-leopard-k64 |publisher=Mac OS X Internals: The Blog |title=Is Your Machine Good Enough for Snow Leopard K64?|accessdate=February 8, 2011}}</ref>

===Grand Central Dispatch===
[[Software:Grand Central Dispatch|Grand Central Dispatch]] uses the multiple processor cores now in every new Macintosh for more efficient performance. Due to the technical difficulties traditionally involved in making applications optimized for multicore CPUs, the majority of computer applications do not effectively use multiple processor cores.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/11 | title=Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review | first=John | last=Siracusa | date=August 31, 2009 | work=Ars Technica | accessdate=February 8, 2011 | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207040953/http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/11 | archivedate=December 7, 2010 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> As a result, processing power often goes unused. Grand Central Dispatch includes APIs to help programmers efficiently use these cores for parallel programming.

Grand Central Dispatch shifts thread handling focus to itself rather than leaving it to specific applications to distribute jobs evenly across cores and clears up unused memory created by inactive or old threads to achieve maximum performance. Apple is also releasing APIs for Grand Central Dispatch for developers to use in their applications and also to analyze specific blocks of code running on Grand Central Dispatch.<ref>{{cite news| first=John| last=Markoff| title=Apple in Parallel: Turning the PC World Upside Down?| url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/apple-in-parallel-turning-the-pc-world-upside-down/| newspaper=The New York Times| date=June 10, 2008| accessdate=February 8, 2011| url-status=live| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111073540/http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/apple-in-parallel-turning-the-pc-world-upside-down/| archivedate=January 11, 2011| df=mdy-all}}</ref>

A new [[C (programming language)|C]] and [[Objective-C]] language feature named "[[Blocks (C language extension)|Blocks]]" facilitates creation of code that will easily optimize to take advantage of  Grand Central Dispatch.<ref>{{cite news
| first=Chris
| last=Lattner
| title="Blocks" in Clang (aka closures)
| url=http://lists.cs.uiuc.edu/pipermail/cfe-dev/2008-August/002670.html
| date=August 27, 2008
| url-status=dead
| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904020457/http://lists.cs.uiuc.edu/pipermail/cfe-dev/2008-August/002670.html
| archivedate=September 4, 2011
| df=mdy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| first=Alan
| last=Quatermain
| title=Comment on Article: Cocoa for Scientists (Part XXVII): Getting Closure with Objective-C
| url=http://www.macresearch.org/cocoa-scientists-part-xxvii-getting-closure-objective-c#comment-14138
| publisher=MacResearch
| date=September 1, 2008
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201160012/http://www.macresearch.org/cocoa-scientists-part-xxvii-getting-closure-objective-c#comment-14138
| archive-date=2008-12-01
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Grand Central Dispatch a better way to do multicore| url=https://images.apple.com/macosx/technology/docs/GrandCentral_TB_brief_20090608.pdf| publisher=Apple Inc.| year=2009| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612043735/http://images.apple.com/macosx/technology/docs/GrandCentral_TB_brief_20090608.pdf| archivedate=June 12, 2009| df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===OpenCL===
[[OpenCL]] (Open Computing Language) addresses the power of [[Graphics processing unit|graphics processing unit]]s (GPUs) to leverage them in any application, and not just for graphics-intensive applications like 3D games. OpenCL automatically optimizes for the kind of graphics processor in the Mac, adjusting itself to the available processing power. OpenCL provides consistent numeric precision and accuracy, fixing a problem that has hampered GPU-based programming in the past.<ref>{{citation| title=OpenCL Taking the graphics processor beyond graphics| url=https://images.apple.com/macosx/technology/docs/OpenCL_TB_brief_20090608.pdf| publisher=Apple Inc.| year=2009| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711083408/http://images.apple.com/macosx/technology/docs/OpenCL_TB_brief_20090608.pdf| archivedate=July 11, 2009| df=mdy-all}}</ref>

OpenCL includes a [[C (programming language)|C]]-based [[Programming language|programming language]] with a structure that is already familiar to Mac OS X programmers, who can use [[Software:Xcode|Xcode]] developer tools to adapt their programs to work with OpenCL. Only the most process intensive parts of the application need to be written in OpenCL C without affecting the rest of the code. OpenCL is an open standard that has been supported by [[Engineering:AMD|AMD]], [[Company:Intel|Intel]], and [[Company:Nvidia|Nvidia]]; it is maintained by [[Company:Khronos Group|Khronos Group]].<ref name="applesnowleopard"/>

It serves a similar purpose to [[Company:Nvidia|Nvidia]]'s C for [[Software:CUDA|CUDA]] and [[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]'s Direct3D 11 compute shaders.

It only works with the following Mac GPUs: NVIDIA GeForce 320M, GT 330M, 9400M, 9600M GT, 8600M GT, GT 120, GT 130, GTX 285, 8800 GT, 8800 GS, Quadro FX 4800, FX 5600 and ATI Radeon HD 4670, HD 4850, HD 4870, HD 5670, HD 5750, HD 5770, HD 5870, HD 6490M, HD 6750M, HD 6770M, HD 6970M.<ref name="techspecs"/> If the system does not possess one of these compatible GPUs, OpenCL code will instead execute on the system's CPU.<ref name="ArsReviewPage15">{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/15 |title=Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review |last=Siracusa |first=John |website=Ars Technical |date=October 31, 2009 |accessdate=2017-06-14 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509081146/http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/15 |archivedate=May 9, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}, John Siracusa's review of Snow Leopard for Ars Technica.</ref>

===CUPS===
CUPS (the printing system used in many [[Unix-like]] operating systems) has been updated to version 1.4 which provides improved driver, networking, and [[Software:Kerberos (protocol)|Kerberos]] support along with performance improvements. CUPS 1.4 is also the first implementation of the [[Internet Printing Protocol]] version&nbsp;2.1.<ref>{{cite news
|first=Michael
|last=Sweet
|title=IPP/2.1 support now in CUPS 1.4svn!
|url=http://www.pwg.org/archives/ipp/2009/005553.html
|work=Bits
|publisher=Printer Working Group
|date=January 9, 2009
|accessdate=June 5, 2009
|url-status=live
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815201046/http://www.pwg.org/archives/ipp/2009/005553.html
|archivedate=August 15, 2009
|df=mdy-all
}}</ref>

===Power management===

Power management has been improved, with implementation of a new wake on demand feature supported on more recent Macintosh hardware.<ref name="macworld-glenn">{{cite web
| last       = Fleishman
| first       = Glenn
| title       = Wake on Demand lets Snow Leopard sleep with one eye open
| url       = http://www.macworld.com/article/142468/2009/08/wake_on_demand.html
| publisher       = Macworld.com
| date       = August 28, 2009
| accessdate       = September 15, 2009
| quote       = How it works", "Energy Saver preference pane
| url-status       = live
| archiveurl       = https://web.archive.org/web/20090916005930/http://www.macworld.com/article/142468/2009/08/wake_on_demand.html
| archivedate       = September 16, 2009
| df       = mdy-all
}}</ref>  Wake on demand takes advantage of the sleep proxy service implemented in [[Engineering:AirPort|AirPort]] and Time Capsule routers,<ref name="apple-support-doc">{{cite web
| title       = Mac OS X v10.6: About Wake on Demand (Apple Article HT3774)
| url       = http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3774
| publisher       = Apple
| date       = August 27, 2009
| accessdate       = September 15, 2009
| quote       = Setting up Wake on Demand", "Setting up a Bonjour Sleep Proxy
| url-status       = live
| archiveurl       = https://web.archive.org/web/20090831113247/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3774
| archivedate       = August 31, 2009
| df       = mdy-all
}}</ref> so that the computer can sleep while the router responds to mDNS queries.  Should the request require the host computer to ''wake up'', the router sends the necessary special [[Wake-on-LAN#Magic packet|wake-up-packet]]<ref>Note: The networking industry nomenclature for a wake-up-packet is [[Wake-on-LAN#Magic packet|Magic Packet]]</ref>  to the sleeping computer.

==Security==

Apple strengthened Mac OS X by implementing stack protection, and [[Sandbox (computer security)|sandboxing]] more Mac OS X components such as the H.264 [[Codec|decoder]] in [[Software:QuickTime|QuickTime]] and browser plug-ins as a separate process in Safari.<ref>[http://db.tidbits.com/article/10509 "Peering Inside Snow Leopard Security"], ''TidBITS Safe Computing'', August 27, 2009</ref> An anti-[[Malware|malware]] feature was also added to the system that alerts the user if malware is detected.<ref>{{citation|  title= Apple Confirms Anti-Malware Added to 'Snow Leopard'.| url= https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2352102,00.asp| date= August 27, 2009| url-status= live| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090901060400/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2C2817%2C2352102%2C00.asp| archivedate= September 1, 2009| df= mdy-all}}</ref> Mac OS X 10.6.8 added regular malware definition updates.<ref>{{citation| authorlink= AppleInsider| title= Apple releases Mac OS X update to catch MAC Defender malware| url= http://iphone.appleinsider.com/articles/11/05/31/apple_releases_mac_os_x_update_to_catch_mac_defender_malware.html| date= May 31, 2011| url-status= live| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130502103103/http://iphone.appleinsider.com/articles/11/05/31/apple_releases_mac_os_x_update_to_catch_mac_defender_malware.html| archivedate= May 2, 2013| df= mdy-all}}</ref>

Computer security researcher Charlie Miller claims that OS X Snow Leopard is more vulnerable to attack than [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]] for lacking full [[Address space layout randomization|address space layout randomization]] (ASLR) since Mac OS X Leopard,<ref>[https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/security-snow-leopard/ "Apple's Snow Leopard Is Less Secure Than Windows, But Safer,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619204108/http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/security-snow-leopard/ |date=June 19, 2013 }} ''Wired'', September 2, 2009</ref> a technology that [[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]] started implementing in [[Software:Windows Vista|Windows Vista]].<ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/29/snow_leopard_security/ "Snow Leopard security – The good, the bad and the missing"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901160753/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/29/snow_leopard_security/ |date=September 1, 2009 }}, ''The Register'', August 29, 2009</ref>

The [[Software:Safari (web browser)|Safari]] web browser has received updates to version 6.0 in Lion and Mountain Lion, but not in Snow Leopard.<ref>{{citation| publisher= Sophos Naked Security blog| title= Where are the Safari security updates for Windows and Snow Leopard? Users left exposed| url= http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/07/30/no-safari-security-updates/| date= July 30, 2012| url-status= live| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120801234831/http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/07/30/no-safari-security-updates/| archivedate= August 1, 2012| df= mdy-all}}</ref>

==Compatibility==
Snow Leopard breaks compatibility with several older versions of some applications, such as Parallels Desktop 3.0, versions of Aperture before 2.1.1, and versions of [[Software:Keynote (presentation software)|Keynote]] before 2.0.2, among other software.<ref>{{cite web |last=Diaz |first=Jesus |url=https://gizmodo.com/5347769/the-mac-os-x-snow-leopard-applications-blacklist |title=Applications unsupported by Snow Leopard: The Unofficial List |publisher=Gizmodo.com |date=August 28, 2009 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602052729/http://gizmodo.com/5347769/the-mac-os-x-snow-leopard-applications-blacklist |archivedate=June 2, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Apple has also published a list of applications with known compatibility issues with Snow Leopard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3258 |title=Mac OS X v10.6: About incompatible software |work=support.apple.com |publisher=Apple Inc. |date=November 25, 2009 |accessdate=December 29, 2010 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201073411/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3258 |archivedate=February 1, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Printer and scanner drivers used by previous versions of Mac OS X are not compatible with Snow Leopard and will be replaced during Snow Leopard installation. Since the initial release of Snow Leopard many manufacturers have provided compatible drivers that are available via Software Update.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669 |title=Mac OS X v10.6: Printer and scanner software |publisher=Support.apple.com |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718200303/http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3669 |archivedate=July 18, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> If a native driver is not available Snow Leopard also includes CUPS and [[Software:Gutenprint|Gutenprint]] open source drivers that may provide limited functionality.

10.6.0 introduced a bug that frequently prevented [[Domain Name System|DNS]] queries from returning IPv6 addresses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lists.apple.com/archives/ipv6-dev/2010/Feb/msg00003.html |title=Two new bugs reported |publisher=Lists.apple.com |date=February 4, 2010 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707153537/http://lists.apple.com/archives/ipv6-dev/2010/Feb/msg00003.html |archivedate=July 7, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Iljitsch Van Beijnum |url=https://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/09/there-is-no-plan-b-why-the-ipv4-to-ipv6-transition-will-be-ugly.ars |title=There is no Plan B: why the IPv4-to-IPv6 transition will be ugly |website=[[Ars Technica]] |date=September 29, 2010 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522122344/http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/09/there-is-no-plan-b-why-the-ipv4-to-ipv6-transition-will-be-ugly.ars |archivedate=May 22, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Iljitsch Van Beijnum |url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/11/apple-fixes-broken-ipv6-by-breaking-it-some-more.ars |title=Apple fixes broken IPv6 by breaking it some more |website=[[Ars Technica]] |date=November 11, 2010 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529034200/http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/11/apple-fixes-broken-ipv6-by-breaking-it-some-more.ars |archivedate=May 29, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> This was resolved in 10.6.8.<ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://lists.apple.com/archives/ipv6-dev/2011/Jun/msg00038.html |title=10.6.8 seems better |publisher=Apple Inc. |mailinglist=Ipv6-dev |date=June 24, 2011 |accessdate=April 22, 2013 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803084848/http://lists.apple.com/archives/ipv6-dev/2011/Jun/msg00038.html |archivedate=August 3, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==Reception==
At the WWDC in 2009, Apple stated that Snow Leopard features no new major visual changes.<ref name="Siracusa'sReview">{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars | title=Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review | last=Siracusa | first=John | date=August 31, 2009 | work=Ars Technica | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422220034/http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars | archivedate=April 22, 2012 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Instead, the release focuses on refining the operating system to enable better performance.<ref name="Siracusa'sReview" />

OSNews reported that Mac OS X Snow Leopard was well received by critics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.osnews.com/story/22068 |title=Snow Leopard Reviews Positive, Upgrades Tiger Too |publisher=Osnews.com |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622091839/http://www.osnews.com/story/22068 |archivedate=June 22, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/27/review_roundup_apples_snow_leopard_sports_subtle_improvements.html |title=Review roundup: Apple's Snow Leopard sports subtle improvements |publisher=Appleinsider.com |date=August 27, 2009 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611230634/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/27/review_roundup_apples_snow_leopard_sports_subtle_improvements.html |archivedate=June 11, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Engadget reviewed Snow Leopard and pointed out that the price of Snow Leopard dropped from the $129 Apple charged for previous versions of Mac OS X to $29. Engadget's opinion was that this could be largely because most users would not see a noticeable change in the look and feel of the system.<ref name="engadget">{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2009/08/26/snow-leopard-review/ |title=Review From |publisher=Engadget.com |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629094653/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/26/snow-leopard-review/ |archivedate=June 29, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> However, most reviews commented on the large improvement in speed of the native Mac OS X applications [[Software:Finder|Finder]], iCal, Mail, etc.<ref name="engadget" />

CNET editors gave it 4 stars out of 5, stating "Intel Mac users will like Snow Leopard's smartly designed interface enhancements, and its [[Software:Microsoft Exchange Server|Exchange]] support is a must-have (especially with [[Software:Microsoft Outlook|Outlook]] for Mac on the way). With a ton of technological improvements, Snow Leopard is worth the $29 upgrade fee."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://reviews.cnet.com/macintosh-os/apple-mac-os-x/4505-3673_7-33676737.html |title=Snow Leopard Review and Rating from CNET |publisher=Reviews.cnet.com |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618005321/http://reviews.cnet.com/macintosh-os/apple-mac-os-x/4505-3673_7-33676737.html |archivedate=June 18, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

On October 21, 2009, ''SFGate'' blogger Yobie Benjamin wrote that the "MacBook Pro that came preloaded with Snow Leopard kicks butt and is a screaming fast machine", but "when I tried to upgrade one of my 'older' MacBooks, it was a fricking disaster from hell". Apart from upgrading, Benjamin also tried a clean install. But he complained of slowness even after his clean install. He wrote, "I ended up downgrading back to OSX 10.5.8" then he concluded by writing, "I might try to do it again but it won't be till Apple releases at least 2 major fix updates. If you want to roll the dice and try, go ahead... your upgrade might work, however, random installs not working is not good for me. Lesson learned --- I'll wait."<ref>{{cite news |last=Benjamin |first=Yobie |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ybenjamin/detail??blogid=150&entry_id=50077 |title=Windows 7 is darn good; Apple OS X Snow Leopard is a[sic] upgrade dog |publisher=Sfgate.com |date=October 21, 2009 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031214428/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ybenjamin/detail?%3Fblogid=150&entry_id=50077 |archivedate=October 31, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The single-user upgrade and Family Pack units of Snow Leopard ranked 1 and 2 respectively on Amazon.com's software bestseller charts when Apple announced it would release it within the week.<ref>{{cite web |last=Keizer |first=Gregg |url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9137052/Apple_s_Snow_Leopard_regains_top_two_Amazon_sales_spots |title=Snow Leopard Pre-Order sales |publisher=Computerworld.com |date=August 24, 2009 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605002536/http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9137052/Apple_s_Snow_Leopard_regains_top_two_Amazon_sales_spots |archivedate=June 5, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Testmac.com highlighted other unexpected improvements including the release of a new version of [[Software:Boot Camp|Boot Camp]], version 3.0, a cleaner, popup software update process and screen and video recording in the new QuickTime Player.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.testmac.net/osx-106-snow-leopard-preview/ |title=Review From TestMac.com |publisher=Testmac.net |date=June 26, 2008 |accessdate=June 21, 2011}}</ref>

The BBC reported that a bug in Mac OS X versions 10.6.0 and 10.6.1 which, in rare cases, caused loss of user account data after use of a previously  existing guest account by users who had upgraded from a previous version of Mac OS X, received wide publicity.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8304229.stm | title=Data losses in Snow Leopard bug | date=October 13, 2009 | work=BBC News}}</ref> The bug was fixed as of version 10.6.2.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/09/apple_releases_mac_os_x_10_6_2_with_guest_account_bug_fix.html |title=Apple releases Mac OS X 10.6.2 with guest account bug fix |publisher=Appleinsider.com |date=November 9, 2009 |accessdate=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611230657/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/09/apple_releases_mac_os_x_10_6_2_with_guest_account_bug_fix.html |archivedate=June 11, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==Release history==
Former Apple CEO [[Biography:Steve Jobs|Steve Jobs]] announced Snow Leopard at WWDC on June 9, 2008,<ref name="snow-leopard-preview-pr">{{cite press release|title=Apple Previews Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Developers|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2008/06/09Apple-Previews-Mac-OS-X-Snow-Leopard-to-Developers/|publisher=Apple Inc.|date=June 9, 2008|accessdate=January 10, 2018}}</ref> and it was privately demonstrated to developers by Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Bertrand Serlet. On Monday, May 11, 2009, after build 10A354, Apple issued a [[Software:Freeze (software engineering)|code freeze]] on Snow Leopard's [[Application programming interface|API]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2347118,00.asp |title=Analyst's View: What to Expect in Apple's Snow Leopard |accessdate=May 26, 2009 |work=PC Magazine |first=Michael |last=Muchmore |date=May 15, 2009 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521121115/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2C2817%2C2347118%2C00.asp |archivedate=May 21, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The first public demonstration was given at WWDC 2009 by Serlet and Vice President of Mac OS Engineering, [[Biography:Craig Federighi|Craig Federighi]].<ref name="snow-leopard-preview-pr"/><ref>{{cite web |author=Apple Inc. |url=http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/0906paowdnv/event/index.html?internal=ijalrmacu |title=Apple – QuickTime – Apple WWDC Keynote Address |publisher=Apple Inc. |year=2009 |accessdate=December 29, 2010 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109211953/http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/0906paowdnv/event/index.html?internal=ijalrmacu |archivedate=January 9, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!|Version
!|Build<ref name="build">{{cite web |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1633 |title=Mac OS X: About This Mac "build" information |publisher=Apple Inc. |date=April 14, 2010 |accessdate=April 26, 2010 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524170611/http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1633 |archivedate=May 24, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
! style="width: 128px;" |Date
! style="width: 76px;"  |OS name
!|Notes
!|Download
|-
|rowspan=2 |10.6
||10A432
|rowspan=2 |August 28, 2009
|rowspan=2 |[[Software:Darwin (operating system)|Darwin]] 10.0
||Original retail DVD release
|rowspan=2 {{n/a}}
|-
||10A433
||Server edition; Original retail DVD release
|-
||10.6.1
||10B504
||September 10, 2009
||Darwin 10.1
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.1 Update
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl930?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.1 Update]
|-
||10.6.2
||10C540
||November 9, 2009
||Darwin 10.2
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.2 Update
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl958?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.2 Update]
[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl959?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.3 Combo Update]
|-
|rowspan=3 |10.6.3
||10D573
||March 29, 2010
|rowspan=3 |Darwin 10.3
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.3 Update
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1018?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.3 Update]
|-
||10D575
||April 1, 2010
||Second retail DVD release
|{{n/a}}
|-
||10D578
||April 13, 2010
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.3 Update; v1.1
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1017?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.3 v1.1 Update (Combo)]
|-
||10.6.4
||10F569
||June 15, 2010
||Darwin 10.4
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.4 Update
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1049?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.4 Update]
[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1048?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.4 Update (Combo)]
|-
||10.6.5
||10H574
||November 10, 2010
||Darwin 10.5
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.5 Update
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1325?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.5 Update]
[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1324?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.5 Update (Combo)]
|-
||10.6.6
||10J567
||January 6, 2011
||Darwin 10.6
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.6 Update
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1343?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.6 Update]
[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1349?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.6 Update (Combo)]
|-
|rowspan=3 |10.6.7
||10J869
| rowspan="2"|March 21, 2011
|rowspan=3 |Darwin 10.7
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.7 Update
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1363?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.7 Update]
[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1361?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.7 Update (Combo)]
|-
||10J3250
||For the early 2011 Macbook Pro
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1368?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.7 Update for early 2011 MacBook Pro]
|-
||10J4138
||May 4, 2011
||For the early 2011 Macbook Pro
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1382?locale=en_US MacBook Pro Software Update 1.4]
|-
|rowspan=2 |10.6.8
||10K540
||June 23, 2011
|rowspan=2 |Darwin 10.8
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.8 Update
||Mac OS X v10.6.8 Update (Combo)
|-
||10K549
||July 25, 2011
||About the Mac OS X v10.6.8 Update; v1.1
||[https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1399?locale=en_US Mac OS X v10.6.8 v1.1 Update (Combo)]

|}

[[Software:Mac OS X Server#Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard|Mac OS X Server]] includes these features and other server-related features. Apple initially stated that Server would include [[ZFS]] support, but mention of this feature later disappeared from Apple's website and it was not included in the final release due to licensing issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/10/apple-abandons-zfs-on-mac-os-x-project-over-licensing-issues.ars|title=Apple abandons ZFS on Mac OS X project over licensing issues|accessdate=November 9, 2009|last=Foresman|first=Chris|date=October 26, 2009|work=Ars Technica|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114141634/http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/10/apple-abandons-zfs-on-mac-os-x-project-over-licensing-issues.ars|archivedate=November 14, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On January 27, 2016, until it got renamed from OS X to macOS and the release of [[Software:MacOS Sierra|macOS Sierra]] after [[Software:OS X El Capitan|OS X El Capitan]],{{clarify|reason=What does "until" mean here?  Did they stop distributing the update after Sierra came out?|date=November 2019}} [[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]] released an update for the Mac App Store on Mac OS X 10.6. The update was titled "Mac App Store Update for OS X Snow Leopard". The download was 3.5 MB.<ref name="mas_jan16"/><ref>{{Cite web|title = Apple releases OS X 10.11.4 public beta 2 + rare update for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard|url = http://9to5mac.com/2016/01/27/os-x-10-11-4-public-beta-2/|website = 9to5Mac|access-date = 2016-01-28|first = Zac|last = Hall|url-status = live|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160128010523/http://9to5mac.com/2016/01/27/os-x-10-11-4-public-beta-2/|archivedate = January 28, 2016|df = mdy-all}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Software:List of Macintosh software|List of Macintosh software]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://www.apple.com/support/snowleopard/ Mac OS X Snow Leopard] at Apple.com
* [https://www.apple.com/server/macosx/ Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard] at Apple.com
* [http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/ Mac OS X Snow Leopard application compatibility list]: a user-edited list of Mac applications that have been tested on Snow Leopard
* [https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6.ars/ Mac OS X Snow Leopard review] at [[Ars Technica]]

{{S-start}}	
{{Succession box
 | title =  Mac OS X 10.6
 | years =2009
 | before = [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X 10.5]]
 | after = [[Software:Mac OS X Lion|Mac OS X 10.7]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{macOS}}
{{Apple Inc. operating systems}}
{{Apple Inc.}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac OS X V10.6}}
[[Category:MacOS]]
[[Category:IA-32 operating systems]]
[[Category:X86-64 operating systems]]

{{Sourceattribution|Mac OS X Snow Leopard}}