AI News Feed
Market watch
Enthusiast rebuilds M4 Mac Mini into a 3D-printed handheld with a 7-inch 120Hz screen, keyboard and batteryCisco Talos Details Windows Malware That Lets Four LLMs Vote on Its Next MoveCognex to buy Intel robotics spin-off RealSense for about $600MEngadget Outlines Ways to Improve Apple CarPlay as iOS 27 Adds FeaturesTechRadar Publishes Sept. 23 Answers for Quordle, NYT Strands and ConnectionsApple Releases iOS 27.2 and macOS 27.2 Public Betas, Second RCs for Tahoe and Sequoia
Enthusiast rebuilds M4 Mac Mini into a 3D-printed handheld with a 7-inch 120Hz screen, keyboard and batteryCisco Talos Details Windows Malware That Lets Four LLMs Vote on Its Next MoveCognex to buy Intel robotics spin-off RealSense for about $600MEngadget Outlines Ways to Improve Apple CarPlay as iOS 27 Adds FeaturesTechRadar Publishes Sept. 23 Answers for Quordle, NYT Strands and ConnectionsApple Releases iOS 27.2 and macOS 27.2 Public Betas, Second RCs for Tahoe and Sequoia
Products & Applications

macOS 27 Golden Gate Adds Liquid Glass Appearance Slider

Apple's macOS 27 Golden Gate adds a Liquid Glass appearance slider that lets Mac users adjust the system-wide interface from clearer to more opaque, affecting the Dock, widgets, and window chrome, according to 9to5Mac.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-23 08:38

According to the report, Liquid Glass is Apple's design language that began with iOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe. It initially offered a single look. Apple later added a setting that made Liquid Glass less clear. Starting with iOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate, Liquid Glass is no longer limited to two styles. The appearance slider allows users to make Liquid Glass much more clear than before, or to give it a more opaque look that still appears modern. The report described macOS 27 Golden Gate as a significant upgrade over macOS 26 Tahoe, with design decisions beyond the slider.

macOS 27 Golden Gate defaults to a medium setting. During initial setup, the system invites users to adjust the slider. Users can also change it later in System Settings > Appearance. The slider provides a live preview of what each setting will look like. Three notches suggest the most clear, medium, and most opaque options, but users can assign the slider to any level between the notches.

The Dock is the most prominent component that changes based on the Liquid Glass slider setting, according to 9to5Mac. It can range from showing the desktop wallpaper in clear definition to appearing as a more opaque and defined material. Desktop widgets also respond to the slider. macOS desktop widgets can be full color, dim, or change automatically, and the slider changes how the dim widget appearance looks.

Apps such as Apple Music and Podcasts that have system Now Playing bars have a very different look depending on the slider position, the report said. The slider also applies to sidebars, toolbars, and toolbar buttons. That changes the look of Photos, Safari, and other apps with window chrome.

In macOS 27 Golden Gate, one slider controls all Liquid Glass appearances across the system. That means the Dock, widgets, and window chrome share a single look rather than being adjusted separately. The report said the more opaque option can look mature on a Mac, while the more clear setting can be fun to experiment with, and it noted that macOS 27 Golden Gate gives users the option to decide.