As part of its WWDC extravaganza, Apple unveiled the latest version of macOS, confirming that it, too, will be getting the Liquid Glass treatment when it releases later this year. That comes straight from the major iOS 26 redesign, and macOS is also getting a name change to add that same number.
Weirdly, though, Apple is trying to have its cake and eat it, too. Throughout the presentation, it referred to the new OS as "Tahoe", continuing its long-standing theme of using geographical names for its software updates on Mac. Only in the official news releases does it confirm that the full name is "macOS Tahoe 26", which is almost a little clumsy as an addition.
Returning to the changes coming this year, the whole OS has been given a Liquid Glass facelift, with new icons and transparency treatments throughout. It'll give a nice boost to some apps that have looked the same for years, with both light and dark versions to accommodate your choice of mode.
However, perhaps more impactful is a big change coming to good old Spotlight search. I used this feature every day to find things on my Mac, but it's a little limited; that'll change with Tahoe 26, seemingly. Spotlight search is getting a big Apple Intelligence upgrade, unlocking a massive suite of new options, including conversational requests that seem far more sophisticated.
Filtering options will make it easier to select smaller slices of files and folders that you're looking for, but the real upgrade is how the dialogue box can now complete actions and requests. You can even send emails and messages right through the search box, if you want. Quick keys let you set shortcuts to make this even quicker if you want.
That could be a nice productivity upgrade when it arrives, and similar boosts are coming to the Shortcuts system for those who use it. It will now be able to use Apple Intelligence features like image generation or text summaries when you need it to.
Finally, gaming is also getting a boost with a new dedicated overlay to let you edit options like your brightness, power mode, Bluetooth connections and more – handy for those who are trying out the boosted gaming power of recent Apple chips.
