Apple this month released macOS Tahoe, the latest version of the company's Mac operating system. macOS Tahoe 26 adopts Apple's new Liquid Glass design along with new customizations, a new Phone app, and updated capabilities across the platform.
In this article, we've selected 50 new features and lesser-known changes that are worth checking out if you're upgrading. What do you think of macOS Tahoe so far? Let us know in the comments.
1. Terminal Refresh
Apple's Terminal app gets a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal supports 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, and adopts the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader visual overhaul.
2. macOS Themes
In macOS Tahoe, Apple introduces the concept of Themes, with new appearance settings that go beyond the traditional Light and Dark modes. In System Settings ➝ Appearance, there are still the standard Auto, Light, and Dark modes, but Apple has added several options that allow you to create your own stylized desktop environment. "Accent color" has become "Color," and there's a new "Text highlight color" option, so you can now make highlighted text appear in a different shade to buttons, pop-up menus, radio buttons, checkboxes, and focused outlines.
3. Folder Colors
In System Settings ➝ Appearance, the default setting maintains the classic macOS look with app icons displaying their original colors. But you can now customize folder colors independently through a dedicated new "Folder Color" setting. When set to Automatic, folders retain their traditional blue appearance, but switching to other colors like purple will change all folder colors system-wide.
4. Dark Icons
In System Settings ➝ Appearance, in the new "Icon & widget style" section, a new Dark option applies black backgrounds to icons throughout the system interface, including System Settings sidebar icons (this works in both Light and Dark modes).
5. Clear Style
In System Settings ➝ Appearance, in the new "Icon & widget style" section, a new Clear setting emphasizes the Liquid Glass redesign and adds a new transparency by picking up background colors, creating a more translucent interface effect. Clear also includes Light and Dark variants, or it can be set to Auto for automatic day-night switching.
6. Tinted Style
In System Settings ➝ Appearance, in the new "Icon & widget style" section, a new Tinted option allows comprehensive color customization of both icons and folders. With "Tinted" selected, the Folder color setting becomes "Icon, widget & folder color," allowing you to select from preset colors or choose custom tints using the Other option (which includes a color picker and a theme color).
7. Volume/Brightness Overlays
The traditional large overlays that appear when you adjust volume and brightness are gone, and have been replaced with smaller, oblong overlays that appear in the top-right of the screen under the menu bar, notification-style.
8. Background Apps
macOS now notifies you via a new popup when apps attempt to run a daemon after they have been closed. You can "Always Allow" the background process to run or you can deny it permission.
9. No Unified Safari URL Bar
Safari no longer offers the option to unify the tab bar and the address bar (the Compact tab layout setting), perhaps because it wasn't popular with users. Apple could always reinstate it in a later software update.
10. Apple Notes Markdown
Apple Notes now allows you to import and export text in the popular Markdown format. Markdown is a lightweight markup language that some writers prefer to use over rich text. Rather than using HTML for bold, italics, links, and headers, it uses quick character shortcuts like **bold** or #header.
11. Search by App
When searching in Spotlight, type the app name (e.g. Notes, Calendar) then press the Tab key. Now type a term to search only within that app.
12. Message Polls
The ability to create polls in conversations has been a mainstay of rival messaging platforms. And now, Messages finally has it too. You can add up to 12 choices in a poll, and then send it to people in a conversation to vote on. If you send a poll and someone thinks an option is missing, they can even edit it and add in another choice. Note that users need to have a device with iOS 26 or macOS Tahoe installed in order to interact with polls in Message conversations.
13. Games App
Apple's new Games app lists all the games installed on your Mac, even if they weren't downloaded from the App Store. The interface includes Home, Arcade, Play Together, a... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: 50 New macOS Tahoe Features and Changes Worth Checking Out
