Learn how to revert Apple’s Liquid Glass design changes for the Mac’s menu bar in macOS Tahoe bar by replacing the default frosted look with a solid background.
macOS Tahoe 26 is currently in testing, with a version for public beta testers following in July. Apple will release the operating system to the public in the fall. To get this feature earlier, install the macOS Tahoe beta on a separate partition so you can use the new operating system alongside your current macOS installation.
Apple has fixed the frosted menu bar appearance by adding a dedicated option to use a solid background to the second developer beta of macOS Tahoe. The new toggle assuages initial complaints about the frosted menu bar background which came as part of the Liquid Glass redesign in the first developer beta.
It’s still not quite the same as the good ol’ menu bar in macOS Sequoia, but it’s certainly better than nothing, and the Reduce Transparency accessibility feature brings it a bit closer to the original pre-Liquid Glass design in macOS Sequoia and earlier. Follow along with our tutorial right ahead to learn how to turn on the menu bar background on your Mac and use it with the Reduce Transparency feature.
macOS Tahoe: How to turn on the menu bar background
You can switch between a transparent and solid menu bar background in System Settings > Menu Bar by toggling the option labeled “Show menu bar background.”
Turning this switch on will remove the transparency effect from the menu bar, causing the menu bar background to be tinted with the wallpaper’s primary color.
In the first beta, the menu bar did not have a solid background something Mac owners have been accustomed to for many years. As evidenced in the screenshot below, the menu bar in the first macOS Tahoe beta was exclusively transparent, with the desktop wallpaper showing through with a frosted glass effect.
Transparency also affects menu bar icons in the top-right corner, causing them to appear directly overlaid on top of the wallpaper instead of being an integral part of the menu bar. The closest you can get to Sequoia’s menu bar is by turning on the accessibility option to reduce transparency in System Settings > Accessibility > Display.
Doing so replaces the menu bar’s solid background, which inherits the primary color of the wallpaper beneath, with a standard solid gray background as seen on macOS Sequoia and earlier.
However, this is basically a band-aid solution because turning on the Reduce Transparency feature will also reduce or remove transparency in other parts of the user interface.
Apple fixes the Finder icon, albeit partially
The second beta of macOS Tahoe partially fixed the reversed Finder icon from the first beta that angered loyal fans. I say “partially” because, as John Gruber points out, the right side of the logo representing a happy Mac face in profile looks as if something stuck on top of a blue face tile, which isn’t how the Finder logo looks.