How to Turn Your Modern Mac Into an Old-School Macintosh
Modern Macs look and feel great, but sometimes I really miss the retro look of Macs. Skeuomorphism, where digital objects are designed to mimic their real-life counterparts, is dead, but quite often I find myself wishing I could go back to that era of Mac software. If you’re as nostalgic as I am, this guide will tell you how to create the perfect retro look for your Mac.
Make Music Look Like QuickTime Player
The Music app for Mac is great for anyone who uses Apple Music. To use a retro controller for this app, check out QuickTune , which recreates the look of QuickTime 7 from Mac OS X Tiger and lets you control playback for Apple Music. Standout design elements include glass window control buttons, a brushed metal theme, and dedicated playback control buttons.
The same developer – Mario Guzman – also created Music MiniPlayer for macOS , which looks like iTunes.
Use a retro terminal app
For those who use command line tools, the modern Terminal app for macOS may feel a little too polished. If you want to go back to the good old days of using the command line on a CRT monitor, consider using Cool Retro Term . My colleague Justin Poth wrote an excellent article that talks about the ins and outs of this app.
Bring back iTunes and iPhoto
iTunes and iPhoto were era-defining apps for the Mac. Everyone knows about the first one, which was the default music player, digital store for buying music, and the app you used to control your iPhone. iPhoto was less popular, but before the advent of photos, it was a photo management app.
No retro Mac setup would be complete without iTunes and iPhoto, and we’ve got a complete guide to bringing those apps back to your modern Mac. You can use the Retroactive app to install iPhoto and iTunes.
Change your Mac’s icons
To give your Mac a retro look, you’ll need a retro icon pack. Designer Ben Vessey introduces you to 205 old-school icons that will complete the transformation of your modern Mac into a retro computer. This icon pack costs £7.99 (roughly $10) and includes icons for Apple apps, as well as a variety of third-party apps, including the Adobe pack, 1Password, Spotify, and more. It also has icons for system folders and commonly used file extensions. This package also includes free retro wallpapers.
You’ll also need to buy the IconChamp app ($9) to replace the icons on your Mac, and even then, several system apps, including Trash and Calendar, can’t be changed due to macOS limitations.
Get retro wallpapers for Mac
The final step of your retro makeover involves changing your Mac’s wallpaper. YouTuber freddiemt has uploaded all the default wallpapers that came with every version of the Mac operating system into this Google Photos album . You can also quickly search the internet for retro Mac wallpapers to create the perfect retro look for your computer.
Run older versions of macOS in your browser
If none of these changes satisfy your nostalgia cravings, you can go back to classic Mac versions right from your browser . The Infinite Mac website lets you see what Apple’s operating system looked like before it was called Mac OS.
Still not satisfied? Check out this retro PC that looks like a classic 1984 Macintosh !