While iOS may have taken much of the spotlight during the beta season since WWDC25, macOS Tahoe 26 packs multiple welcome features in the update rolling out right now across the world.Here’s what’s new.Liquid Glass Yes, the system looks different, but not as dramatically different as iOS 26.
You will notice that much of the Liquid Glass looks stuck to the Dock, app icons, the new Control Center, the App Switcher, and Desktop widgets while the rest of the system adopted a more muted, frostier look.Desktop widgets This is perhaps one of the more common wishlist items for macOS users worldwide.Now, you can finally add widgets to the desktop, setting them free from Notification Center.
Desktop widgets have a Liquid Glass look, and like with Notification Center widgets, you can add them from both native and third-party apps.Second only to the new Spotlight, this simple new feature has unexpectedly streamlined quite a bit of my workflow when it comes to quickly-glanceable information I may need during the day.Spotlight This is probably one of the most significant changes, and it will be useful to casual and heavy users alike.
Spotlight now includes a clipboard history tab (which you can quickly access by pressing Cmd + 4 after invoking Spotlight), as well as Applications (Cmd + 1), Files (Cmd + 2), and Actions (Cmd + 3) tabs.And speaking of Actions, they introduce Quick Keys, which work as shortcut snippets for commonly used commands and features.Quick Keys can streamline everyday actions, like composing and sending text messages and emails, running shortcuts, and more.
That includes third-party apps.During beta season, the new Spotlight shortcuts became one of my favorite macOS Tahoe new features, and it still feels like I barely scratched the surface of everything that is just one Cmd + Space away.Automation This long-awaited feature is now making its way to macOS Tahoe 26, letting users set shortcuts to run automatically based on the time of day, or based on triggers such as saving a new file to a folder, turning Do Not Disturb on or off, and even connecting to external accessories.
Automation is by far one of the most interesting and effective ways to streamline any type of work that users can do on their Macs.And the fact that Apple is adding deeper support to it from Shortcuts and even from Spotlight means that countless users will now have even more contact with it, which is fantastic.If you’ve never looked into automation, there has never been a better or easier time to get started.
You will not regret taking the time to dive into it.Control Center macOS Tahoe 26 now includes a Control Center feature, which can be accessed from the menu bar.Like on iOS and iPadOS, you can customize which controls you want to see there, as well as the layout and how much space each control should take.
You can also add specific controls directly to the menu bar, including the new Vehicle Cues feature, and controls from third-party apps.Continuity While we’re talking about features inherited from iOS and iPadOS, you can now see Live Activities from your iPhone right from the macOS menu bar.When you click on it, macOS Tahoe 26 opens iPhone Mirroring, allowing you to take action without ever having to touch your iPhone.
New apps Phone: While this touches on Continuity, it also means that users can start and better manage calls from the new native Phone app, rather than just answering them.The new app features all the bells and whistles from iOS 26, including Call Screening and Hold Assist.Journal: While journaling users have had to rely on the iOS version of this app for the past couple of years, the app is now making its way to macOS Tahoe 26, as well as iPadOS 26.
This means more comfortable typing and, even new features, such as a map view, and multiple journal management.Apple Games: Coming to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS at once, this new app is basically Apple’s gaming hub, with its own editorial content and centralized cloud saves so gamers can pick up where they left off in their favorite titles.Compatibility macOS Tahoe 26 is compatible with these devices: MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later) MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later) MacBook Pro (16‑inch, 2019) MacBook Pro (13‑inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) iMac (2020 and later) Mac mini (2020 and later) Mac Studio (2022 and later) Mac Pro (2019 and later) 9to5Mac’s take macOS Tahoe 26 may not have been the highlight of the beta season, but it does deliver plenty of quality-of-life upgrades throughout the system.
From suggested reminders to the same Messages polls and backgrounds support that is coming to iPadOS and iOS, from further folder customization to Live Translation on Messages, Phone, and FaceTime, macOS Tahoe really adds features for every type of user and workflow, and you can read more about them here.That said, it’s not without its bugs.During my usage across the entire beta season, including last week’s RC version, I kept experiencing Spaces and Dock freezes whenever I came back from a full-screen app to the Desktop space.
That means the Dock becomes completely unresponsive for a good 3–5 seconds, and swiping back to the full-screen space also does nothing.Top comment by Kevin Hanson Liked by 1 people I'm typically a day one updater, and I'm doing my phone right now...but for my mac, i'm gonna wait a bit this time.
Nothing sounds exciting.Plenty of the things sound risky and buggy.(except the phone app - i am excited about that) View all comments Spotlight also occasionally stops finding apps and documents until I reboot the system.That temporarily fixes it, as well as the Dock/Spaces freezes, but they do come back after a while.
So, depending on how critically you rely on Spotlight or on Spaces for your workflow, it may be worth holding off on updating until macOS Tahoe 26.1 comes out in a few weeks.Of course, your mileage may vary, and you may not run into these bugs at all.They also don’t take away from the massive upgrades and new features, some of which I honestly can’t live without anymore.
Be sure to check out ’s coverage of today’s Apple OS releases:
iOS 26 is now available, here’s what’s new for iPhone
iPadOS 26 now available with huge upgrades, here’s what’s new
watchOS 26 is now available, here’s what’s new for Apple Watch
visionOS 26 now available starting today: Here’s what’s new for Apple Vision Pro
Here are the best new Apple Intelligence features from today’s updates
Accessory deals on Amazon
AirPods Pro 3 – Preorder
Apple AirTag 4 Pack
Apple AirTag
Beats USB-C to USB-C Woven Short Cable
Wireless CarPlay adapter
You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop.Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel
