Change inbox badge color for easier readability

[jkoerber]

I just upgraded to OS 12.2 from OS 10.14. Lots of interface changes, many of which I don't like or am having difficulty using.

One in particular that is troublesome is the color of the Inbox badges showing counts of unread messages (Not the Mac Mail dock icon count).

Currently these show up in a very pale gray color (see my attached screenshot below) with the unread count for each mailbox. In my old Mac Mail, these were blue or some other bold color making it easy to see. My eyesight isn't so great anymore and I have looked through all of the settings I could find, and don't see a way to change this. I would really like to change these badges either to a much darker gray or to a classic blue.

Any suggestions? If it requires a hack into an XML file, prefs file, or some other editable system setting, I am okay with that (use BBEdit and code applications in PHP and Javascript).

Thanks!

 

[gilby101]

Not the solution you want, the best I can offer is to increase contrast in System Preferences > Accessibility:

I find interface changes painful every year when I upgrade macOS. But I gradually get used to them or find third party software (e.g. Bartender) which mitigates the worst changes new features.

 

[jkoerber]

gilby101, that does help slightly, but I don't think I can take all the bold edges and lines that accessibility setting adds to every other part of the user interface. I feel like I still need a hack into the mail app settings to just change it's user interface.

I had played with that setting earlier but couldn't tolerate the overall changes. But I do appreciate the comment. Thanks!