The burger chain said Wednesday that it plans 10,000 new restaurants worldwide by 2027.
That could make it the fast-food giant's fastest-ever period of expansion.
The news came as McDonald's held a gathering for investors.
It says many of the new outlets will be in overseas markets, with more than 3,500 just in China.
The country is its second-biggest market, and it recently struck a deal to gain greater control over its branches there.
McDonald's has been largely unaffected by a choppy year for consumer spending in the U.S., thanks to its affordable menu.
Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski said he was wary about making predictions for next year, but said the consumer had proved to be "very resilient".
Now the new expansion plan will see it hit about 50,000 restaurants worldwide by 2027.
One analyst called the plan ambitious, but exciting, and said McDonald's has the capacity to pull it off.
Among other initiatives, the chain is aiming to massively increase the number of people using its loyalty program.
McDonald's is also partnering with Google Cloud to deploy AI systems in its restaurants.
That should give it more visibility into each outlet, allowing it to identify cost savings and improve efficiency.
