macOS Tahoe 26 will bring Apple’s new Liquid Glass UI to your desktop

So long macOS Sequoia, hello macOS Tahoe 26. Apple‘s next desktop operating system will feature the company’s Liquid Glass UI, but at this point, it doesn’t look like there will be any truly transformative features like last year’s iPhone mirroring. But hey, at least Apple isn’t trying to make us excited about widgets again. Just like the rest of Apple’s new software, Tahoe’s version number has also been updated to reflect the upcoming year — previously, we expected it to be macOS 16. While that may take some getting used to, it’s easier than trying to remember the different version numbers across Apple’s platforms.

At first glance, Apple’s Liquid Glass refresh almost seems like a rehash of the “Aero” design Microsoft used in Windows Vista (which came out nearly 20 years ago, yikes). True to its name, a varying degree of transparency is key to Apple’s new aesthetic — that includes a fully transparent menu bar, as well new light and dark tints for those respective display modes. Basically, it looks like macOS Tahoe will be Apple’s most customizable desktop OS yet.

As for genuinely new features, macOS Tahoe 26 finally brings the Phone app to Apple’s PCs, which also includes the new app design that’s coming to iOS 26. Previously, you had to launch calls from the Messages or Facetime apps. You’ll also be able to see Live Activities from your phone in the menu bar, so it’ll be easier to keep track of an upcoming delivery order or Uber ride.

Apple says that macOS Tahoe 26 will also feature the biggest update ever to Spotlight, its search function. You’ll be able to search across just about everything on your system — files, apps, messages — with a single query. You can also narrow your queries down in a few ways, like limiting results to PDFs. Spotlight can also search third-party cloud storage, according to Apple. It’ll be interesting to see how that integration works, and if there’s any noticeable lag time when it comes to searching the cloud.

Spotlight will also have “hundreds” of actions built-in, so you can do something like send an email or start a podcast without jumping into multiple apps. Squint, and it looks like Spotlight could become the centerpiece of how you interact with your Mac once Apple Intelligence AI features get smarter. For power users, Apple is also introducing “Quick Keys”: short strings of letters that can immediately launch specific functions.

In a demo during the WWDC keynote, an Apple representative was able to launch a document via Spotlight and then add an image just by searching through Spotlight. You’ll also be able to see the history of items copied to your clipboard with Spotlight, which will surely be handy for those times where you lose track of an item you’ve copied.

Just like iOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26 will also feature a dedicated Games app, which will show off all the titles installed on your system. Similarly, Apple Intelligence upgrades are coming to all of Apple’s platforms, including Live Translations in the Messages app, as well as new Genmoji and Image Playground features. That includes new art styles, like vector art and oil paintings.

As for other small updates, Safari and the Photos app are also getting redesigned with new Liquid Glass highlights. While Safari gets a more useful upgrade on iOS 26, where it can take over the entire iPhone screen, the transparent location bar could still be useful on Macs.

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