macOS Tahoe is now available for all users with a supported MacBook or Mac desktop. Here are 15 things you must check out after updating to it.
Once your Mac (from 2019, 2020, and later) boots into macOS Tahoe, you’ll start seeing the new Liquid Glass software design language right from the setup screen to the welcome message and beyond. It’s the same design style that’s in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.
This new glass design reflects and refracts the background and surroundings of buttons, menus, sliders, navigation bars, widgets, etc., creating a translucent effect. Many people, including me, love it. At the same time, others have been vocal about its inconsistencies and visibility issues (like the background being too transparent and making the actual item hard to see).
In addition to Liquid Glass design, macOS Tahoe 26 has added a bunch of new features and improvements. Here are the top ones you must try and know about!
The Launchpad is gone!
I loved the Launchpad, but it’s gone in macOS Tahoe.
To see all your Mac applications in one spot, use the same four- or five-finger pinch-in trackpad gesture or click the new Apps (same as the old Launchpad app) icon in Mac’s Dock. You can also access your apps by pressing the Command + Space Bar + 1 keys.
Open iPhone apps on Mac
When you access your Mac apps in the new Applications overlay, you’ll notice that it also shows your iPhone apps, provided you’ve iPhone Mirroring set up. Clicking an iOS app here will open it in the iPhone Mirroring window. If you don’t find this useful, click the menu button to hide the iPhone apps and view only your Mac apps.
Use the new Spotlight Search
You can still invoke Spotlight Search by pressing the Command + Space Bar keys or by clicking the magnifying icon in the menu bar. However, it now features additional buttons to display only your apps, files, run Actions, and access the clipboard. You can also set up Quick Keys for your frequently used actions, making them easier to trigger. We’ve created a separate tutorial that explains everything about the new macOS 26 Spotlight.
Try the built-in clipboard feature
If you’ve been using third-party clipboard apps like CopyClip or Paste, then you’d be glad to know that macOS Tahoe now has a built-in clipboard history feature that saves not only text but even images, PDFs, and more. You can access Mac’s built-in clipboard in Spotlight or by directly pressing the Command + Space Bar + 4 keys.
Customize your Control Center
Just like iOS and iPadOS, macOS 26 lets you fully customize Mac’s Control Center by adding new icons or removing existing ones. Simply, click its icon in the menu bar, hit Edit Controls, and start personalizing it with various app and system controls.
Previous macOS versions allowed you to hold the Command key and then remove or rearrange tiny app and system icons in the top menu bar. The latest macOS Tahoe takes it further, and you can now view all apps and extensions that are allowed to show up in the menu bar and revoke their permission from one comfortable screen: System Settings > Menu Bar > Allow in Menu Bar.
Add color, icon, and emoji to folders
macOS Tahoe lets you personalize the folder and make it stand out from the rest of the blue folder icons. All you need to do is right-click/Control-click on a folder in Finder, select Customize Folder, and pick a colored tag, icon, or emoji.
Change the look of app icons
Similar to iPhone and iPad, you can switch to clear, tinted, or dark app icons for Mac’s Dock, Applications overlay, System Settings, share menu, and elsewhere. Go to macOS Tahoe System Settings > Appearance and select your preferred Icon & Widget style.
Customize Mac’s Lock Screen clock
Even though you can’t increase Mac’s Lock Screen clock size like you can in iOS 26, you do have the option to change the font and weight. Head to System Settings > Wallpaper > Clock Appearance to make these customizations.
Use the new Phone app
macOS Tahoe and iPadOS 26 get a new Apple Phone app that lets you make phone calls via the SIM card on your iPhone, all without touching your phone.
Journal app is now on Mac
If you loved journaling on your iPhone, you’ll be glad to know that this Apple app has made its way to Mac and iPad, so you can write about your day comfortably from a bigger screen.
Live Activities
When you have active Live Activities from an app on your iPhone, it will automatically start showing on your Mac. So, if you’re working in your office and request an Uber, you can track its status right on your Mac by clicking the Live Activities icon in the top menu bar. You don’t have to reach for your iPhone every time to know how far your cab is.
Add message backgrounds
Just like iOS 26, you can now add a photo or a custom color as the background for your text conversation. Both you and the other person will see this new background. All you need to do is click the name of the person from the top of the chat screen, go to the Backgrounds tab, and pick an option.
Mac can inform you when someone says your name
If you wear noise-canceling headphones like AirPods or Beats, this tip is going to be extremely handy for you. You can teach your Mac to recognize your name, and when someone says your name, you’ll get an alert on the screen. Go to macOS Tahoe System Settings > Accessibility and click the new Name Recognition option.
Other notable changes
macOS Tahoe 26 also brings these improvements to elevate your user experience:
- Vehicle Motion Cues on MacBook Air and MacBook Pro to reduce motion sickness when you’re in a moving vehicle.
- Live Translation for Messages, FaceTime Live Captions, and spoken translations for calls in the Apple Phone app.
- A new Games app to access all your Mac App Store and Apple Arcade titles in one spot.
- You can set up automation to run shortcuts automatically based on different conditions. Shortcuts can also tap into Apple Intelligence models.
- You can now export a note from the Apple Notes app as Markdown and even import one.
- The Apple Passwords app keeps a record of your previous account passwords.
- Linux containers can run natively within macOS, thanks to macOS Tahoe’s support for Apple’s open-source Container project.
Are these changes exciting enough for you to upgrade to macOS Tahoe? If so, here’s a quick checklist that outlines steps to prepare your Mac for the new macOS Tahoe update. And if you don’t like the new Liquid Glass design, you can minimize its effect using display accessibility tools.