My elderly relative accidentally updated their Mac to Tahoe and is disappointed

[Sami13496]

As the title says, my elderly relative accidentally updated their Mac to Tahoe. They install every new update as soon as it becomes available for security reasons; they have heard that the latest version is always the safest. They don’t really know or understand the difference between minor and major updates, and they don’t follow tech news closely enough to have been aware of the problems associated with Tahoe.

So now they’re running Tahoe on a Mac mini connected to a 27-inch Samsung 4K display. It was interesting to hear what stood out to them first as a user, since they had no preconceptions about Tahoe at all. They hadn’t heard anything about its potential issues or even its new features.

The first thing they mentioned was that icons and text look blurry. I had always assumed this was more about Tahoe’s different visual style making things look a bit washed out, but could there be something else going on? In particular, they were puzzled that when they go to Google’s homepage, the Google logo looks blurry, and according to them, it definitely wasn’t like that before the update.

I’m already a bit paranoid about this issue myself, so any tips or shared experiences are welcome. I’m going to visit them later this week to look at the situation in person.

 

[Boppi]

Is it a Apple silicone M version Mac mini or an older Intel. You might suggest they open System Settings then select Dislpays in the left pane and choose the default resolution, or another one that isn't blurry. After a major update that would be the first place to start.

 

[Sami13496]

Is it a Apple silicone M version Mac mini or an older Intel. You might suggest they open System Settings then select Dislpays in the left pane and choose the default resolution, or another one that isn't blurry. After a major update that would be the first place to start.

M2 Mac Mini. Thanks. We will check that first.

 

[Fishrrman]

Re the "blurry" display...

I'd suggest trying the "BetterDisplay" app.
It has both a "free" version and a "paid upgrade".
The free version may be all you need.

It may help.
If it doesn't, just remove it or leave it off.

 

[iBookmaster]

I’m 64 and ok with how things look. Do I think Mac OS 10.3 looks the best? Yes but, Apple is always changing employees and feels like they need to update/change things. It is ok but, not my favorite look of all the past Mac OS versions.