You can finally upgrade to macOS 26 on supported Mac models, just head to System Settings > General > Software Update and click the "Upgrade" button. Some features, like app overhauls and the Liquid Glass facelift, are obvious. Others are buried deep within menus.
Here are our favorite less celebrated macOS 26 features that you'd be forgiven for missing.
New Shortcuts Automation Triggers
The Shortcuts app has received a big update in macOS 26, and it now more closely resembles its iPhone counterpart. That means you can now trigger Shortcuts (and by extension, all sorts of system actions) when performing certain actions automatically.
You'll find the new option under the "Automation" tab in the Shortcuts app. Click on it, then click on the "+" plus icon in the top-right corner of the screen. From here, you'll be able to pick a trigger from a broad selection. These include at a certain time of day, when an alarm sounds, or when receiving email or messages from a specific contact.
There are also some more macOS-specific triggers, like when adding a file to a specific folder, when modifying a specific file, when connecting an external drive, plus when connecting to networks or peripherals like Wi-Fi or external displays. There are also triggers for specific apps opening and Do Not Disturb mode. Here's hoping that Apple will add even more in future updates.
Once you've set a trigger, you can nominate a shortcut or create one right away. If you want to do things like toggle certain settings, you'll need to create single-action shortcuts and link them. Previously, you'd need an app like Shortery to add the automation triggers that Apple forgot , but that's no longer the case.
Add and Remove Almost Anything to and From the Menu Bar
Click on the Control Center button in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and you'll see a new option titled "Edit Controls." You can use this to add panels and buttons to the main Control Panel interface, or remove old ones. But what's not immediately obvious is the ability to drag these items in and out of the menu bar itself at the top of the screen.
You can basically remove everything except the time and the Control Center button, and rearrange by dragging them around. You can also block any third-party items you don't want to see by heading to System Settings > Menu Bar and deselecting them. Previously, you'd need an app like Ice or Bartender to do this.
Customize the Lock Screen Clock
iPhone users have been able to customize the lock screen clock for a few years now, and Apple has finally brought the feature to macOS too. Head to Settings > Wallpaper and click on the new "Clock Appearance" button to pick from some familiar options.
In addition to typeface and weight, you can also choose to show or hide the clock when your screensaver is active too.
Quick Keys in Spotlight
Spotlight has had a major overhaul in macOS 26, with new buttons for clipboard history, triggering Shortcuts workflows, and filtering by app. But the most exciting changes are productivity ones, like the ability to trigger actions directly from the Spotlight interface.
One thing you should definitely do to speed things up is make the most of a feature Apple calls Quick Keys. This allows you to trigger an action by typing two letters, making it easier to access that function in the future. Before you can use it, you'll need to assign a shortcut to it.
To get started, type the name of the action you want to perform. There's a lot to choose from, so you might need to experiment to find the one you're looking for. For example, "Create Note" is the action that creates a new note in Apple Notes. Type "Create Note" and then notice the "add quick keys" field that appears next to it. Click this field and type the keys you'd like to use, "cn" for example. Now you can type "cn" to quickly access the action.
Some actions have multiple parts, like the "New Reminder" action so assigning a Quick Key shortcut can massively speed up the process of adding a reminder to a designated list. If at any point you want to reset your associations, simply head to System Settings > Spotlight and use the "Reset Quick Keys" button.
Spotlight will also learn from your behavior, so if you start typing "ca" to access the calendar, but find another app appears at the top of the search results, selecting calendar from the results will cause it to appear higher in the list the next time you start typing that query.
Include iPhone Files and Apps in Search When Mirroring
If you've set up iPhone Mirroring, you've got some new options when searching your Mac. You can now search your iPhone's files as you would your Mac's files, and also list your iPhone applications as if they were installed directly. When you open an app from these results, it'll open directly in an iPhone Mirroring window just like your mirrored iPhone notifications do .
For this to work, you'll need to have your (Apple Silicon or T2) Mac and iPhone signed in to the same Apple ID, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, and have your iPhone within close range. You'll see the iPhone Mirroring icon appear in your Mac's dock when it's available.
You can prevent iPhone apps from showing up under System Settings > Spotlight by disabling "iPhone Apps" at the bottom of the list.
Markdown Import and Export in Notes
Markdown is a web-friendly markup language that allows you to add formatting, hyperlinks, tables, and more in a format that's readable to humans. Think of it as a simplified take on HTML, with uses that go far beyond writing for the web. I use Markdown for everything , and now Apple Notes finally includes support for the format, albeit in a limited import and export format.
What this means is that you can export any note using the File > Export as > Markdown option. You can also import files in Markdown format using File > Import Markdown. This doesn't change how Apple Notes handles these types of files; they'll still appear like rich text and you won't be able to use Markdown syntax within Apple Notes, but the support is appreciated nonetheless.
You can import and export multiple notes by selecting more than one using Control or Shift.
iPhone Live Activities in the Menu Bar
Another feature that only works if you meet the criteria for iPhone Mirroring is the inclusion of Live Activities in your Mac's menu bar. Live Activities let you keep track of time-sensitive app-related happenings like live sports scores, flight tracking, ride-sharing apps, food delivery, and more.
You'll see an icon appear in the menu bar at the top-right corner of the screen, which you can click for more information. iPadOS 26 also adds support for this feature.
Motion Cues Accessibility Feature Now on Mac
If you use your Mac in a car, on a train, or when flying but you find that you get motion sick, you might be pleased to hear that Apple's Vehicle Motion Cues feature from iOS 18 has finally made its way to the Mac.
To turn it on, head to System Settings > Accessibility > Motion. You'll be able to choose between Pattern, Color, Larger dots, and More dots, which dictate how the feature appears on your screen. You might need to tweak the setting for best results, but ultimately it works by matching the motion you're experiencing with what you see on your screen.
Apple notes that the feature only works with laptops but doesn't work on M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
Get Notified If Someone Says Your Name
Here's a neat feature for anyone who spends all day in noise-cancelling headphones. You can now have macOS notify you if someone says your name with an on-screen pop-up. To turn it on, head to System Settings > Accessibility > Name Recognition.
You'll be able to type your name or record how your name is normally pronounced. When you're done, make sure you enable the notification permission pop-up that appears afterward. You'll now get a notification whenever your Mac hears your name being said aloud.
Support for Native Linux Containers
Here's one for the nerds, macOS 26 includes support for Apple's new open-source Container project which makes it possible to run Linux containers natively within macOS. This previously required a container manager like Docker .
Get started by reading Apple's tutorial and how-to guide . You can download and install the project from GitHub or using macOS package manager Homebrew and the following Terminal command:
brew install container
The iPhone is also getting a big software update, so make sure you check out all the hidden iOS 26 features you might have missed too.
