MacOS Tahoe vs. Sequoia: Here’s How Liquid Glass Redesigns Your Mac’s Icons

Apple’s Liquid Glass software design language is bringing a new look to your Mac. Some of it you’ll likely spot right away — like the revamped menu bar, which will have a completely clear background. But other design changes coming in MacOS 26 Tahoe will be more subtle, to the point where you might almost miss them entirely. But they’re worth hunting down. 

MacOS Tahoe is more than a design update. Functional changes include a smarter Spotlight search, new continuity features, live translation and a new Games app. MacOS even picked up the Phone app in this release. 

But I’m here to talk to you about the Mac OS icons, many of which — until now — have barely changed in decades. There are cool new things you can do, like change the default color of an icon folder without replacing it entirely, along with additional customization options that previously were never available (you can now tint icons or make them completely clear like you can on the iPhone). Other icons are seeing a tweaked return to their former designs, but the updated versions are shiny and sophisticated. 

What I find fascinating is the way Tahoe’s icons tell the same story while saying less in their imagery. 

Below, I’ve detailed some of the updated icons you’ll find on MacOS 26, keeping in mind that the final designs may change by the time the OS exits beta and the final build is released. I’ll compare the new icons to the current version of the OS, Sequoia, much like I did when comparing the Liquid Glass effect in iOS 26 to the not-long-for-this-world look of iOS 18. 

Everyday Mac users may choose to overlook some of the updates to the icons, and that’s fine — they’re just doors to a destination. But if you appreciate the subtleties Apple put into the details of its latest OS, follow along.

For more, don’t miss our iPhone 17 rumor roundup.

Tucked in, flattened down and rounded out

Icons on the Mac now feel more like that of those on iOS, with a more rounded, squircle design. Compared to Sequoia, Tahoe’s icons become flatter in the details and sometimes that texture found in the former OS version’s icons is replaced with a subtle translucent effect. Sequoia’s sometimes concave or indented style has been pushed outwards, allowing for Liquid Glass to add a little shine on the corners of elements within the icon’s design. Apple has also pulled in all icon elements that had previously hung off the edges — now everything is tucked within the icon shape. 

Books

The Apple Books icon updates are simple, but do a lot for the overall design. The pages show gradients to inform depth and the edges add a touch of the signature Liquid Glass shine. Additionally, a book cover has been added behind the pages, showing off a layered glass look. 

Contacts

The Contacts app icon largely looks the same as far as the elements within it are concerned, but otherwise — wow, what a difference. The cardboard-box brown of the “contact book” is replaced with a gradient and translucent off-white surface with a contrasting standard profile image. There’s one less colored tab to the right of the icon, and the remaining three are now flat in design and span the entire height of the icon. 

Digital Color Meter

Another good example of Apple turning down the detail without sacrificing impact is the Digital Color Meter app. The dropper no longer hangs off the edge, the background is a simple white instead of stark red, the shapes have been simplified to circles and the colors take on more pastel shades.

Disk Utility

MacOS Tahoe shows Apple pulling back and toning down details of its icons while communicating the same thing. The Disk Utility app is one of the better examples of this — compare the new version to Sequoia and previous versions. 

Folders

For years and years, the default folder on a Mac has been a turquoise blue, without much customization at your disposal. And maybe the folder color on your Mac isn’t something you’ve cared to spend time on thinking about, but if who’ve wished that they could change their folder color, you’ll be able to with Tahoe. 

Tucked into the Appearance menu in system settings is a new default folder color option, allowing you to switch between red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink and graphite. In addition, the icon in Tahoe shows a document in it, as opposed to Sequoia’s empty folder.

iPhone Mirroring

The updated iPhone Mirroring icon is now more representative of what the app does. It may not say much about the app’s functionality, but it’s a step up from Sequoia’s icon with a single iPhone. 

Photos

Another subtle Liquid Glass icon tweak is found in the Photos app. In essence, it’s the same design, but the overlapping, oblong color panels look to have a slight decrease in overall width and Apple has added shiny glass edges to them. 

Settings

The updates to the Settings icon in Tahoe are minor, but it’s a good example of Liquid Glass’ subtlety. That inward depth the icon has maintained for over a decade has shifted, colors are changed, and the teeth of the gears are both widened and softened. Liquid Glass is most notable in the smaller gear, which is slightly more transparent, as if it has a piece of layered glass on top of it. 

Stickies 

The Stickies app redesign is a return to how its icon appeared from 2000 to 2020, according to Basic Apple Guy’s MacOS icon history chart. Instead of what looks like a Post-It notepad, the latest icon returns to a stack of three notes lying on top of each other. 

Text Edit

Tahoe’s update to the Text Edit app might almost be too reductive from Sequoia’s, removing the pen entirely, leaving only a segment of a piece of notebook paper. It’s most certainly simplified, but Mac users that may not be so intimately familiar with each individual icon may easily mistake Text Edit for something else. 

For more, don’t miss how Apple’s iPhone release schedule might change.