With the arrival of macOS 26 TahoeApple is embarking on a sweeping overhaul of its desktop operating system, reinforcing aspects such as design, artificial intelligence integration, and productivity features. This move, unveiled at WWDC 2025, involves not only visual changes but also improvements to key apps and a new focus on the user experience, while maintaining the signature essence of Macs. Discover what's new in macOS 26.
The jump in numbering It's also striking: Apple has abandoned the traditional sequence for associating the operating system version with the year. Therefore, starting this year, it's moving directly to macOS 26, aligning the numbering with other systems such as iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, making it easier to quickly recognize the current version on all of the brand's devices.
Complete redesign: Liquid Glass and a more adaptable interface
The visual appearance of macOS 26 represents one of the biggest changes in the system's recent history.The new interface, based on the Liquid Glass concept, introduces translucent elements that reflect and refract the surroundings. The desktop, Dock, sidebars, and toolbars now have a cleaner background that emphasizes the content.
La Menu bar is completely transparent, giving a sense of spaciousness, and the Control Center is redesigned with expanded customization options. It is now possible change folder colors, including symbols or emojis to differentiate them, and adjusting the most frequently used controls to the user's preferences. This visual consistency extends to app icons, which adapt to both light and dark modes, creating a more personal and modern environment.
Spotlight: The nerve center is strengthened
The renewed tool Spotlight now plays a central role in productivity. Beyond searching for files, allows direct actions to be executed such as sending emails, creating notes, or playing podcasts, without having to open other apps. Developers can also integrate new features using the App Intents API, expanding their capabilities.
Highlights the possibility of configuring custom shortcuts from settings, so that short commands can perform specific tasks. The system learns the user's usual routines and suggests tailored actions, making Spotlight almost like a versatile "terminal" from which to centralize daily management.
Searches are intelligently grouped, displaying results of different types (files, apps, messages, events, etc.) within a single list, with new filtering and visual navigation options that make locating content much faster. You can even view files in the cloud and access your clipboard history or iPhone apps thanks to Continuity integration.
Apple Intelligence more present: translation, automation, and creativity
Apple's personal artificial intelligence, known as Apple Intelligence, is significantly strengthened in macOS 26. Among its new features, highlights real-time translation both in the Phone app and in Messages and FaceTime. This makes it easier to communicate in different languages, as messages and calls can be automatically and privately translated using templates that work on the device itself.
La app Shortcuts Shortcuts now allows you to create more complex and automated workflows, such as summarizing texts, generating images, or managing tasks at specific times of day. Users can also access external AI models (including ChatGPT) for complex tasks, while maintaining control over the privacy of their information.
On the creative level, Image Playground and Genmoji They allow you to create personalized images and emojis with greater detail, modifying elements such as hairstyle, expression, or accessories. These tools open the door to new forms of customization and expression within the system.
Improved Mac and iPhone integration: Phone and Live Activities
The function of Continuity It extends with the arrival of the Native Phone app for Mac. This makes it easier to receive, manage, and make calls from your computer when your iPhone is nearby, accessing your contact lists, favorites, and voicemails. New features include call filter, which identifies and filters unwanted numbers, and Hold Assist, which allows you to continue working while waiting to be answered during a service call.
At the same time, the Live activities They're now available in the menu bar, displaying real-time notifications about orders, flights, or sporting events right on your desktop. Thus, integration between Apple devices is becoming increasingly seamless and immediate.
Apple Games and the boost to gaming on the Mac
One of the surprises of macOS 26 is the new approach in the world of gaming. The application Apple Games groups all the user's titles in a single space, facilitating access, purchase and management of both their own games and those from Apple Arcade or Game Center. The mode Game Overlay allows you to adjust settings, chat with friends, and even activate low-power mode while playing, all without leaving the game.
Furthermore, Metal 4, the latest generation of Apple's graphics technology, brings significant improvements in visual quality and performance, propelling the Mac as a cutting-edge gaming platform. New titles and expanded compatibility reinforce this commitment.
Updated apps and other notable improvements
safari It receives a visual redesign with floating tabs and new navigation options. Browser performance remains a priority, with improved speed and power management compared to alternatives like Chrome or Edge.
In Messages app Surveys, new customizable backgrounds, and a system for managing messages from strangers are added. Diary app lands on Mac, allowing you to write long texts about everyday events and synchronize them across all Apple devices. Photos adopts the Liquid Glass visual language and adds fixed collections, while FaceTime improves the interface and accessibility.
In the field of accessibility, tools such as the Magnifier for Mac, Accessibility Reader (a universal reading mode), the Braille Access and Vehicle Movement Indicators for people with different needs. In addition, the password app has been updated with new management options and access to the password history.
Compatibility, release, and how to test it before anyone else
mMcOS 26 Tahoe will be available as a free update this fall for a wide range of devices, including select generations of Intel processors:
- MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon (2020 or later)
- iMac (2020 and up)
- Mac mini (2020 onwards)
- Mac Studio (all generations)
- Mac Pro (2019 or later)
- Select Intel MacBook Pro models (16-inch 2019 and 13-inch 2020 with three or four ports)
Users can now access the beta for developersThe public beta is expected in July, allowing for testing of new features before the official release, planned for the fall, likely in September, coinciding with the new iPhones.
Many of the Apple Intelligence improvements will require devices with an M1 chip or later and certain language settings, though the basic experience will be widely available.
macOS 26 Tahoe It represents Apple's ambitious commitment to visual consistency, customization, and intelligent integration between devices. The system consolidates the Mac as a powerful and updated platform, seeking to attract both long-time users and those who are new to the system, drawn by changes in the Apple ecosystem.