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Apple released macOS Tahoe on September 15, which means it's now available for all Macs that support it. If you didn't download the new software yet, here are some features that might entice you to upgrade.


  • Liquid Glass - macOS Tahoe has a whole new design, and it matches the Liquid Glass that Apple brought to iOS 26. Buttons, navigation bars, widgets, the Dock, menus, side bars, and more all have a more translucent look that reflects the background underneath and refracts light. There are new icon options, including tinted and entirely clear.
  • Customizable Control Center - You can rearrange the Control Center in macOS Tahoe, putting what you access most often front and center. You're also able to use multiple Control Center pages, and add third-party app controls like on iOS.
  • Customizable Menu Bar - You can also rearrange the Menu Bar, plus add Control Center controls to it. Live Activities from the iPhone will also show up in the Menu Bar now through iPhone Mirroring.
  • Spotlight Redesign - Spotlight is very different in macOS Tahoe, and it might take some getting used to. There's no more Launchpad, because the new Spotlight functionality has replaced it. There are four main Spotlight options to access apps, files, complete actions, and access the Clipboard History.
  • Clipboard - Spotlight now saves what you copy and paste, so you have a log of what you've been doing that you can go back and reference. You can see your entire history for the day, but it is limited to 24 hours.
  • Spotlight Actions - You can use Spotlight Actions to do all kinds of things without opening an app. You can send texts, emails, create shortcuts for features in apps, set timers, create Calendar events, make reminders, and much more, plus there's integration with the Shortcuts app to take things even further. There are quick access phrases you can assign to launch tasks quickly, like CH for bringing up ChatGPT.
  • Folder Customization - You can assign colors to folders, and also add an emoji or character to help you better organize your files. Folders get a color tag, which is a useful way to group things together.
  • Widgets - You can move widgets from the Notification Center to the desktop for quicker access. This works with widgets from Apple apps and from third-party apps.
  • Shortcuts - The macOS Shortcuts app supports creating automations, much like the Shortcuts app in iOS 26. You can make Shortcuts that run at a specific time of day, with a trigger action, when an accessory connects, when an action in an app takes place, when the battery drains to a certain level, when activating a Focus mode, and more. It's super powerful when paired with Spotlight's new functionality.
  • Phone App - Apple brought the Phone app to the Mac, so you can make calls, accept calls, and use features like Hold Assist and Call Screening. You still need a connected iPhone with Wi-Fi Assist turned on.
  • Journal App - The Journal app is new to the Mac, and it makes a lot of sense on a platform that has a full keyboard. It works just like the iOS version of the app, but there are also some added features like the option to create multiple journals.
  • Games App - The Games app is also new to the Mac. It's a cross-platform app that aggregates Mac App Store games and Apple Arcade games with your own games library, plus it provides options for playing with friends. There's a new Game Overlay that lets you adjust game settings and connect with friends without exiting the game, and if you're on battery, there's a Low Power Mode so you can play longer.
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For more on the new features in macOS Tahoe, make sure to check out our roundup.

Article Link: 10+ macOS Tahoe Features You Should Check Out
 
  • Liquid Glass - macOS Tahoe has a whole new design, and it matches the Liquid Glass that Apple brought to iOS 26. Buttons, navigation bars, widgets, the Dock, menus, side bars, and more all have a more translucent look that reflects the background underneath and refracts light. There are new icon options, including tinted and entirely clear.

After updating one of my iPhones to iOS 26, and reading the above, I can confidently say I'm skipping MacOS 26 until I'm confident all this liquid glass UI "enhancements" can be completely disabled.

This has been one of the worst aesthetic design choices I've seen Apple make. It reminds me of when Microsoft rolled out Windows Vista.
 
I find Liquid Glass to be bloated and horribly distracting on iOS, and almost as bad on Mac. Oversized tool icons, folders that adopt a color from the first tag, rounded corners that cramp toolbars. None of this is necessary and almost all of it is ugly.
 
To my surprise, Liquid Glass isn't annoying me as much as I thought it would, at least on my iPhone, iPad and Watch; but my computers will need to wait until I know for sure that Adobe CC isn't going to go bonkers.

I agree that Apple should have a method to turn it off; but as we all know, Apple knows best. Might be time for Apple UI designers to re-read Jef Raskin's principles of UI design.

I personally like the more flat, high contrast UI, but whatever.
 
I've just completed my updates and I'm starting to get familiarised with the new look and feel. I know that I will eventually get used to stuff, but my first impression is that Liquid Glass is dreadful. Pretty much everything that everyone else has complained about I completely agree with. Visually it is an absolute mess and a disaster. Such poor design choices from Apple, and they really do spoil the UI's in their entire range of devices.

My main gripe on iOS/iPadOS is the silly "glassy" bubble effect that attempts to simulate curved glass sliding over text, particularly on the navigator bar in most apps. Why? Just Why? It serves absolutely no useful purpose and doesn't just look bad - it's irritating. My list of other gripes is a long one.

For macOS, it's just as long. Let's start with the missing compact tabs in Safari. WTF?

I'm normally pretty laid back about this kind of stuff, but the number of bad decisions is just monumental.

Apple - please remind your designers "Just because we can do a thing - it doesn't mean we should".

Is this the worst UI I've ever seen? I think it might be. It's definitely the worst thing I've ever seen Apple do an I've been using their kit a long time.
 
Some of these new features I think will be useful. Also I feel a lot of times I wouldn't use a new feature but after trying it, find it helpful. I'm not sure how I feel about the liquid glass UI yet though.
 
Yeah... holding off on this update because of Launchpad removal plus minor concerns on liquid glass on a desktop/laptop system.

Launchpad and app drawer / app launching experience is the deal breaker. Crazy that they felt the need to completely remove Launchpad and replace it with a worse user experience.
 
After updating one of my iPhones to iOS 26, and reading the above, I can confidently say I'm skipping MacOS 26 until I'm confident all this liquid glass UI "enhancements" can be completely disabled.

This has been one of the worst aesthetic design choices I've seen Apple make. It reminds me of when Microsoft rolled out Windows Vista.
For what it's worth, I'm barely even noticing the liquid glass on tahoe.
 
Does anyone have an error in Apple Music dark mode? It's mainly in search, home, news, and radio. The top part of the ui is darker, and the content appears a blue-ish dark color.
 
Filevault is turned on by default.
No option to disable.
Now I can't disable before everything is encrypted.

I´m not happy about that 😔
Everything on your internal data volume is encrypted anyway (on Apple Silicon, or Macs with T2 chip). That's why enabling FileVault happens instantly these days. The only question is whether it is protected by a user password or not. Just turn it off again if it was enabled automatically.
 
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For what it's worth, I'm barely even noticing the liquid glass on tahoe.
Same. I upgraded all my devices yesterday (iPhone, iPad, iMac, AirPods Pro, HomePod mini), and other than the HomePod, the iMac is where I notice the least difference.

To me, there's nothing worth getting excited about and nothing worth being mad about - the icons and UI look a little different, but within a week or two I'll be used to them and probably won't even notice them.
 
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