POSTED ON June 10, 2025 by Arup Ratan Paul At WWDC 2025, Apple introduced the next major update to its Mac operating system: macOS Tahoe 26, arriving this fall. This release brings a visually striking redesign called Liquid Glass, alongside new Continuity features, an overhauled Spotlight search, and a dedicated Games app. Here’s a detailed look at what macOS Tahoe 26 offers.
Apple has unified its operating system version numbers across platforms, so macOS jumps from version 15 (Sequoia) directly to 26 this year, aligning with iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The name “Tahoe” continues Apple’s tradition of naming macOS versions after scenic California locations, this time inspired by the clear waters of Lake Tahoe.
The centerpiece of macOS Tahoe 26 is the Liquid Glass design, a translucent material that reflects and refracts surroundings dynamically. This design gives the Dock, sidebars, toolbars, and app icons a glassy, layered look with specular highlights that adapt to light and dark environments. The menu bar becomes completely transparent, visually expanding the desktop space and creating an elegant, immersive experience.
Users gain more ways to personalize their Mac’s appearance, including:
Customizable folder colors beyond the traditional light blue.
The ability to add icons or emojis to folders.
Refined controls and navigation bars that fluidly morph and adapt to user interaction.
This design overhaul, inspired by Apple’s visionOS and powered by advances in hardware and graphics, extends across macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS for a more harmonious ecosystem.
macOS Tahoe 26 introduces two major Continuity features that deepen Mac and iPhone integration:
Phone App on Mac: Users can now make and receive calls, check recent calls, listen to voicemails, and access contacts directly from their Mac without picking up their iPhone. The app syncs seamlessly and includes new Call Screening and Hold Assist capabilities to manage calls more efficiently.
Live Activities: Real-time updates for flights, ride-sharing, sports scores, and more appear in the Mac’s menu bar. Users can interact with these notifications and open iPhone Mirroring for detailed actions, keeping them informed without switching devices.
Spotlight search is revamped to intelligently rank results by relevance and introduce powerful filtering options. Users can perform hundreds of actions directly from Spotlight—such as sending emails, creating notes, playing podcasts, or launching Shortcuts—without opening additional apps. It learns user habits to surface personalized actions and offers “quick keys” for fast access to frequent tasks.
Games App: A new app dedicated to gaming will debut, enhancing entertainment options on Mac.
Control Center: Redesigned with expanded toggles and customizable themes for a unified desktop look.
macOS Tahoe 26 is currently available as a developer beta, with a public beta scheduled for July and a free final release this fall. Most Macs with Apple M-series processors will support the update, including:
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (2020 and later with Apple silicon)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020 with four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
iMac (2020 and later)
Mac mini (2020 and later)
Mac Studio (2022 and later)
Mac Pro (2019 and later)
macOS Tahoe 26 marks Apple’s most significant visual and functional update to the Mac in years, blending beauty with productivity and seamless device integration. Users can look forward to a more personalized, intuitive, and connected Mac experience this fall.
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