Hide macOS Tahoe's Menu Icons
Apple’s new macOS Tahoe UI, especially its glassy aesthetic, rounded window corners, and icon-filled menus, is drawing heavy criticism from long-time Mac users who find it cluttered, inconsistent, and harder to use than previous versions. Commenters trade tips on terminal commands and settings to hide Tahoe’s new menu icons or block the upgrade entirely, with some saying these tweaks restore sanity while others have already moved to Linux or stayed on older macOS releases. A minority welcome the icons as faster to parse—particularly for accessibility reasons—but many argue that Apple’s loss of visual coherence and focus on fashion over usability marks a broader decline in its design culture.
Reaction to Tahoe Menu Icons
- Many dislike Tahoe’s new icons in drop‑down menus, calling them cluttered, hard to scan, and visually inconsistent across apps and functions.
- Some users welcome the icons, saying they speed up recognition, especially when they don’t frequently use those menus or have dyslexia.
- Several commenters stress that inconsistency and vague metaphors undermine the benefits of icons.
- There is broad agreement that this should be a user‑configurable option, ideally as an accessibility setting, not a mandatory design.
Broader Critiques of Tahoe UI
- Strong complaints about “Liquid Glass,” heavy transparency, and large rounded window corners, which some say hurt readability and make controls harder to recognize.
- Users report difficulty resizing windows and distinguishing UI elements from app content or visual glitches.
- Some see Tahoe as “generic,” dated, or reminiscent of old Linux/KDE themes, with sloppy details (e.g., dock reflections, mismatched panel curves).
- Others find earlier macOS versions visually superior and more usable; a minority say Tahoe grew on them and older UIs now look dated.
Workarounds and Alternatives
- The shared Terminal command to hide menu icons is widely appreciated, though some note it doesn’t work uniformly (e.g., Safari) and may require relaunching apps or sessions.
- Users mention switching away from Finder to third‑party file managers and enabling accessibility settings like “Reduce transparency” to tame Tahoe’s visuals.
- Several avoid upgrading, pinning themselves to Sequoia or earlier, sometimes using tools like Little Snitch or beta channels to block Tahoe updates.
macOS vs Other Platforms
- Multiple commenters say Tahoe pushed them toward Linux (often with tiling window managers), reporting greater calm, familiarity, and customizability.
- Others still prefer macOS overall, citing strong hardware and acceptable trade‑offs despite UI frustration.
- Some argue major OS visual presentation should be decoupled from kernel/hardware versions, while an ex‑enterprise engineer counters that tight coupling aids testing and coherence.
General Themes
- Recurrent nostalgia for older macOS design eras (Aqua, pre‑Big Sur toolbars).
- Perception that Apple’s design leadership and consistency have eroded, with different teams shipping divergent UI patterns.
- Underlying desire for more customization so users can tailor UI density, effects, and iconography to their own needs.