I've been using macOS Tahoe 26 for a month – here are the 5 features you should try first

Having been announced in June and beta tested for several months, macOS Tahoe 26 is now being pushed out to millions of Mac users worldwide – and so if you have one of the many Macs that are compatible with the update, you should now be seeing prompts to install it.

I've been testing out the developer betas since they were first launched in June, so I can write from first-hand experience about the many new features, both in terms of the operating system overall and the individual Apple apps running on top of it.

There's also a complete visual overhaul of the interface, making use of the same Liquid Glass theme being introduced on all of Apple's software platforms, including iOS 26.

Once you've accepted the prompt to install macOS Tahoe 26 on your own machine, here's what to try first.

1. Spotlight has been given a huge upgrade

Spotlight has always been a useful way of launching apps and searching through the files on a Mac, but with macOS Tahoe 26, it gets what is probably the biggest upgrade in its history. There are now four sections to jump between via icons or keyboard shortcuts, covering apps, files, shortcuts, and the macOS clipboard.

Those first two options work in a similar way to how they have done previously, though there are more comprehensive browsing options (you're able to see apps sorted by category or name, for example). It's also really helpful to have access to the clipboard history, so you can quickly bring back something you copied recently – it means I've been using Spotlight much more regularly.

The really significant upgrade comes with shortcuts, though. Not only can you launch any existing shortcut, you're able to create new ones from right inside Spotlight, and even assign keyboard combinations to them: send messages, start timers, open playlists, and more. On top of that, there's added Apple Intelligence, so you can make calls to various AI features from within Spotlight too.

2. Tour around the Liquid Glass interface

By now, you've probably seen plenty of Liquid Glass screenshots, so you have an idea of the visual changes Apple is rolling out across its various software platforms, including macOS Tahoe 26. However, it's not until you actually start using these operating systems that you realize what a step forward it is in terms of aesthetics.

I'll admit it took some getting used to, but I'm now very much a fan of Liquid Glass on macOS. With the various demands of tech journalism to keep up with, I've been switching between different versions of Apple's desktop software, and going back to macOS Sequoia 15 feels like entering an old-fashioned, outdated world.

Everything looks clean and fresh, and the translucent effects are really well done, without being overbearing or affecting legibility – the Control Center is one of the key panels that looks more modern, for example. You get more in the way of curves and smoothness too, and I think most people are going to be on board with the changes.

3. Stay updated with Live Activities

Live Activities has become a pretty essential feature on the iPhone, keeping you right up to date with real-time information, and it's proved so useful that it's making its way to the Mac as well. Live Activities will now be mirrored at the top of your macOS screen, once they pop up on iOS.

You may already be familiar with the convenience of Live Activities for apps that track flights, deliveries, and sports scores. Having these updates available on macOS is a real bonus. It's one of those features where you don't really realize how useful it is until you actually get it.

The upgrade builds on the impressive syncing between iOS and macOS that's already in place, including iPhone Mirroring. You're even able to click on a Live Activities widget on your Mac and open up the relevant iPhone app on your macOS desktop, through the mirroring link between your computer and your phone.

4. Apple Intelligence adds Live Translation

You may have seen the new Live Translation feature Apple is rolling out to its new AirPods Pro 3 and some older models, and the feature is appearing across Apple's other devices too – including Macs, with macOS Tahoe 26. It means you can get audio translations in real time, even as people are speaking.

The feature is going to show up in various places across macOS, including the Messages, Phone, and FaceTime apps (you can use it on calls made via your iPhone too). In Messages, for example, you'll see a prompt to start translating at the top of a chat if another language is detected.

Apple hasn't said much about Apple Intelligence recently – perhaps because it's had to delay the much-hyped AI upgrades for Siri – but this is a genuinely useful AI upgrade that a lot of people are likely to want to make use of. It's ideal if you spend much time talking to people in a foreign language.

5. Macs get even more gaming upgrades

Apple has been trying to convince us that it's serious about gaming on the Mac for many years of course, but there's evidence that this time we can believe it. The new macOS update features a new Metal 4 graphics rendering engine, adding in denoising tech and frame interpolation (similar to the equivalent Nvidia offering on Windows).

Now I admittedly haven't tested this out extensively – but these features are likely to get better over time, especially considering that some tweaks will be needed on the developer side too. This is going to be well worth checking back in on as macOS Tahoe 26 gets further refined in the coming months.

There's also the new Games app, a central hub for launching games, checking your scores and gaming chats, and discovering new titles. It's all neatly done, and looks to be another significant improvement for gamers – with the potential to get a few more users gaming on the Mac. The same hub is appearing for iPhones and iPads at the same time too.

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